Collection 1389 - Horwood and White Collection

Identity area

Reference code

UTA 1389

Title

Horwood and White Collection

Date(s)

  • 1842-1942 (Creation)

Level of description

Collection

Extent and medium

8 m of architectural drawings
-313 folders (ca. 320 sheets)

Context area

Name of creator

(1919-1969)

Administrative history

Horwood and White was a Toronto, Ontario based architectural firm which existed from 1919 to 1969 and designed a variety of buildings across Canada.

The Toronto architectural firm Horwood and White was established in 1919 as the successor to Burke, Horwood and White, following on the death of Edmund Burke in January of that year.

John Charles Batstone Horwood (1864-1938) apprenticed to Langley, Langley and Burke as a student, then spent several years with an architectural office in New York before establishing a partnership with Burke in 1894 as Burke and Horwood. Murray Alexander White (1870-1935) apprenticed with Langley and Burke from 1889 to 1893, then moved to Chicago where he worked with the firm Holabird and Roche. In 1908 he became a full partner in the firm Burke, Horwood and White. White was not highly involved in the architectural drafting of the firm, but was known for his residence designs.

Horwood and White carried on the work of its predecessor firm in department stores, commercial buildings, churches, industrial plants and residences, including Hudson's Bay Company stores in Western Canada; Methodist, Baptist, Presbyterian and, later, United Church denominations.

Following the partners' deaths in the 1930's, the firm retained the name Horwood and White and continued under Horwood's son, Eric Compton Horwood (1900-1984), and S. Solomon Van Raalte (1882-1956). Among the works undertaken by the firm following the Second World War were several churches and schools, and a number of large, complex projects for Canadian General Electric, the University of Toronto, and the Children's Aid Society. When Eric Horwood entered retirement after 1969, the firm gradually wound up.

Archival history

Collection donated to University of Toronto by Horwood and White in 1922; became custody of the Office of Superintendent of Buildings and Grounds and were subsequently transferred to the U of T Library.

Immediate source of acquisition or transfer

Content and structure area

Scope and content

Fonds consists of plans of buildings and properties pertaining to the University of Toronto, including original drawings by Thomas Young of proposed University College buildings described as the Centre Building, East Wing and West Wing (ca 1842-1857); original drawings by Cumberland and Storm of University College (ca 1856-1857); original drawings by David B. Dick, Architect of Moss Hall (ca. 1887), Biological Building (ca 1887) Museum (1889), Students Union Gymnasium (1892), restoration of University College and New Library Building (ca 1890-1892), Chemical Laboratory (1893-1894), Old Wycliffe College Building (n.d.), and other working drawings. Many drawings annotated with date 1922 by J.C. B. Horwood.

Appraisal, destruction and scheduling

Accruals

System of arrangement

Conditions of access and use area

Conditions governing access

Open

Conditions governing reproduction

Language of material

    Script of material

      Language and script notes

      Physical characteristics and technical requirements

      Finding aids

      Uploaded finding aid

      Allied materials area

      Existence and location of originals

      Select plans have been digitized and can be accessed in the University of Toronto Archives Image Bank

      Existence and location of copies

      Notes area

      Alternative identifier(s)

      Accession

      B1965-0028

      Access points

      Subject access points

      Place access points

      Name access points

      Genre access points

      Description control area

      Description identifier

      Institution identifier

      Rules and/or conventions used

      Dates of creation revision deletion

      • Added to AtoM by E. Sommers, Jul. 2018
      • Added link to Image Bank, E. Sommers, Jul. 2022

      Language(s)

        Script(s)

          Sources

          Accession area