Samuel Maclure (11 April 1860 – 8 August 1929) 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 An architect is a person who plans, designs and oversees the construction of buildings. To practice architecture means to provide services in connection with the design of buildings and the space within the site surrounding the buildings that h ...

British Columbia, Canada British Columbia (commonly abbreviated as BC) is the westernmost province of Canada, situated between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains. It has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that include rocky coastlines, sandy beaches, for ...

, from 1890 to 1920. He was born on 11 April 1860 in

Sapperton, New Westminster Sapperton is a neighbourhood of the City of New Westminster, British Columbia, Canada, located in the northeastern end of that city and up to its boundaries with the Coquitlam and Burnaby. Located on the slope above the Fraser River and focused on ...

, British Columbia, to John and Martha Maclure. He studied painting at the

Spring Garden Institute Spring Garden College—founded in 1851 as the Spring Garden Institute—was a private technical college in the Spring Garden section of Philadelphia. Its building at 523-25 North Broad Street (demolished) was designed by architect Steph ...

Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...

from 1884 to 1885, and he was a self-taught architect. He married Margaret Catherine (Daisy) Simpson, an accomplished pianist and portrait painter, on 10 August 1889.

Career

In 1889, he formed an architectural partnership in New Westminster in association with Charles H. Clow, and then with Richard P. Sharp. In 1892, Maclure moved to

Victoria, British Columbia Victoria is the capital city of the Canadian province of British Columbia, on the southern tip of Vancouver Island off Canada's Pacific coast. The city has a population of 91,867, and the Greater Victoria area has a population of 397,237. Th ...

. From 1897 to 1899, he formed an architectural partnership with John Edmeston Parr in

Vancouver Vancouver ( ) is a major city in western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the List of cities in British Columbia, most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the ...

. From 1905 to 1916, he formed an architectural partnership in Vancouver with Cecil Croker Fox. Maclure and his wife Daisy were founding members of the Vancouver

Island Arts and Crafts Society The Victoria Sketch Club is a Canadian arts organization, the oldest Canadian arts group west of Ontario. It was established in 1909 as The Island Arts Club. The 56 charter members included Emily Carr, Samuel Maclure and Josephine Crease. The club ...

in 1909. In 1920, the Vancouver office reopened under Maclure's former apprentice, Ross A. Lort, who continued the practice after Maclure's death on 8 August 1929 in Victoria, following a prostate operation.

Notable commissions

Maclure was responsible for over 450 commissions in British Columbia. His first commission, the Temple building for merchant Robert Ward, reflects the Chicago School style. He was known for

Tudorbethan architecture Tudor Revival architecture (also known as mock Tudor in the UK) first manifested itself in domestic architecture in the United Kingdom in the latter half of the 19th century. Based on revival of aspects that were perceived as Tudor architecture ...

, the American Craftsman Style and, after 1912, Edwardian classicism. His gardens reflected the aesthetic of the English Arts and Crafts Movement. He was a consultant to the

Butchart Gardens The Butchart Gardens is a group of floral_displays, floral display gardens in Brentwood Bay, British Columbia, Brentwood Bay, British Columbia, Canada, located near Victoria, British Columbia, Victoria on Vancouver Island. The gardens receive ove ...

near Victoria. According to Maclure biographer Janet Bingham, the architect is also known to have created houses in the United States, but only one is extant - Ramsay House in

Ellensburg Ellensburg is a city in and the county seat of Kittitas County, Washington, United States. It is located just east of the Cascade Range near the junction of Interstate 90 and Interstate 82. The population was 18,666 at the 2020 census. and was ...

, WA - an Arts & Crafts style bungalow with Tudor finishes that has changed hands only three times since construction finished in 1905.

Legacy

His paintings are found in the Art Gallery of Greater Victoria and in the Maltwood Art Museum and Gallery,

University of Victoria The University of Victoria (UVic or Victoria) is a public research university located in the municipalities of Oak Bay and Saanich, British Columbia, Canada. The university traces its roots to Victoria College, the first post-secondary instit ...

. His architectural plans and drawings are held in the

Architecture and Special Coll., SC075 (Samuel Maclure fonds).

References

Bibliography

* * * * *

External links