William Henderson (architect)
{{Short description|Canadian architect}}
{{Infobox person
| name = William Henderson
| image = File:William_Henderson_(architect).jpg
| birth_date = {{Birth date|1837|02|26}}
| birth_place = Aberdeenshire Scotland
| death_date = {{Death date and age|1931|09|24|1837|02|26}}
| death_place = British Columbia, Canada
| occupation = Architect
| notable_works = Government House (Saskatchewan)
| children =
| relatives =
| family = Henderson family
}}
William Henderson (February 26, 1837 – September 24, 1931) was a Scottish-born architect who mainly worked in Canada. He was the Resident Architect for the Department of Public Works in British Columbia.
Life and career
Henderson was born in Lonmay, Aberdeenshire, to a family of architects. He became a stone cutter at the age of 13, and in 1857, he emigrated to Canada. In 1861 he moved back to Scotland, where he married his first wife, Mary Jane Smith. They had three children together, including Stuart Alexander Henderson and Gordon Smith Henderson.
In 1872 he moved back to Ottawa as an overseer for the Federal department of public works in Canada. Henderson remained in government until 1887, when he started his own general construction business.{{Cite web |title=Dictionary of Scottish Architects - DSA Architect Biography Report (January 15, 2023, 6:14 pm) |url=http://www.scottisharchitects.org.uk/architect_full.php?id=206846 |access-date=2023-01-15 |website=www.scottisharchitects.org.uk}} During this time, he completed independent commissions for new buildings in Regina and Qu'Appelle. In 1896 he was appointed Resident Architect for the Territories and, in June 1897, became Resident Architect for the Dept. of Public Works for British Columbia. This position meant he was responsible as site supervisor for all federal buildings being built in the province.{{Cite web |title=Henderson, William {{!}} Biographical Dictionary of Architects in Canada |url=http://dictionaryofarchitectsincanada.org/node/2430 |access-date=2023-01-15 |website=dictionaryofarchitectsincanada.org}} He held that position until he retired in 1925.
In public life, he was an alderman at Oak Bay from 1906–08 and later a reeve. He was the Grand Master of the Masonic Lodge British Columbia in 1913. He died in 1931.
Legacy
A biographer described Henderson as " highly respected and admired, and his record in public life, as well as his efforts in behalf of all movements tending towards the moral uplift of the community, places him in the foremost rank of Victoria's estimable citizens."British Columbia Biographical, Volume III, 1914, page 932 Henderson Hall and Henderson road in Oak Bay were both named for him.{{Cite web |title=HISTORY of OAK BAY virtual website |url=http://www.webturf.com/oakbay/history/encyclopedia/index3.html |access-date=2023-01-15 |website=www.webturf.com}}Building The West: The Early Architects of British Columbia, 2003, 237, 504{{Cite book |last=Parliament |first=Canada |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=zKk5AQAAMAAJ&dq=%22William+Henderson%22+architect+-wikipedia&pg=RA3-PA109 |title=Sessional Papers of the Dominion of Canada |date=1916 |language=en}}
Structures
= Independent =
File:Government House Regina.jpg
| class="wikitable"
|+ !Location !Building !Date |
| {{Flagicon|Saskatchewan}} Qu'Appelle Station
|St Peters Anglican Church{{Cite web |title=HistoricPlaces.ca - HistoricPlaces.ca |url=https://www.historicplaces.ca/en/rep-reg/place-lieu.aspx?id=4895 |access-date=2023-01-24 |website=www.historicplaces.ca}} |1885 |
| {{Flagicon|Saskatchewan}} Regina
|Government House{{Cite web |title=The Architecture « Government House Saskatchewan - A branch of the Provincial Capital Commission |url=https://governmenthousesk.ca/our-history/the-architecture |access-date=2023-01-24 |website=governmenthousesk.ca}} |1889 |
| {{Flagicon|Saskatchewan}} Moose Jaw
|Public School |1890 |
| {{Flagicon|Saskatchewan}} Qu'Appelle
|Two storey commercial block for Alexander McKenzie |1893 |
| {{Flagicon|British Columbia}}New Westminster
|Parish Hall for Holy Trinity Anglican Cathedral |1902 |
| {{Flagicon|Alberta}}Lethbridge
|Hotel Lethbridge |1903 |
| {{Flagicon|British Columbia}}Oak Bay
|Residence for the Architect |1910 |
| {{Flagicon|British Columbia}}Oak Bay
|St. Columba Presbyterian Church |1914 |
{{Incomplete list|date=January 2023}}
= Government =
| class="wikitable"
|+ !Location !Building !Date |
| {{Flagicon|British Columbia}} William Head
|1905 |
| {{Flagicon|British Columbia}} Osoyoos
|Customs house |1906-07 |
| {{Flagicon|British Columbia}} Victoria
|Detention Building |1907-08 |
| {{Flagicon|British Columbia}} Revelstoke
|Post Office and Government Offices |1911 |
| {{Flagicon|British Columbia}} Duncan
|Post Office and Indian Affairs Building |1912-13 |
| {{Flagicon|British Columbia}} Union Bay
|Dominion Public Building |1913 |
| {{Flagicon|British Columbia}} Port Alberni
|Dominion Public Building |
{{Incomplete list|date=January 2023}}
Descendants
{{Tree list}}William Henderson (26 February 1837 – 24 September 1931) m. Mary Jane Smith (1862–1904), Caroline D'Aguilar (1917–1931)
- Stuart Alexander Henderson (19 September 1863 – 17 February 1945) m. Alice London (1890–), Mary Jane Losh (1904–)
- Dr. Gordon Smith Henderson KC (10 July 1866 – 16 July 1938) m. Charlotte Stratton
- Gordon F. Henderson CC QC (17 April 1912 – 17 August 1993) m. Joan Parkins (1942–1993)
- Joanne Nelson (1946) m. Robert Nelson of the Nelson family
- Meredith Nelson
- Gregor Nelson
- Gordon Nelson
- Gordon Henderson
- Stuart Henderson
- Kate Henderson
- Elizabeth Henderson
- Robert Henderson
- Ceilidh Henderson
- Meghan Henderson
- Quinn Henderson
- Mary Jane Henderson (23 December 1870 – 13 August 1919) m. William Cruckshank, Claude Rogers{{Tree list/end}}{{Cite web |title=JOAN HENDERSON Obituary (2013) – Ottawa Citizen |url=https://www.legacy.com/amp/obituaries/ottawacitizen/165147835 |access-date=2023-02-19 |website=www.legacy.com |language=en}}