David Webster (architect)
Encyclopedia
David Webster was a Scottish-Canadian architect best known for his designs of elementary schools in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada
. His school designs were often in a Collegiate Gothic
style emphasizing a central tower, locally referred to as a "castle style". Along with other local architects of his era, such as Walter LaChance
and Storey and Van Egmond
, Webster prospered during the province’s 1912 economic boom which sparked a frenzy of new construction.
Webster moved to Saskatoon in 1908, forming the short-lived partnership of Webster and Noel (Joseph H. Noel). The two partners separated in 1909.
Webster played a key role in founding the Saskatchewan Association of Architects in 1911, and held membership card #1. He served six terms as president of the association. When World War I began, Webster served in a Canadian unit from 1915 to 1919. He was wounded in June 1918 in the Battle of Messines
.
A second partnership was created in 1930 with E.J. Gilbert (Webster and Gilbert). In 1939, Webster moved to Regina to accept the position of Deputy Minister of Public Works in the provincial government, working under both Liberal
and New Democratic Party
administrations. His son, John Webster, became a partner in the firm of Webster and Gilbert at this point. The firm would go on to design such buildings as Royal University Hospital
, the 1956 wing of Saskatoon's city hall, the Livestock Pavilion and Jubilee Buildings at the Saskatoon Exhibition Grounds, and elementary schools such as Churchill, Holliston, and the original Brunskill School.
From 1948 to 1950, David Webster was employed by the Saskatchewan Department of Public Works to supervise construction of certain buildings on the University of Saskatchewan
campus in Saskatoon. He died at age 67 on January 1, 1952.
David Webster had been married twice. His first wife was Ada Webster of Liverpool, England
, who died in 1928 at the age of 45. They had three sons and one daughter. Little is known about David Webster's second wife, except that she outlived him and they had a son together.
All are extant unless otherwise specified. In chronological order:
Saskatoon
Saskatoon is a city in central Saskatchewan, Canada, on the South Saskatchewan River. Residents of the city of Saskatoon are called Saskatonians. The city is surrounded by the Rural Municipality of Corman Park No. 344....
. His school designs were often in a Collegiate Gothic
Collegiate Gothic in North America
Collegiate Gothic is an architectural genre, a subgenre of Gothic Revival architecture.-History:The beginnings of Collegiate Gothic in North America date back to 1894 when Cope & Stewardson completed Pembroke Hall on the campus of Bryn Mawr College...
style emphasizing a central tower, locally referred to as a "castle style". Along with other local architects of his era, such as Walter LaChance
Walter William LaChance
Walter William LaChance was a Canadian architect best known for his designs of rural schools, although he also designed numerous buildings of other types. His commissions were concentrated in Cleveland, Ohio, Hamilton, Ontario, Welland, Ontario, and various communities in Saskatchewan...
and Storey and Van Egmond
Storey and Van Egmond
Storey and Van Egmond was an architectural partnership in Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada, that functioned from 1907 to 1924. Initially, the principals were Edgar M. Storey and William Gysbert Van Egmond .-Edgar M. Storey:...
, Webster prospered during the province’s 1912 economic boom which sparked a frenzy of new construction.
Biography
Webster was born in Glasgow, Scotland in 1885. However, one reputable source gives 1886 as the year of birth. He articled with the Glasgow firm of Jarvis and McAlpin, and moved to Winnipeg in 1902. During his six years in Winnipeg, he had four different employers: G.W. Murray, McDermid and Co., the Winnipeg office of Sprote, Rolph and Chrysler, and lastly, Herbert B. Rugh.Webster moved to Saskatoon in 1908, forming the short-lived partnership of Webster and Noel (Joseph H. Noel). The two partners separated in 1909.
Webster played a key role in founding the Saskatchewan Association of Architects in 1911, and held membership card #1. He served six terms as president of the association. When World War I began, Webster served in a Canadian unit from 1915 to 1919. He was wounded in June 1918 in the Battle of Messines
Battle of Messines
The Battle of Messines was a battle of the Western front of the First World War. It began on 7 June 1917 when the British Second Army under the command of General Herbert Plumer launched an offensive near the village of Mesen in West Flanders, Belgium...
.
