Frank Darling (February 17, 1850 – May 19, 1923) was an important

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, winner of the RIBA Gold medal in 1915, who designed many of

Toronto 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 ...

's landmark institutional and financial buildings, as well as scores of bank branches throughout the country. Darling is best described as an 'Edwardian imperialist' in his outlook and architectural approach, and accordingly left a legacy of fine

Edwardian Baroque Edwardian architecture is a Neo-Baroque architectural style that was popular in the British Empire during the Edwardian era (1901–1910). Architecture up to the year 1914 may also be included in this style. Description Edwardian architecture is ...

buildings in Canada's major cities, representative of the period's prosperity and optimism.

Early life and education

Born in Scarborough Township in the

Province of Canada The Province of Canada (or the United Province of Canada or the United Canadas) was a British North America, British colony in North America from 1841 to 1867. Its formation reflected recommendations made by John Lambton, 1st Earl of Durham ...

, Darling was the son of the rector of Scarborough and later of the Church of the Holy Trinity in Toronto. As a boy, he received his general education at

Upper Canada College Upper Canada College (UCC) is an elite, all-boys, private school in Toronto, Ontario, operating under the International Baccalaureate program. The college is widely described as the country's most prestigious preparatory school, and has produce ...

before entering

Trinity College School Trinity College School (TCS) is a co-educational, independent boarding and day school located in Port Hope, Ontario, Canada. TCS was founded on May 1, 1865, more than two years before Canadian Confederation. It includes a Senior School ...

, in Weston. He worked briefly as a bank teller before becoming apprenticed to architect Henry Langley from 1866–1870. He studied and trained in England under

George Edmund Street George Edmund Street (20 June 1824 – 18 December 1881), also known as G. E. Street, was an English architect, born at Woodford in Essex. Stylistically, Street was a leading practitioner of the Victorian Gothic Revival. Though mainly an eccle ...

between 1870–1873 and then returned to Canada."Once Upon A City: Creating Toronto’s skyline"
''Toronto Star'', March 27, 2016, Janice Bradbeer.

Career

Apart from two brief solo periods in the 1870s, he practised with a series of collaborators: * Henry MacDougall, 1873–74; * Samuel George Curry (1855–1942 ), principal in Darling & Curry – 1880–90, in Darling, Curry & Co. - 1891, and in Darling, Curry, Sproatt & Pearson -1892; *

Henry Sproatt Henry Sproatt (June 14, 1866 – October 4, 1934) was a Canadian architect who was prominent during the early 20th century. Born in Toronto, he trained in Europe and in New York City. He formed a partnership in 1890 with another celebrated arch ...

(1866–1934), principal in Darling, Curry & Co. -1891, in Darling, Curry Sproatt & Pearson – 1892, in Darling, Sproatt & Pearson 1892–95, and later draughtsman for Darling & Pearson – 1896,-97; and finally *

John A. Pearson John Andrew Pearson (June 22, 1867 – June 11, 1940) was an early 20th-century British-born Canadian architect and partner to the Toronto-based firm of Pearson and Darling, Darling and Pearson. Early life and education Pearson was born in Chest ...

(1867–1940), principal in Darling, Curry & Co. - 1891, in Darling, Curry, Sproatt & Pearson- 1892 ; in Darling, Sproatt & Pearson- 1892–95, and in Darling & Pearson – 1895–1937, after Darling' s death in 1923. In 1897 Darling formed his most long-lasting architectural partnership with John A.Pearson, named

Darling and Pearson Darling and Pearson was an architecture, architectural firm based in Toronto from 1895 through 1937. The firm was prolific and produced consistently fine work though the patronage of Byron Edmund Walker, notable figures of the Canadian establishment ...

. This firm lasted beyond Darling's death in 1923. The firms in which he was a partnership influenced commercial development in Toronto during the 1910s to 1920s. Darling was the first Honorary President of the Toronto Beaux-Arts Club, member of the Holt Commission for planning of Ottawa (1913–1915), and was the first Canadian to win the

Royal Institute of British Architects The Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) is a professional body for architects primarily in the United Kingdom, but also internationally, founded for the advancement of architecture under its royal charter granted in 1837, three suppl ...

Gold Medal in 1915. Darling died in 1923 and was buried at St. John's Cemetery Norway in Toronto.

Major works

For projects after the formation of Darling, S. George Curry, Sproatt, & Pearson in 1892, see

Notes

References

*
Bank of Montreal Building

* ''Toronto, No Mean City'', by Eric Ross Arthur, Stephen A. Otto

External links