Manuscript Collection MS COLL MS Mapcase - James Balfour Papers

Identity area

Reference code

CA OTUTF MS COLL MS Mapcase

Title

James Balfour Papers

Date(s)

  • [188-]-[190-] (Creation)

Level of description

Manuscript Collection

Extent and medium

Four drawings

Context area

Name of creator

(1854-1917)

Biographical history

James Balfour was born in Hamilton in 1854. His father, Peter Balfour (1819-1897), emigrated to Canada from Scotland in 1842 and settled in Hamilton where he opened his own business as builder, carpenter, and joiner, and leter served as city alderman and assessment comissioner. James Balfour, at age eighteen, was sent to apprentice with the prominent Scottish architectural firm of Frank Peddie and John Kinnear in Edinburgh. After spending an additional year in New York, he returned to Hamilton in 1876 to open his own practice at the age of twenty-two. In the 1880's and 90's Balfour carried out several major comissions in Hamilton and elsewhere. These included an office building in Hamilton for the Canada Life Assurance Company (1883) Hamilton City Hall (1887-90); Detroit Institute of Fine Arts (ca. 1887), a building for which a competition was held with entries by leading American and Canadian architects the YMCA residence in Hamilton (1889); the Hamilton Boys' Home (ca.1892); the Tuckett Tobacco Factory in Hamilton (ca. 1895); and Alma Ladies' College in St. Thomas (ca. 1896).

Archival history

Immediate source of acquisition or transfer

James Balfour Papers were presented to the University of Toronto in 1986 by Mrs. Rachel Grover.

Content and structure area

Scope and content

Four architectural drawings by James Balfour (1854-1917) who practised as an architect in Hamilton from 1876 to 1905. The drawings were executed for George A. Grover of Hamilton. One plan is dated 1883. The others are undated. Two receipts, dated 1884, are also included.

Appraisal, destruction and scheduling

Accruals

System of arrangement

Conditions of access and use area

Conditions governing access

Material may be requested in person at the Fisher Library Reference Desk, or in advance using our online stack retrieval request form: https://fisher.library.utoronto.ca/stack-retrieval-request

Conditions governing reproduction

Language of material

  • English

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

Existence and location of copies

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Related descriptions

Notes area

Alternative identifier(s)

Access points

Subject access points

Place access points

Name access points

Description control area

Description identifier

Institution identifier

Thomas Fisher Rare Book Library, University of Toronto

Rules and/or conventions used

Dates of creation revision deletion

Language(s)

Script(s)

Sources

Accession area

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