A second partnership was created in 1930 with E.J. Gilbert (Webster and Gilbert). In 1939, Webster moved to Regina to accept the position of Deputy Minister of Public Works in the provincial government, working under both Liberal
Saskatchewan Liberal Party
The Saskatchewan Liberal Party is a liberal political party in the Canadian province of Saskatchewan.-Early history :The party dominated Saskatchewan politics for the province's first forty years providing six of the first seven Premiers, and being in power for all but five of the years between the...
and New Democratic Party
Saskatchewan New Democratic Party
The Saskatchewan New Democratic Party is a social-democratic political party in the Canadian province of Saskatchewan. It currently forms the official opposition, but has been a dominant force in Saskatchewan politics since the 1940s...
administrations. His son, John Webster, became a partner in the firm of Webster and Gilbert at this point. The firm would go on to design such buildings as Royal University Hospital
Royal University Hospital
Royal University Hospital, often abbreviated RUH, is one of three hospitals in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. It is located on the University of Saskatchewan campus. RUH is a teaching hospital and closely tied to the College of Medicine within the university. It was opened on May 14, 1955 by...
, the 1956 wing of Saskatoon's city hall, the Livestock Pavilion and Jubilee Buildings at the Saskatoon Exhibition Grounds, and elementary schools such as Churchill, Holliston, and the original Brunskill School.
From 1948 to 1950, David Webster was employed by the Saskatchewan Department of Public Works to supervise construction of certain buildings on the University of Saskatchewan
University of Saskatchewan
The University of Saskatchewan is a Canadian public research university, founded in 1907, and located on the east side of the South Saskatchewan River in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada. An "Act to establish and incorporate a University for the Province of Saskatchewan" was passed by the...
campus in Saskatoon. He died at age 67 on January 1, 1952.
David Webster had been married twice. His first wife was Ada Webster of Liverpool, England
Liverpool
Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough of Merseyside, England, along the eastern side of the Mersey Estuary. It was founded as a borough in 1207 and was granted city status in 1880...
, who died in 1928 at the age of 45. They had three sons and one daughter. Little is known about David Webster's second wife, except that she outlived him and they had a son together.
Notable commissions
This list includes works attributed to Webster as a solo practitioner, and those attributed to the partnership of Webster and Noel, as well as the partnership of Webster and Gilbert.All are extant unless otherwise specified. In chronological order:
Pre World War I
- First Baptist Church (1908, demolished), Third Avenue North at 21st Street, Saskatoon. Not to be confused with the church of the same name on Fourth Avenue North.
- Webster Block (1908), 804 McPherson Avenue at 10th Street East, Saskatoon. Later known as Dunrobin Apartments, now McPherson Court. This mock-Tudor apartment building was initially owned and managed by the architect himself, David Webster, who lived nearby.
- Hopkins House (1910), 307 Saskatchewan Crescent West, Saskatoon. It was built for then-mayor William HopkinsWilliam Hopkins (mayor)William Hopkins was a hardware merchant and political figure in Saskatchewan, Canada. He was mayor of Saskatoon from 1909 to 1910....
. From 1938 to 1959, it was an apartment building known as Evergreen Lodge. From 1960 to 1980, it had been known as De Mazenod Hall, owned by the Oblates of Mary Immaculate, a Catholic religious order. It has been a private residence from 1980 onward. - Caswell School (1911), 204 30th Street West at Avenue B North, Saskatoon. Named for Robert W. Caswell, who had a farm at this location. Webster also designed the 1930 addition.
- Albert Public SchoolAlbert Community CentreThe Albert Community Centre is a designated Municipal Heritage Property located in the Varsity View, neighborhood of Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada. Originally built as the Albert School, the two-and-a-half storey brick building served as a public school until 1978 when the building was sold to...
(1912), 1001 11th Street East, Saskatoon. Municipal Heritage Property. Currently used as a community center. - Princess Alexandra Public School (1911–1912, demolished 1961), 20th Street at Avenue H South, Saskatoon.
- King Edward Public School (1911–1912, destroyed by fire 1960), 25th Street East at Sixth Avenue North. Saskatoon. On the site, a rectangular carved stone element from the school remains as a monument, bearing the name "King Edward School".
- Sutherland Public School (1911–1913, demolished 1959), Egbert Avenue at 110th Street, Saskatoon.
- Grace Methodist Church (1912), 505 10th Street East at Eastlake Avenue, Saskatoon. Now Grace-Westminster United Church.
- King George Public School (1912), 721 Avenue K South at 16th Street West, Saskatoon.
- Westmount Public School (1912–1913), 411 Avenue J North at Rusholme Road, Saskatoon.
- St. Mary's School (1913), 337 Avenue O South at 19th Street West, Saskatoon. It is the oldest Catholic school in the city.
- Buena Vista Public School (1914), 1306 Lorne Avenue at 6th Street East, Saskatoon.
