BYRENS, John Murray (1876-1929) was born in Hamilton, Ontario on 20 June 1876, son of James M. Byrens, a builder. He obtained his architectural training at the Hamilton Art School where he received a provincial Silver Award for architecture (Spectator [Hamilton], 26 Jan. 1901, 10). He arrived in British Columbia in July 1899 and opened two offices, one in Vancouver, and the other in New Westminster (Province [Vancouver], 19 July 1899, 8, biog.). At the time of his arrival, it was noted that he had "....been practising for the past five years in Buffalo, N.Y.", an indication that he may have trained and completed works there under his own name, and new research confirms that he was active in Buffalo in 1897 in the firm of Pentecost, Byrens & Baggaley (1897), and in partnership with John Carson, of Carson & Byrens, Architects from October 1897 to May 1899.
In early 1901 he moved to British Columbia, and together with his New Westminster business partner Edwin G.W. Sait, he submitted two designs in the competition for Government House, Victoria, B.C. (Victoria Daily Times, 16 Jan. 1901, 2, descrip.; Province [Vancouver], 17 Jan. 1901, 1). Their winning design, submitted under the nom de plume of 'Volute No. 2 ', was awarded First Premium of $250 (Peter Cotton, Vice-Regal Mansions of British Columbia, 1981, 70-72, illus.). It was described as a 'subtle grouping of the different masses making the most picturesque, as well as a most imposing and dignified building', but it met with open criticism from eight other competitors who claimed that the scheme did not comply with the conditions. Byrens & Sait completed the drawings for their proposal by September 1901 but their scheme was never realized. The B.C. government asked F. M. Rattenbury to review their plans with the idea of supervising the work, but Rattenbury refused and persuaded the Commissioner of Land & Works to employ both himself and Samuel Maclure to serve as their architects for a new design, with both he and Maclure sharing the fees (Peter Cotton, Vice-Regal Mansions of British Columbia, 1981, 73-74).
Byrens is almost certainly the same "John M. Byrnes [sic], architect of New Westminster" who received approval of his plans for a 14 storey commercial block in SEATTLE, WASHINGTON, USA, 1901 (Vancouver Daily World, 2 Oct. 1901, 2). This block, located on Second Avenue between Columbia Street and Yesler Way, was financed by the Canadian entrepreneurs D.D. Mann, William McKenzie, and George A. Cox. Byrens also invented a process of storm lath for residential buildings (C.A.B., xiii, Jan. 1900, 3), and in 1904-05 he was active in Toronto as manager of the John M. Byrens Co., Contracting Architects (Toronto Directory, 1905, 361). At the time of death of his father in 1910 he had moved back to the United States to work as a draughtsman (Spectator [Hamilton], 23 March 1910, 4). Byrens later died in Toronto on 3 February 1929. A biography of Byrens was published in The Province [Vancouver], 18 Jan. 1901, 3.
PENTECOST, BYRENS & BAGGALEY (works in Buffalo, N.Y.)
DAY'S PARK STREET, a five storey brick apartment block at No. 74 Day's Park, for William Larkin, 1897 (Buffalo Evening News, 9 Sept. 1897, 7; Buffalo Morning Express, 9 Sept. 1897, 9, descrip.)
ELMWOOD AVENUE, at Anderson Place, block of flats for E. Churchill of New York City, 1897 (Buffalo Morning Express, 9 Sept. 1897, 9; Buffalo Evening Times, 9 Sept. 1897, 5)
ELMWOOD AVENUE, near Anderson Place, block of flats for R.W. Mitchell, 1897 (Buffalo Morning Express, 9 Sept. 1897, 9)
CARSON & BYRENS (works in Buffalo, N.Y.)
UNION STREET, residence for John Dickman, 1897 (Buffalo Express, 3 Oct. 1897, 15, descrip.)
TRENTON AVENUE, near Root Street, a two storey apartment block for Reuben J. Getz, 1898 (Buffalo Sunday Morning News, 30 Jan. 1898, 3)
OXFORD PLACE, near Ferry Street, small apartment block for William Larkin, 1898 (Buffalo Sunday Morning News, 30 Jan. 1898, 3)
METHODIST EPISCOPAL CHURCH, Sumner Place, 1898 (Buffalo Sunday Morning News, 30 Jan. 1898, 3, descrip.)
TRENTON AVENUE, near Pennsylvania Street, tenement flats for three families, for Reuben J. Getz, 1898 (Daily Mercantile Review [Buffalo], 31 Jan. 1898, 2)
WHITNEY PLACE, north of Carolina Street, conversion and extensive alterations to the residence of Reuben J. Goetz, to accommodate five families, 1898 (Buffalo Evening News, 21 Feb 1898, 6, descrip.; Daily Mercantile Review [Buffalo], 28 Feb. 1898, 2, descrip.)
SEVENTH STREET, at Massachusetts Street, apartment block for S.W. Barrett, 1898 (Buffalo Sunday Morning News, 25 April 1898, 8)
HUNTINGTON AVENUE, near Bird Avenue, residence for the architect John M. Byrens, 1898 (Daily Mercantile Review [Buffalo], 28 Feb. 1898, 2, descrip.)
ELK STREET, at Orlando Street, two separate buildings with stores and flats, for Mrs. Sarah Frace, 1898-99 (Buffalo Review, 24 May 1898, 8)
ST. JAMES PLACE, residence for C.A. Criqui, 1899 (Buffalo Times, 17 March 1899, 5)
WINSLOW AVENUE, residence for George Walker, 1899 (Buffalo Times, 17 March 1899, 5)