Anthony Patrick Cawthra Adamson, (October 7, 1906 – May 3, 2002) was a

Canadian Canadians (french: Canadiens) are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of ...

architect, author, teacher, and municipal politician. He was a descendant of

Joseph Cawthra Joseph Cawthra (14 October 1759 – 15 February 1842) was a Canadian merchant and politician. Cawthra arrived in York, Upper Canada, (now Toronto) from Yeadon, Yorkshire, England, in 1802. He was granted a tract of land in Mississauga, Ontari ...

through his mother. Born in

Toronto, Ontario Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the ancho ...

to Colonel Agar Adamson and Mabel Cawthra, he grew up in Port Credit, Ontario on the family estate, before reading Architecture at the

University of Cambridge , mottoeng = Literal: From here, light and sacred draughts. Non literal: From this place, we gain enlightenment and precious knowledge. , established = , other_name = The Chancellor, Masters and Schola ...

and at the

University of London The University of London (UoL; abbreviated as Lond or more rarely Londin in post-nominals) is a federal public research university located in London, England, United Kingdom. The university was established by royal charter in 1836 as a degree ...

. Adamson was an architect, architectural planner, and an Associate Professor of Town Planning at the

University of Toronto The University of Toronto (UToronto or U of T) is a public research university in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, located on the grounds that surround Queen's Park. It was founded by royal charter in 1827 as King's College, the first institution ...

from 1950 to 1967. From 1953 to 1954, he was the

Reeve Reeve may refer to: Titles *Reeve (Canada), an elected chief executive of some counties, townships, and equivalents *Reeve (England), an official elected annually by the serfs to supervise lands for a lord *High-reeve, a title taken by some Englis ...

of Toronto Township (now called

Mississauga Mississauga ( ), historically known as Toronto Township, is a city in the Canadian province of Ontario. It is situated on the shores of Lake Ontario in the Regional Municipality of Peel, adjoining the western border of Toronto. With a popul ...

). He was the consultant and designer of

Upper Canada Village Upper Canada Village is a heritage park near Morrisburg, Ontario, which depicts a 19th-century village in Upper Canada. History Construction of Upper Canada Village began in 1958 as part of the St. Lawrence Seaway project, which required the ...

, which opened in 1961. From 1969 to 1974, he was Chairman of the

Ontario Arts Council The Ontario Arts Council (OAC) is a publicly-funded Canadian organization in the province of Ontario whose purpose is to foster the creation and production of art for the benefit of all Ontarians. Based in Toronto, OAC was founded in 1963 by On ...

. He wrote the introduction to Richard Bebout's 1972 book, "The Open Gate: Toronto Union Station," which was instrumental in helping to save the station from the wrecking ball. Early in his career he edited Catherine Bauer Wurster's ''Homes or Hovels: Some Authoritative Views on'' ''Canadian Housing'' (Toronto: Canadian Institute of International Affairs and Canadian Assoc. for Adult Education, 1943), and published ''A Guide to Medieval Style Buildings in Toronto'' (Toronto: School of Architecture, University of Toronto, 1948). Adamson also wrote several books with Marion MacRae, including ''The Ancestral Roof: Domestic Architecture of Upper Canada'' (Toronto : Clarke, Irwin & Company, 1963), ''The Gaiety of Gables'' (Toronto : McClelland & Stewart, 1974), ''Hallowed Walls: Church Architecture of Upper Canada'' (Toronto : Vancouver : Clarke, Irwin & Company, 1975), ''Cornerstones of Order: Courthouses and Town Halls of Ontario, 1784-1914'' (Toronto : Clarke, Irwin, 1983). His last book was a family history ''Wasps in the Attic'': ''Biographies prepared from the material found in the attic of Grove Farm House, Port Credit Ontario. Being the story of the direct Canadian ancestors of Augusta and Anthony Adamson'' (Toronto: privately published, 1987). Adamson was a

Fellow A fellow is a concept whose exact meaning depends on context. In learned or professional societies, it refers to a privileged member who is specially elected in recognition of their work and achievements. Within the context of higher education ...

of the Royal Architectural Institute of Canada, and in 1974, he was appointed an Officer of the

Order of Canada The Order of Canada (french: Ordre du Canada; abbreviated as OC) is a Canadian state order and the second-highest honour for merit in the system of orders, decorations, and medals of Canada, after the Order of Merit. To coincide with the ...

. In 1931, he married Charlotte Augusta Bonnycastle (1906-1997). They had three sons: Adrian (1933-2007), Inigo (1935-1977), and Jeremy (born 1943).

Cawthra Road Cawthra is a surname. Notable people with the surname include: * John Cawthra (1789–1851), merchant, distiller and political figure in Upper Canada * Joseph Cawthra (1759–1842), Canadian merchant and politician *Joseph Hermon Cawthra Joseph ...

in Mississauga, Ontario is named in his honour.

References

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Adamson, Anthony 1906 births 2002 deaths Alumni of the University of Cambridge Alumni of the University of London Canadian Anglicans Canadian architects Canadian people of English descent Mayors of places in Ontario Officers of the Order of Canada Writers from Toronto Academic staff of the University of Toronto Governor General's Award-winning non-fiction writers Cawthra family