William George Storm (1826–1892) was a Canadian

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 ...

who designed a number of prominent monuments 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 ...

. He was born in England and immigrated to Canada while still a child and was raised in

Cobourg, Ontario Cobourg ( ) is a town in the Canadian province of Ontario, located in Southern Ontario east of Toronto and east of Oshawa. It is the largest town in and seat of Northumberland County. Its nearest neighbour is Port Hope, to the west. It i ...

. His father was a contractor and introduced him to the building trade. He apprenticed first under William Thomas and then under

Frederick William Cumberland :''See also Cumberland (disambiguation), Cumberland (surname).'' Frederick William Cumberland (10 April 1821 – 5 August 1881) was a Canadian engineer, architect and politician. He represented the riding of Algoma in the 1st and 2nd Ontar ...

. Storm and Cumberland eventually formed a partnership, and the firm became one of the most prominent in nineteenth century Toronto. The firm won many of the city's most important commissions, including expanding

Osgoode Hall Osgoode Hall is a landmark building in downtown Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The original -storey building was started in 1829 and finished in 1832 from a design by John Ewart and William Warren Baldwin. The structure is named for William Osgoode, ...

, the chapel of St. James-the-Less, the tower of St. James Cathedral, and

University College In a number of countries, a university college is a college institution that provides tertiary education but does not have full or independent university status. A university college is often part of a larger university. The precise usage varies ...

. Storm and Cumberland's partnership dissolved in acrimony in 1871. Storm also encountered serious health problems that left him without work and confined to hospital. A friendship with

Emerson Coatsworth Emerson Coatsworth, Jr., KC (March 9, 1854 – May 11, 1943) was a Canadian lawyer and politician. He was also a member of the Orange Order in Canada. Born in Toronto, Coatsworth was educated at the public schools, and studied privately for mat ...

gained Storm commission to design new elementary schools across the city. One of these buildings, today

Inglenook Community High School Inglenook Community High School is a Toronto public high school in Toronto, Ontario, Canada which offers grade 10, 11, and 12 level courses. It is housed in an historical building designed by William George Storm in the Corktown neighbourhood of ...

, survives today. He then won a commission to build St. Andrew's Church. Perhaps his most noted building is the

Richardsonian Romanesque Richardsonian Romanesque is a style of Romanesque Revival architecture named after the American architect Henry Hobson Richardson (1838–1886). The revival style incorporates 11th and 12th century southern French, Spanish, and Italian Romanesque ...

main building for Victoria College. Storm was a leading

Mason Mason may refer to: Occupations * Mason, brick mason, or bricklayer, a craftsman who lays bricks to construct brickwork, or who lays any combination of stones, bricks, cinder blocks, or similar pieces * Stone mason, a craftsman in the stone-cut ...

and was Master of St. Andrew's Lodge No. 16 in 1858 and 1859. He was also a founder of the local

Commandery In the Middle Ages, a commandery (rarely commandry) was the smallest administrative division of the European landed properties of a military order. It was also the name of the house where the knights of the commandery lived.Anthony Luttrell and G ...

Knights Templar , colors = White mantle with a red cross , colors_label = Attire , march = , mascot = Two knights riding a single horse , equipment ...

. Masonic symbolism is incorporated into a number of his structures. He was also a founding member of the

Ontario Association of Architects The Ontario Association of Architects (OAA) is the regulatory body responsible for registering and licensing all architects legally entitled to practice the scope of architecture in the Province of Ontario, Canada Canada is a country in N ...

, and served as its first president. He was a founding member of the

Royal Canadian Academy of Arts The Royal Canadian Academy of Arts (RCA) is a Canadian arts-related organization that was founded in 1880. History 1880 to 1890 The title of Royal Canadian Academy of Arts was received from Queen Victoria on 16 July 1880. The Governor General ...

. He died suddenly of a stroke in 1892.

Works

References

Storm, William George
Dictionary of Canadian Biography. {{DEFAULTSORT:Storm, William George 1826 births 1892 deaths People from Cobourg 19th-century Canadian architects Members of the Royal Canadian Academy of Arts