- Addition to Saskatoon Collegiate Institute (1919), 411 11th Street East at Victoria Avenue, Saskatoon. Now known as Nutana Collegiate. The original 1910 building was designed by Storey and Van EgmondStorey and Van EgmondStorey and Van Egmond was an architectural partnership in Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada, that functioned from 1907 to 1924. Initially, the principals were Edgar M. Storey and William Gysbert Van Egmond .-Edgar M. Storey:...
, but Webster was the architect of the 1919-1920 addition.
Interwar era
- Hub City Brewing Company (1927), 519 Second Avenue North at Queen Street, Saskatoon. Also known as Pabst Brewing Company (according to a 1927 article in the Daily Commercial News, Toronto), Western Canada Brewing Company, Drewery's Limited, and O'Keefe Brewing. Now (since 1989) Great Western Brewing CompanyGreat Western Brewing CompanyThe Great Western Brewing Company is an independent brewery located in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada. The company currently produces several varieties of beer, some of which have received international awards for excellence...
. - Hoeschen House (1927), 309 Saskatchewan Crescent West, Saskatoon.
- St. Joseph’s Elementary Catholic School (1928), 919 Broadway at 9th Street, Saskatoon. Later Joe Duquette High School now Oskyak High School.
- Saskatoon Cartage and Warehouse CompanyArthur Cook BuildingThe Arthur Cook Building is a designated historic building in the Central Business District, of Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada. Originally built as a warehouse for the Saskatoon Cartage and Warehouse Company, the building was sold to the MacCosham Cartridge Company in 1945 and became known as the...
(1928), 88 24th Street East at Ontario Avenue, Saskatoon. Designated as a Municipal Heritage Property. From 1945 to 1978, this three-storey red brick warehouse was the MacCosham Building, named after the trucking firm. The City of Saskatoon acquired it in 1978 for its Central Purchasing Department, and it was later named the Arthur Cook Building, after a municipal purchasing official. In 2010, the city sold the building. The building was purchased by North Ridge Development Corporation in May 2010 and is undergoing extensive restorations and modifications. The building is scheduled to be ready for occupancy in early 2011. - Saskatoon Police Station (1929, demolished), Fourth Avenue North at 23rd Street East, Saskatoon.
- Kewanee Apartments (1930), 502 Fifth Avenue North at 26th Street East, Saskatoon. The dual concrete arches over the entrance are an interesting feature.
- Cambridge Court Apartments (1930), 129 Fifth Avenue North at 23rd Street East, Saskatoon. Designated as a Municipal Heritage Property.
- Davis Dairy (1930), 731-733 Broadway, Saskatoon. The exterior and interior have been substantially renovated, leaving nothing of the original structure. Attributed to the firm of Webster and Gilbert. Now a retail complex known as The Dairy.
- Foam Lake Post Office (1938), 333 Main Street, Foam Lake, SaskatchewanFoam Lake, Saskatchewan-References:...
. - Yorkton Armoury (1939), 56 First Avenue North, Yorkton, SaskatchewanYorkton, SaskatchewanYorkton is a city located in southeastern Saskatchewan, Canada, near the Manitoba border. Founded and incorporated in 1882 by a group of settlers from Ontario, it has grown to 15,038 residents as of the 2006 census. The city is bordered by the Rural Municipality of Orkney No. 244 and the Rural...
. - First Baptist Church (1943–1945), 401 Fourth Avenue North at 25th Street East, Saskatoon. Not to be confused with the 1908 church of the same name (since demolished) on Third Avenue North.
Post World War II
- Modern Press BuildingModern Press BuildingThe Modern Press Building is a historic building in the City Park District, of Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada. Tbe original building was designed by David Webster....
(1949), 446 Second Avenue North at 26th Street East, Saskatoon. Later Atomic Energy of Canada, now SaskTel. - Broadway TheatreBroadway Theatre (Saskatoon)The Broadway Theatre is an art film and performance theatre located on Broadway Avenue in the Nutana neighborhood of Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada...
(1947), 715 Broadway Avenue, Saskatoon. Originally Odeon Theatre. A plaque on the building attributes its design to the firm of Webster and Gilbert. However, a Parks Canada website states that the architect was George Forrester. - Sheptytsky Institute (1950), 1236 College Drive at Wiggins Avenue, Saskatoon. This is an organization serving Ukrainian Catholic students attending the University of SaskatchewanUniversity of SaskatchewanThe University of Saskatchewan is a Canadian public research university, founded in 1907, and located on the east side of the South Saskatchewan River in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada. An "Act to establish and incorporate a University for the Province of Saskatchewan" was passed by the...
.