BEGGS, Neil George (1871-1935) was born in Bray, County Wicklow, Ireland on 2 July 1871 and was educated in Dublin and at the South Kensington Art School in London. After articling in Dublin with Kaye, Harry & Ross for two years, he then joined the office of the Royal Engineers in London where he was a staff architect and consultant to the British Admiralty. Beggs emigrated to Canada in 1906 and joined Thomas Kennedy of Barrie, Ont. in the partnership of Kennedy, Beggs & Co, while also finding work as the plumbing inspector in that town. By May 1907 the partnership had been dissolved and his affairs in speculative building activity in Barrie led to his insolvency in August 1908 when he was forced to assign his assets to creditors. He moved to Toronto and spent two years in the drafting department of the Grand Trunk Railway (in 1909-10), two years as a civil engineer in the City Architect's Office (in 1910-12), then formed a partnership with George Redmond in 1913 (see list of works under Redmond & Beggs). During WWI he served with the Canadian Engineers and opened his own office in Toronto in 1921. Much of his practice was devoted to small walk-up apartment blocks in Toronto, often executed in a variety of simplified eclectic styles. At the time of his death on 6 March 1935 he was said to have '..designed more apartment houses than any other architect in Canada, and can be credited with having erected the first such building in Toronto' (obit. Globe [Toronto], 7 March 1935, 12; Mail & Empire [Toronto], 7 March 1935, 4; port. Telegram [Toronto], 7 March 1935, 2; biog. and port. Contract Record [Toronto], 22 Nov. 1916, 1119; inf. Ont. Assoc. of Architects)
(works in Toronto unless noted)
BARRIE, ONT., major alterations and addition to Trinity Anglican Church and parish hall, Collier Street, 1907 (Northern Advance [Barrie], 5 Dec. 1907, 3, illus. & descrip.)
PEMBROKE STREET, near Dundas Street East, row of eight houses for A.E. McTaggart & Sons, 1913 (Toronto b.p. 5048, 13 June 1913)
OSSINGTON APARTMENTS, Ossington Avenue near Dundas Street West, three apartment blocks for W.S. Grimshaw, 1913 (Toronto b.p. 6047, 31 July 1913)
GARDEN THEATRE, College Street near Robert Street, 1913 (Const., viii, April 1915, 151-3, illus. & descrip.; Builder [London], cix, 15 Oct. 1915, 276-7, illus. & descrip.)
BEVERLEY STREET, at D'Arcy Street, apartment block for J. Kennedy, 1913 (C.R., xxvii, 20 Aug. 1913)
GIBSON LANE, seven pairs of houses for Britnell Contracting Ltd., 1913-14 (C.R., xxvii, 5 Nov. 1913, 74)
LORETTO ACADEMY, Brunswick Avenue at Lowther Avenue, 1913 (Toronto b.p. 6308, 15 Aug. 1913; C.R., xxvii, 8 Oct. 1913, 76; dwgs. at City of Toronto Archives)
ISABELLA HOTEL, Sherbourne Street at Isabella Street, 1914; addition, 1922 (Toronto b.p. 8889, 15 Jan. 1914; C.R., xxxvi, 29 March 1922, 52)
ASHDALE AVENUE, near Queen Street East, eight pairs of houses for W.S. Grimshaw, 1914 (Toronto b.p. 11523, 13 May 1914)
QUEEN STREET WEST, theatre, dance hall and billiard room for T.J. Turner, 1914 (Toronto b.p. 12729, 24 June 1914)
ERNSBERT COURT, Bloor Street West at Grace Street, apartment block for Roberts Bros., 1923 (Toronto Daily Star, 26 April 1923, 29, descrip.; Toronto b.p. 58908, 9 April 1923)
GRENADIER MANSIONS and BUCHANAN APARTMENTS, Bloor Street West at Quebec Avenue, opposite High Park, 1923 (Toronto Daily Star, 26 April 1923, 29, descrip.; C.R., xxxvii, 2 May 1923, 63; Toronto Star, 1 April 1924, 19)
WEMBLEY APARTMENTS, Spadina Road near Austin Terrace, four apartment blocks, 1923 (Const., xvi, Dec. 1923, 444)
DANFORTH AVENUE, at Carlaw Avenue, stores and apartments for H. Lucas, 1924 (Toronto b.p. 69369, 8 April 1924)
ROYAL CLOAK CO., Richmond Street West near Brant Street, factory, 1924 (Toronto b.p. 73840, 28 Aug. 1924)
BLOOR STREET WEST, at Jane Street, row of five stores and apartments for G. Griffiths, 1925 (Toronto b.p. 11 May 1925, 80164)
CHURCHILL APARTMENTS, Church Street at Isabella Street, for Mrs. E. Hooper, 1925 (Toronto b.p. 81324, 16 June 1925)
SPADINA ROAD, at Russell Hill Drive, two apartment blocks, 1925 (C.R., xxxix, 15 July 1925, 54)
BLOOR STREET WEST, at Walmer Road, row of six stores and apartments for Excelsior Securities, 1927 (Toronto b.p. 96041, 18 Feb. 1927)
QUEEN STREET WEST, at Roncesvalles Avenue, row of three stores and apartments for Neil G. Beggs, architect, 1927 (Toronto b.p. A3705, 31 Oct. 1927)
AVENUE ROAD, at Bernard Avenue, row of four stores and apartments for E.J. Griffiths, 1927-28 (Toronto Star, 7 Feb. 1928, 1; Toronto b.p. A4764, 22 Dec. 1927; C.R., xlii, 4 Jan. 1928, 48)
SHELDRAKE APARTMENTS, Carlton Street at Homewood Avenue, 1928 (Don Valley Brick Works Ltd., promotional brochure, c. 1930, 16)
KENILWORTH APARTMENTS, Queen Street East at Kenilworth Avenue, 1928 (Toronto b.p. A5640, 27 Feb. 1928)
BLOOR STREET WEST, at Durie Street, two stores and apartments for Neil G. Beggs, architect 1928 (Toronto b.p. A5872, 12 March 1928)
YONGE STREET, at Anne Street, two apartment blocks for R. Ginsberg, 1928 (Toronto b.p. B2005, 1 Oct. 1928)
YONGE STREET, at Roxborough Street West, row of ten stores and apartments for Sterling Construction Co., 1928 (Toronto b.p. B3268, 7 Nov. 1928)
DOUGLAS DRIVE, at Standish Avenue, residence for George C. McIntyre, 1929 (C.R., xliii, 6 Feb. 1929, 54)
YONGE STREET, at Balmoral Avenue, row of eleven stores and apartments, 1930 (Telegram [Toronto], 14 May 1930, 16, descrip.)
KINGSWOOD ROAD, near Gerrard Street East, six pairs of houses, 1930 (C.R., xliv, 29 Jan. 1930, 65)
MOUNT PLEASANT ROAD, near Millwood Road, row of stores and apartments, 1930 (C.R., xliv, 9 April 1930, 74)