Halifax in 1870, the Same Year Dumaresq Moved to the City

Nat ional Library Bibliothèque nationale du Canada Acquisitions and Acquisitions et Bibliographie Services services bibliographiques 395 Wellington Street 395, rue Wellington OrtawaON KlAON4 OaawaON K1AûN4 Canada Canada The author has gianted a non- L'auteur a accordé une licence non exclusive licence dowing the exclusive permettant a la National Library of Canada to Bibliothèque nationale du Canada de reproduce, ioan, distribute or sell reproduire, prêter, distribuer ou copies of this thesis in microform, vendre des copies de cette thèse sous paper or electronic formats. la forme de microfiche/film, de reproduction sur papier ou sur format électronique; The author retains ownership of the L'auteur conserve la propriété du copyright in this thesis. Neither the droit d'auteur qui protège cette thèse. thesis nor substantial extracts fiom it Ni la thèse ni des extraits substantiels may be printed or otherwise de celle-ci ne doivent être imprimés reproduced without the author's ou autrement reproduits sans son permission. autorisation. Abstraot James Charles Philip Dumaresq (1840-1906) was one of the most prominent and prolific architects of his time in the Maritime provinces. This thesis presents a biographical sketch of Dumaresq8s life and examines his oeuvre within the context of nineteenth century architecture. The text iç supplemented with a chronological descriptive catalogue of over 250 buildings known to be the work of Dumaresq, either while he was working alone or in partnership with other architects throughout his 36 year career. No persona1 records, such as diaries and workbooks, survive to provide first hand glimpses of the man and his career. Furthemore, many of the buildings he designed no longer stand. Little secondary literature has been published regarding late nineteenth century architecture in the Maritimes. Consequently, newspapers and architectural plans and elevations were the primary sources of information consulted. Dumaresq was a practical and versatile architect who successfully merged in his designs new building techniques and materials with the predominant architectural fashions of the day. He was privately commissioned to design a wide variety of building types which include churches, hotels, schools, factories, private dwellings, banks and commercial buildings. He also won numerous architecturalcompetitions, includingthe New Brunswick Legislature (1880), which helped to further establish his reputation. His buildings stand as a permanent monument to a man who contributed to iii the establishment of professional architecture in the Maritimes. Table of Contents Part 1 Introduction ~......~.......a.~..mm..~.am..a...m.~.m 1 Chapter 1: JmCm Dumaresq and the Architectural Profession in the Maritimes in the Late Nineteenth Century ........~.....~............ 6 Chapter 2: The New Brunswick Legislature: A Design for the Times ..... Conclusion Bibliography Part XI Chronological index of buildings in catalogue ...,...... Chronological catalogue of buildings m.... m.... 1 llustrations m.... mm*.. 1 wish to thank the many individuals, archives and institutions, here too numerous to mention, that have made the completion of this thesis possible. 1 am particularly indebted to Garry D. Shutlak, map/architectue archivist at the Provincial Archives of Nova Scotia, who generously gave of his time and shared his wealth of knowledge with me. The completion of this thesis has been trying at times and I am grateful for the help of fered by Professor T. W. Acheson who acted as my CO-supervisor during Professor Stuart A. Smith's absence . 1 would like to thank the School of Graduate Studies at the University of New Brunswick for its financial assistance during the past two years. Finally, 1 extend my gratitude to my parents and my P. B. Part I Introduction The British architectural historian David Watkin wrote in his preface to The Rise of Architectural History that the aims of architecturalhistory could be summarised under three headings: the practical, the historical and the aesthetic. The practical establishes what was built, when, by whom and for whom. The historical inquiry attempts to answer why a building was built, be it to display wealth or to serve a more functional purpose. Finally, the aesthetic component examines the various stylistic differences and why one style is employed rather than another.' This thesis incorporates, in varying degrees, these three aspects, with particular emphasis on the practical. The principal part of this thesis is a chronologically organized catalogue incorporating information on every building determined to have been designed, altered, or in some way worked on by architect James Charles Philip Dumaresq (1840-1906) whether while he was working alone or in partnership with other architects. The catalogue also includes plans Dwnaresq submitted for architectural competitions, but which were not accepted. Over 250 buildings have been identified and their architectural features and histories described with varying degrees of detail. Late nineteenth century architectural history of the Maritime provinces has been largely ignored, as has the study of individual architects practising in the Maritimes at this time. Recent David Watkin, The Rise of Architectural History (London: The Architectural Press, 1980), pp. vii-viii. scholarship has started to address this dearth. Gary K. Hughesr Music of the Eye is the most significant publication in this field.* It surveys the work of several nineteenth century architects who designed buildings in Saint John and places their oeuvre within the professional reality of their day. Robert C. Tuckrs Gothic Dreams focuses on the life of Prince Edward Island architect William Critchlow Harris who began his apprenticeship in Halifax in 1870, the same year Dumaresq moved to the city. The men competed on several projects against one another. Unlike Dumaresq, much of Harris8 correspondence survived and from it we can glean glimpses of the reality of the profession. In The Rebuilding of Saint John, Cm Anne Hale examines the nature and extent of the building activity which took place following that cityrs great f ire in 1877 .4 Dumaresq was one of the architects attracted to the city at that time to participate in the reconstruction. This thesis furthers the historical endeavour in this area by cataloguing an oeuvre and retracing the life of the most prolific architect in the Maritime provinces during the late nineteenth century . Dumaresq8s career spanned over three and one half decades, from 1870 to 1906. He entered the architectural * Gary K. Hughes, Music of the Eye: Architectural Drawings of Canada's First City (Saint John: New Brunswick Museum, 1992) . Robert C. Tuck, Gothic Dreams: The Life and Times of a Canadian Architect William Critchlow Harris, 1854-1913 (Toronto: Dundurn Press, 1978) . C. Anne Hale, The Rebuilding of Saint John, New Brunswick 1877-1881 (~redericton:Queen8s Printer, 1990). 3 profession at a time when architects were starting to emerge as members of a profession distinct from that of the building trade with which they had often been associated. Architectural associations were formed to push for reforms and enhance the status of architects within society. They encouraged the development of educational programmes and sought to control the membership entering the profession by requiring members to meet their educational standards, be it through apprenticeship or formal education. They lobbied provincialgovernments to pass legislation which would give exclusive rights of use of the title 'architect' to those who had completed specialized training in design and technical matters. Throughout the 1880s and 1890s, architects were faced with the need to assimilate and apply the new developments within their field. Innovations in building technologies and materials, such as iron framing and plate glass facades, were introduced which required architects to possess significant engineering expertise. They had to be aware of the latest fashions in order to keep their designs up-to-date. Architects had to respond to the needs of an industrial society during a transformation which manifested itself in the demand for new building types incorporating the new styles and technologies. For instance, a society which increasingly valued leisure time and travel required large hotels and railway stations. The forces of social reform of the latter part of the century valued education and human welfare; thus more schools, hospitals and universities were constructed. The infrastructure of 4 a modern industrial state also required edifices to house them; thus, banks, government and commercial buildings, office buildings and factories were erected. Dumaresq was very much aware of these changes within the profession and society, and he responded to these through his use of new technologies which he incorporated into the many building types he designed. It is not within the scope of this thesis to evaluate the historical and aesthetic value of al1 of Dumaresq8s buildings, nor to examine thoroughly the place of these buildings within the context of the architectural environment of the Maritimes in the late nineteenth century. An account of the stylistic progression of his buildings through the three and one half decades of his practice will only be examined in general tenus. Discovering why each building was constructed would require a knowledge of the various factors, be they political, economic, religious and persona1 beliefs, which motivate individuals or groups

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