BOWMAN, Joseph Henry (1864-1943) was born in London, Engl. on 24 January 1864, son of William Bowman, a master builder. He attended the South Kensington Art School and trained with William Rendell in London (in 1884-86) before joining his father as an assistant in his business. Bowman emigrated to Canada in 1888 and was active in Vancouver as a builder until 1897 when he joined the British Columbia Mills, Timber & Trading Co. as a draftsman, remaining with them until 1908. He opened his own architectural office in Vancouver in 1908 and specialized in the design of school buildings for both the Vancouver and South Vancouver School Districts. Many of these schemes were based on a symmetrical Beaux-Arts plan with an elevational treatment employing Edwardian features found on many institutional buildings from this era. In 1912 he invited his chief assistant Harold Cullerne to form a partnership, but within a year the dearth of work had forced Cullerne to move to another office in Vancouver and Bowman continued to practise alone until 1920 when he was again joined by Cullerne. The Vancouver City Directory for 1920 confirms that both Bowman and Cullerne shared the same offfice, Suite 716, at 525 Seymour Street, so it may be presumed that they collaborated on projects from 1920 onward. They remained in partnership until 1932. Bowman died in Vancouver on 10 May 1943 (obit. Province [Vancouver], 10 May 1943, 2; biog. & port. E.O.S. Scholefield, History of British Columbia, 1913, iii, 92-5; D. Luxton, Building the West: The Early Architects of British Columbia, 2003, 166-7, 494; inf. Architectural Inst. of British Columbia).
J.H. BOWMAN (works in Vancouver unless noted)
NANAIMO, B.C., St. Paul's Anglican Church, Church Street near Front Street, 1905-06; still standing in 2023 (Nanaimo Free Press, 10 May 1905, 3; Canadian Churchman [Toronto], 17 May 1906, 335)
COMOX STREET, at Chilco Street, residence for Edwin C. Mahoney, 1908; demol. (inf. A.I.B.C.)
NANAIMO, B.C., Imperial Laundry Co., Benson Street at Comox Road, 1908-09 (Nanaimo Free Press, 29 Oct. 1908, 1, descrip.; 2 April 1909, 1, descrip.; C.R., xxii, 9 Dec. 1908, 29)
SOUTH HILL PUBLIC SCHOOL, Prince Albert Street, 1909 (D. Franklin, Early School Architecture in Vancouver, 1980, 136)
NANAIMO, B.C., Opera House, 1909-10 (C.R., xxiii, 22 Dec. 1909, 22)
TECUMSEH PUBLIC SCHOOL, East 41st Avenue at Commercial Street, 1910-12 (Vancouver Daily World, 18 April 1912, 23; D. Franklin, Early School Architecture in Vancouver, 1980, 142)
LORD SELKIRK PUBLIC SCHOOL, East 22nd Avenue at Welwyn Road, 1910 (C.R., xxiv, 24 Aug. 1910, 25, t.c.; D. Franklin, Early School Architecture in Vancouver, 1980, 141)
CEDAR COTTAGE PUBLIC SCHOOL, Wilson Road at Victoria Road, South Vancouver, 1910 (Vancouver Daily World, 2 Sept. 1910, 16, t.c.)
PUBLIC SCHOOL, West 27th Avenue at Ontario Street, 1910 (Vancouver Daily World, 2 Sept. 1910, 16, t.c.)
SIR WILLIAM VAN HORNE PUBLIC SCHOOL, Ontario Street at West 44th Avenue, 1911; with later addition, 1927 by Bowman & Cullerne (D. Franklin, Early School Architecture in Vancouver, 1980, 143)
LORD CARLETON PUBLIC SCHOOL, Kingsway, 1911 (C.R., xxv, 25 March 1911, 53; D. Franklin, Early School Architecture in Vancouver, 1980, 128, 142)
GENERAL WOLFE PUBLIC SCHOOL, Ontario Street near West 28th Avenue, 1911-12 (Vancouver Daily World, 18 April 1912, 23)
POINT GREY, major addition to Kerrisdale Public School, 1911 (Vancouver Daily World, 16 March 1911, Section Three, p. 7, t.c.; C.R., xxv, 25 March 1911, 53)
MISSION, B.C., public school, 1911 (British Columbia, Sessional Papers, 1912, Public Accounts, 136)
BOWMAN & CULLERNE (works in Vancouver unless noted)
LAURA SECORD PUBLIC SCHOOL, East Broadway at Lakewood Drive, 1912 (D. Franklin, Early School Architecture in Vancouver, 1980, 144)
SOUTH VANCOUVER HIGH SCHOOL, East 49th Avenue, 1912 (D. Franklin, Early School Architecture in Vancouver, 1980, 144)
JOHN NORQUAY PUBLIC SCHOOL, Slocan Street, 1912; major addition, 1928 (C.R., xlii, 31 Oct. 1928, 1153, illus. & descrip.; D. Franklin, Early School Architecture in Vancouver, 1980, 143)
J.H. BOWMAN (works in Vancouver unless noted)
SEMLIN DRIVE, residence for Jonathan Keast, 1912 (C.R., xxvi, 3 Jan. 1912, 66)
POWELL STREET, at Victoria Drive, stores and apartments for W.A. Ingram, 1912 (C.R., xxvi, 3 Jan. 1912, 67)
WEST 8th AVENUE, residence for George A.W. Ingram, 1912 (C.R., xxvi, 6 March 1912, 67)
LULU ISLAND, Bridgeport Public School, major addition, 1912 (The Sun [Vancouver], 27 April 1912, 15, t.c.)
CEDAR COTTAGE, SOUTH VANCOUVER, two public schools, each with two classrooms, 1912 (The Sun [Vancouver], 17 June 1912, 19, t.c.)
