Chapman and Oxley
Chapman and Oxley was a Toronto, Ontario, Canada - based architectural firm and responsible for designing a number of prominent buildings in the city in the 1920s and 1930s. Even with the departure of Chapman, the firm's last projects appeared to be in the late 1940s.
The firm was founded by architects Alfred Hirschfelder Chapman (1875-1949) and James Morrow Oxley (1883-1957) in 1919.
A.H. Chapman lived in Toronto and studied architecture in Paris. Prior to going to Paris he apprenticed under Toronto architect Beaumont Jarvis (1864-1948). Chapman and Oxley ended his work in 1943 and died in 1949. He is buried at St. George's Church (Anglican) and Cemetery (Susan Sibbald Memorial Stone Church) in Sutton, Ontario.
Chapman's son Howard D. Chapman (Chapman and Hurst)was also an architect and worked with Howard V. Walker on a number of restoration projects in the 1980s. His other son Christopher Chapman (1927-) is a writer, director and cinematographer.
J.M. Oxley attended the University of Toronto as an engineering (applied sciences) student and fought in World War I in the Canadian Army (Canadian Expeditionary Force) from 1915-1918.[1] He was President of the Mississauga Golf and Country Club from 1939 to 1940. Oxley died in 1957.
A list of projects worked on by Chapman and Oxley:
| Building | Year | Type | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Toronto Harbour Commission Building | 1919 | Office building | |
| Sunnyside Bathing Pavilion | 1922 | public pool | |
| Palais Royale | 1922 | dancehall | built with Bishop |
| 330 Bay Street | 1925 | 16 storey office tower | |
| Maple Leaf Stadium | 1926 | baseball stadium | demolished 1968 |
| National Building | 1926 | 12 storey office building | demolished in 2006 |
| Crosee and Blackwell Building | 1927 | television station | later as CFMT Building |
| Prince's Gate (Toronto), at Exhibition Place | 1927 | arch gateway | |
| Dominion Building (Toronto) | 1927 | 12 storey office tower | home to National Cash Register; later as City Hall Annex (City of Toronto) and Ryerson Polytechnic; demolished 1977 after fire damaged the strucuture |
| Runnymede Theatre, Toronto | 1927 | double screen atmospheric theatre | closed 1998 and converted to Chapter's bookstore[2] |
| Capitol Theatre, Cornwall, Ontario | 1928 | single screen atmospheric theatre | inner theatre designed by architect G.J. Mace; closed 1985 and demolished 1991[3] |
| Old Toronto Star Building | 1929 | office building | demolished 1970 and now site of First Canadian Place |
| Sterling Tower | 1929 | 21 storey office tower | |
| The Bay's Queen Street location | 1929 | 9 storey department store addition | houses the Arcadian Court) and Robert Simpson Complex at the rear |
| Toronto Public Library Circulating Library | 1930 | library | now Koffler Student Centre, University of Toronto |
| Toronto Hydro Building (Carlton Street) | 1931 | office building | with associate Albert E Salisbury |
| Royal Ontario Museum | 1933 | expansion wing | |
| Holy Blossom Temple | 1938 | synagogue | |
| Heaslip House | 1938-1939 | office building | built as HQ for E.P. Taylor's Canadian Breweries Limited - purchased by Ryerson University as home for radio station CRJT and now home to Chang School of Continuing Education |
| Bank of Montreal building at King and Bay | 1948 | bank building | demolished 1972 |
A list of work by Chapman or Oxley prior to the founding of their firm in 1919:
| Building | Year | Type | Architects |
|---|---|---|---|
| old Oakville Grammar School (Reynolds Street) | 1908 | school | Chapman |
| Toronto Public Library Bloor-Gladstone Branch | 1911-1913 | library | Alfred H. Chapman & Robert B. McGiffen; renovated by Howard D Chapman 1975 |
| Toronto Reference Library - St. George Street | 1909 | library | Wickson & Gregg and A.H. Chapman; now Koffler Student Centre, University of Toronto |
| Carnegie Library - Dundas, Ontario | 1909 | library | Chapman and McGiffen; now Carnegie Gallery |
| Rosedale Presbyterian Church, Toronto | 1909 | church | Chapman and McGiffen |
| Knox College (University of Toronto) | 1912-15 | university building | Chapman and McGiffen |
| Toronto Public Library Dovercourt Branch | 1913 | library | Chapman and McGiffen |
| Carnegie Library - Barrie, Ontario | 1915 | library | Chapman and McGiffen; now MacLaren Arts Centre |
See also
List of other and rival Toronto architectural firms:
- Pearson and Darling
- Bregman + Hamann Architects
- WZMH Architects
References
- ↑ [World War I Roll of Service, 1914-1918, University of Toronto, p419]
- ↑ Runnymede Theatre
- ↑ Capitol Theatre