Identity area
Reference code
Title
Date(s)
- [1907?]-1929 (Creation)
Level of description
Extent and medium
149 architectural drawings and 1 centimeter of textual records
Context area
Name of creator
Biographical history
Henry Morgan Whiddington (1877-1949) and his younger brother William A. Whiddington (1881-1954) were active in Lethbridge, Alberta, where they dominated the local architectural scene for more than twenty years. Born in Scarborough, Yorkshire, England on 7 May 1877, Henry M. trained under his father William Whiddington (1849-1934), an architect in London, and with W.H. Duffield while attending classes at the Architectural Association in that city. Both he and his brother emigrated to Canada in 1906 and settled in Alberta where they are recorded among the first members of the newly formed Alberta Association of Architects. Henry M. joined the Alberta Association of Architects on 19 November 1906. He later went on to be Hon. Secretary of the Association in 1909 and was on Council of the Association in 1907. In 1912 he was appointed delegate of the Association to the Annual Convention of Builders Exchanges, Lethbridge.
Henry M. and his brother created a partnership and opened an office in the Strathcona neighbourhood of Edmonton in 1907 but by 1910 both had relocated to Lethbridge where they established that town's first professional architectural office. From that location, they also operated a branch office at Hosmer, British Columbia.
Their designs for institutional buildings borrowed from Edwardian and Beaux-Arts precedents and employed a formal symmetry evident in their plans for Fleetwood School (c. 1912) and for the Galbraith School (c. 1912). For unknown reasons William A. left Alberta in 1926 and Henry continued to practice under his own name. In late 1928 Henry moved to Cranbrook, British Columbia and opened an office there, but within two years the practice was closed. Henry later moved to Victoria, British Columbia in 1940 and died there on 19 September 1949.
Alberta Association of Architects fonds. The Canadian Architectural Archives.
Whiddington, Henry Morgan. The Biographical Dictionary of Architects in Canada 1800-1950. http://dictionaryofarchitectsincanada.org/node/356. Retrieved April 7, 2017.
Repository
Archival history
The fonds was donated to the Canadian Architectural Archives by W. A. Johnston on 18 February 1977.
Immediate source of acquisition or transfer
Content and structure area
Scope and content
Fonds consists of 149 architectural drawings from the architectural practice of H.M. & W.A. Whiddington, Whiddington & Fry, and H.M. Whiddington. H.M. Whiddington was one of the main architects in Lethbridge in the period from 1910 to 1930. The fonds documents several projects, largely in Lethbridge, but also in Edmonton, Coaldale, and Baron, Alberta, and Cranbrook and Princeton, British Columbia. The drawings include architectural plans for several important early buildings in Lethbridge, such as the Wesley Church, the Manual Training School, the Exhibition Building, Galbraith Street School, Bank of Montreal, and St. Patrick’s Catholic School. The fonds has been divided into three series: 1. H.M. & W.A. Whiddington, 2. Whiddington & Fry, and 3. H.M. Whiddington.
Appraisal, destruction and scheduling
Accruals
No further accruals are expected
System of arrangement
Conditions of access and use area
Conditions governing access
Open
Conditions governing reproduction
The University of Calgary is not aware of any copyright interest in this material and has determined that it is in the public domain in Canada. There are no usage restrictions on materials in the public domain. However, patrons are responsible for ensuring they comply with the copyright laws in their jurisdiction. We do ask that you identify the University of Calgary Archives and Special Collections as the source of this material.
Language of material
Script of material
Language and script notes
Physical characteristics and technical requirements
Finding aids
Allied materials area
Existence and location of originals
Existence and location of copies
Related units of description
Notes area
Note
Source of Title: Title supplied based on the contents of the fonds. Fonds formerly known as H.M. Whiddington collection
Note
Accessions: Includes archival material from accession 7A/77.11