Richard A. Waite
Richard A. Waite | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | Richard Alfred Waite May 14, 1848 London,  United Kingdom |
| Died | January 7, 1911 |
| Resting place | Forest Lawn Cemetery, Buffalo, New York |
| Nationality | British American |
| Education | apprenticed under John Ericsson in New York |
| Occupation | Architect |
| Spouse | Sarah Holloway |
| Parent(s) | Charles Henry Waite and Harriet Humphries Holland |
| Practice | Buffalo NY |
| Buildings | Ontario Legislative Building, Toronto |
Richard A. Waite (May 14, 1848 – January 7, 1911) was a British-born American architect in the late 19th century.
Early years
Richard A. Waite was born in London in 1848 as one of seven children (surviving included William T, Helen and Jennie) of Charles Henry Waite and his wife Harriet Humphries Holland. Richard Waite's father arrived in America in 1856 with his wife and children and settled in Buffalo, New York to work in a printing company.
Education and career
Waite like many early architects, learned building design as an apprentice. He studied mechanical engineering in New York City under John Ericsson, the inventor of the Civil War ironclad USS Monitor.
Waite returned to Buffalo in 1874 as a fully trained architect. His 1869 marriage to Sarah Holloway, daughter of local contractor Isaac Holloway, afforded him several public works commissions. In 1876, he made architectural history by hiring Louise Blanchard Bethune as a draftsman. She went on to become the first professional woman architect in the United States.
Although Waite built many homes in the Buffalo area, some of his best-known commissions were in Canada and Scotland.
A list of some of Waite's key accomplishments:
- Pierce's Palace Hotel, Buffalo, New York 1878 (Beaux Art architecture//Classical Revival architecture) - located on Porter Avenue and burned down in 1881, it is now the site of D'Youville College campus at Prospect Park
- Walden-Myer Mausoleum, Forest Lawn Cemetery, Buffalo, New York (Romanesque Revival)
- Buffalo German Insurance Company Building, Buffalo, New York 1875 - (Second Empire architecture) office building located at Main and Lafayette Square; demolished ca. 1957 and now site of Tishman Building
- Birk's Building Hamilton, Ontario 1883 - (Richardsonian Romanesque) Built at the corner of King Street East and Hughson Street South for Canada Life Insurance as their Head Office and sold to jeweller Henry Birks and Sons in 1929. Birks ground floor retail store closed and building was demolished in 1972. Part of the site was replaced by Fidelity-Equitable Trust Tower (now HSBC Tower) in 1974 and rest part of Gore Park.
- Birks "Clock of the Charging Horsemen" was restored and placed inside of Farmers Market (York Boulevard and MacNab Street North) from 1986 to 2007, but since remounted outdoors to Jackson Square (corner of James Street North and King Street West) since 2010.[1]
- Canada Life Assurance Company Building, Montreal, Quebec 1898 (Romanesque Revival architecture) office building now converted for residential use as St. Regis condos.
- Grand Trunk Railway Company Limited Building, Montreal, Quebec 1906 (Italianate architecture) - located at 360 rue McGill it is now known as Édifice Gérald-Godin, home to Ministry of Immigration and Cultural Communities
- Ontario Legislative Building, Toronto 1892 (Richardsonian Romanesque) - home of Ontario Legislature since 1892
Waite also helped design the Oliver Opera House on Main Street North and West Washington Street in South Bend, Indiana.[citation needed] This opera house was built in 1885 for James and Joseph Doty Oliver, both founders of the Oliver Chilled Plow Works located in South Bend, Indiana. James Oliver was the inventor of the Chilled Plow. The opera house is demolished and used for parking next to JMS Building.
Personal and death
Waite's mother died in 1862 and his wife Sarah in 1901. Waite was survived by Sarah, brother William T (also an architect) and his children:[2]
- son Richard Alfred Waite II (January 30, 1874 – March 11, 1961) studied architecture at Cornell University, but changed to theology at Syracuse University due to poor health. His son became a Methodist minister and died in St. Louis, Missouri.[3] Waite is buried with his wife at Forest Lawn Cemetery in Buffalo.
- Helen Holloway Waite (November 16, 1871 – December 6, 1949)
- Raymond Isaac Waite, (October 18, 1875 – death unknown)
- Evadne Holland Waite (October 1, 1879 – 1958)
- Mary Sarah Waite (December 26, 1880 – March 3, 1956)