Thomas Fuller (architect)

Thomas Fuller
Fuller in 1889
Born	March 8, 1823 Bath, Somerset, England
Died	September 28, 1898(1898-09-28) (aged 75) Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
Nationality	Canadian
Occupation	Architect
Practice	Thomas Fuller & Chilion Jones Chief Dominion Architect

Thomas Fuller (March 8, 1823 – September 28, 1898) was an English-born Canadian architect. From 1881 to 1896, he was Chief Dominion Architect for the Government of Canada, during which time he played a role in the design and construction of every major federal building.

Fuller was born in Bath, Somerset, England, where he trained as an architect. While living in Bath and London, he did a number of projects. In 1845, he left for Antigua, where he spent two years working on a new cathedral, before emigrating to Canada in 1857. Settling in Toronto, he formed a partnership with Chilion Jones with Fuller responsible for design work. The company first won the contract to design the church of St. Stephen-in-the-Fields.

In 1859, The Legislative Assembly in Ottawa voted the sum of £75,000 for the erection of a "Parliament House" and offered a premium of $1000 for the best design within that budget. The winning bid was made by Fuller and Jones for a Neo-Gothic design. The principal architects until its completion in 1866 were Thomas Fuller and Charles Baillairge. In Hand Book to the Parliamentary and Departmental Buildings, Canada (1867), Joseph Bureau wrote, "The corner stone was laid with great ceremony by His Royal Highness the Prince of Wales in September, 1860, on which occasion the rejoicings partook of the nature of the place, the lumber arches and men being a novelty to most of its visitors, bullocks and sheep were roasted whole upon the government ground and all comers were feasted."

In 1867 he won the contract to build the New York State Capitol building in Albany, New York, and spent the next several years in the United States. The project ran into severe cost overruns and an inquiry blamed Fuller. Fuller thus returned to Canada and, unable to work in the more lucrative private sector, in 1881 became Chief Dominion Architect, replacing Thomas Seaton Scott.

The Department of Public Works erected a number of small urban post offices in smaller urban centres during Thomas Fuller's term as Chief Architect.

Family

Thomas Fuller's son, Thomas W. Fuller, was also appointed Chief Architect in 1927. Thomas W. Fuller's son, Thomas G. Fuller spent more than 50 years in the building industry. In 2002, Thomas Fuller Construction Co. Limited (established 1958) was awarded the contract for the Library of Parliament building rehabilitation

Legacy

A 35 cent, 3 colour postage stamp featured an image of the Parliament Buildings and the text 'Royal Canadian Academy of Arts, 1880-1980, Thomas Fuller'

Works

Building	Year Completed	Builder	Style	Location	Image
Anglican Mortuary Chapel in the churchyard of St Mary the Virgin, Bathwick (now Smallcombe Cemetery)	1855	Thomas Fuller with George Mann		Bath, Somerset, England
St. Stephen in-the-Fields Anglican Church	1858	Thomas Fuller (architect) and Henry Langley	Neo-Gothic style	Kensington Market, Toronto, Ontario
Canada's Parliament Buildings Centre Block - destroyed in fire 1916	1858	Thomas Fuller (architect) and Chilion Jones	Neo-Gothic style	Ottawa, Ontario
Almonte Post office National Historic Sites of Canada	1858	Thomas Fuller (architect) and Henry Langley	Romanesque Revival architecture	Almonte, Ontario
Halifax Armoury	1858	Thomas Fuller (architect)	Romanesque Revival architecture	Cornwallis Street, Halifax, Nova Scotia
Library of Parliament,	1858	Thomas Fuller (architect) and Henry Langley	Victorian High Gothic style	Parliament Hill, Ottawa, Ontario
Langevin Block	1858	Thomas Fuller (architect) and Henry Langley	Second Empire	Parliament Hill, Ottawa, Ontario
Armouries Toronto	1858	Thomas Fuller (architect) and Henry Langley	Neo-Gothic style	Toronto, Ontario
Victoria Tower	1866	Thomas Fuller	Neo-Gothic style	Ottawa, Ontario
Royal Military College of Canada Gatehouse 1, Building R2; recognized Federal Heritage Building 1994	1884	Thomas Fuller		Kingston, Ontario
Royal Military College of Canada Gatehouse 2, Building R6;recognized Federal Heritage Building 1994	1884	Thomas Fuller		Kingston, Ontario
Old Galt Post Office building National Historic Sites of Canada	1886	Thomas Fuller (architect)	Romanesque, Gothic and Second Empire styles	Galt, Cambridge, Ontario
Former Brockville Post Office; National Historic Sites of Canada	1886	Thomas Fuller (architect)	Flemish, Queen Anne and classical elements;]	Brockville 44°35′23.32″N 75°41′5.58″W
Gilbert H. Grosvenor Hall	1887	Thomas Fuller (architect)	Romanesque Revival	Baddeck, Cape Breton, Nova Scotia, Canada
Former Summerside Post Office National Historic Sites of Canada	1887	Thomas Fuller (architect)	Gothic and Romanesque elements;	Summerside 46°23′36.04″N 63°47′26.32″W
Royal Military College of Canada Administration Building, former Hospital, Building R55	1887	Thomas Fuller (architect) 1887		Kingston, Ontario
John Weir Foote Armoury 200 James Street North	1888–1908	Thomas Fuller (architect)/ David Ewart	Neo-Gothic style	Hamilton 43°15′42.76″N 79°51′58.42″W
Saint-Hyacinthe Post Office National Historic Sites of Canada	1892	Thomas Fuller (architect)	Italianate and Romanesque Revival	Girouard Street At St. Dominique Street, Saint-Hyacinthe, Quebec
Land Titles Building – Victoria Armoury 10523 - 100 Avenue	1893	Thomas Fuller (architect)		Edmonton, Alberta
Toronto Armories - University Avenue	1894 demolished 1963	Thomas Fuller (architect)	Italianate/Romanesque Revival style	Toronto, Ontario
The Armouries The Royal Westminster Regiment New Westminster	1895	Thomas Fuller (architect)	Italianate/Romanesque Revival style	530 Queen's Ave, New Westminster, British Columbia

On his death in 1898, Thomas Fuller was interred in the Beechwood Cemetery in Ottawa. His son Thomas Fuller II also became an architect.

Several of his buildings in Bath have been threatened with demolition and other works, such as his Bradford-on-Avon Town Hall, have been converted into other uses (the Town Hall is now the R.C. Church of St Thomas More).

In 2002, the Thomas Fuller Construction Company, founded by Fuller's grandson Thomas G. Fuller and now operated by his great grandsons, was awarded a contract to renovate the Library of Parliament in Ottawa which he originally designed.

• 
  Napanee, Ontario Post Office
• 
  Montreal, Quebec Post Office

References

• Canada by Design: Parliament Hill, Ottawa at Library and Archives Canada

External links

• Biography at the Dictionary of Canadian Biography Online
• Thomas Fuller biography from St. Stephen-in-the-Fields
• Thomas Fuller (architect), Chief Dominion Architect 1881-1896
• Canada`s Historic Places
• Family: When Simon Fuller designed and built his house at Britannia on the Bay, he drew on family traditions and on his own passion for the river to create a unique and wonderful setting for family life By Janet Uren Photography by Gordon King