SOUTH VANCOUVER, an 8 room public school at 61st Avenue at Ontario Street, 1912 (The Sun [Vancouver], 24 July 1912, 2, t.c.)
SOUTH VANCOUVER, an 8 room public school at 61st Avenue at Victoria Road, 1912 (The Sun [Vancouver], 24 July 1912, 2, t.c.)
SOUTH VANCOUVER, an 8 room public school at Ferris Road at Lanark Street, 1912 (The Sun [Vancouver], 24 July 1912, 2, t.c.)
SOUTH VANCOUVER, an 8 room public school at Ferguson Road, Blocks 18 & 19, 1912 (The Sun [Vancouver], 24 July 1912, 2, t.c.)
HOSMER AVENUE, at Cypress Street, residence for Richard H. Alexander, 1912 (Province [Vancouver], 10 Aug. 1912, 22, descrip.)
NORTH VANCOUVER, residence for F. Wright, East 10th Street, 1912 (North Vancouver b.p., 1912)
PORT MOODY, B.C., City Hall, 1913-14 (Parks Canada, Town Halls of Canada, 1987, 313)
BURNABY, B.C., public school, Gilmore Avenue, 1914 (C.R., xxviii, 18 March 1914, 77, t.c.)
NORTH BURNABY, B.C., public school, 1914, a commission won in a competition with 37 sets of plans sent in (Greater Vancouver Chinook [Vancouver], 9 May 1914, 1)
SOUTH VANCOUVER, major addition to Gordon High School, Ferris Road, to accommodate Manual Training Dept. and Science Dept. 1914 (Greater Vancouver Chinook, 18 July 1914, 6, t.c., and p.. 9, descrip.)
ROSSLAND, B.C., McLean Street Public School, 1917-18 (C.R., xxxi, 15 Aug. 1917, 39, t.c.; D. Franklin, Early School Architecture in Vancouver, 1980, 24, illus.)
PUBLIC MARKET BUILDING, Main Street at Hastings Street, at the False Creek Bridge, 1917 (Vancouver Sun, 30 Jan. 1917, 12; Vancouver Daily World, 30 Jan. 1917, 14; dwgs. Vancouver City Archives)
RICHMOND, B.C., General Currie Public School, Gen. Currie Road, 1919 (inf. City of Richmond Heritage Inventory, 1999)
SOUTH VANCOUVER, a tract of 20 new houses, with a demonstration model home, designed for "working men", 1920 (Vancouver Sun, 19 June 1920, 11, descrip.)
HATZIC, B.C., a country residence for J.A. Schuberg, 1920 (Vancouver Sun, 9 Aug. 1920, 2, descrip.)
BOWMAN & CULLERNE (works in Vancouver unless noted)
JONES BLOCK, Seymour Street, a 2 storey commercial block located in the 500 Block, for Harold A. Jones, 1920 (Vancouver Sun, 18 Sept. 1920, 10, descrip.)
BURNABY, B.C., public school, Kingsway West, 1921 (Vancouver Daily World, 22 July 1921, 17, t.c.)
BURNABY, B.C., public school, Edmonds Street, 1921 (Vancouver Daily World, 22 July 1921, 17, t.c.)
BURNABY, B.C., major addition to Gilmore Avenue Public School, 1921; with another large addition, 1927 (Vancouver Daily World, 3 Sept. 1921, 26, t.c.; and 28 Sept. 1921, 12, descrip.; C.R., xli, 29 June 1927, 658, illus. & descrip.)
BURNABY, B.C., public school at Lozella, 1921-22 (Vancouver Daily World, 3 Nov. 1921, 19, t.c.)
BURNABY, B.C., Domestic Science School, Edmonds Street, 1921-22 (Vancouver Daily World, 3 Nov. 1921, 19, t.c.)
BURNABY, B.C., Seaforth Public School, Government Road at Piper Avenue, 1922; relocated to Burnaby Village Museum in 1984 (City of Burnaby, Deer Lake Park Heritage Resource Inventory, 1998, 45, illus.)
PITT MEADOWS, B.C., public school, 1922 (Abbotsford Post, 20 Oct. 1922, 1)
BURNABY, B.C., public school, Holden Avenue at East Hastings Street, 1923 (Vancouver Daily World, 10 Aug. 1923, 10, t.c.)
RENFREW UNITED CHURCH, East 2nd Avenue at Renfrew Street, 1924 (dwgs. Vancouver City Archives)
MANITOBA GRAIN CO., East 1st Avenue, warehouse, 1925 (dwgs. Vancouver City Archives)
VITOMEN CEREALS LTD., East 1st Avenue, factory, 1926; addition, 1927 (C.R., xl, 2 June 1926, 47; xli, 29 June 1927, 651, illus. & descrip.)
SOUTH VANCOUVER, major addition to John Oliver High School, 1926-27 (The Province [Vancouver], 8 Jan. 1927, 3; descrip.)
PORT HANEY, B.C., major addition to Haney Public School, 1928 (Province [Vancouver], 9 March 1928, 25)
CHILLIWACK, B.C., High School, designed 1927; built 1929 (Chilliwack Progress, 29 Dec. 1927, 1, illus; 18 July 1929, 1, descrip.; C.R., xlii, 1 Feb. 1928, 49)
PORT MOODY, B.C., Western Canadian Silks Ltd., on the Burrard Inlet waterfront, 1930-31 (C.R., xliv, 10 Dec. 1930, 55)
METROPOLITAN TABERNACLE, West 11th Avenue at Columbia Street, 1931 (dwgs. Vancouver City Archives)
SCANDINAVIAN UNITED CHURCH, East Cordova Street near Main Street, 1931 (dwgs. Vancouver City Archives)