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. 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. 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.Building The West: The Early Architects of British Columbia, 2003, 237, 504
Structures
Independent
+LocationBuildingDate Qu'Appelle StationSt Peters Anglican Church 1885 ReginaGovernment House1889 Moose JawPublic School1890 Qu'AppelleTwo storey commercial block for Alexander McKenzie1893New WestminsterParish Hall for Holy Trinity Anglican Cathedral1902LethbridgeHotel Lethbridge1903Oak BayResidence for the Architect1910Oak BaySt. Columba Presbyterian Church1914
Government +LocationBuildingDate William HeadQuarantine Station1905 OsoyoosCustoms house1906-07 VictoriaDetention Building1907-08 RevelstokePost Office and Government Offices1911 DuncanPost Office and Indian Affairs Building1912-13 Union BayDominion Public Building1913 Port AlberniDominion Public Building1914-1915
Descendants 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
References