SPRINGLE, James Key (1816-1877) was among the very first generation of English-speaking architects in the 19th C. to live and work in Montreal, Que. and to sustain a career in the profession of architecture for nearly twenty years. Born in Great Yarmouth, Norfolk Co., England, he was baptised there at St. Nicholas Anglican Church on 16 September 1816. No information has been found on his education or training in England, but he arrived in Montreal in 1841 and commenced his career as an architect, engineer and surveyor. He was among only half a dozen architects in Montreal at this time; his professional colleagues included well-known names such as John Wells, William Footner, James S. McFarlane, and George L. Dickinson (the Irish-born George Browne did not arrive in Montreal until 1844).
Springle was an innovator, and he holds a unique position in Montreal’s history as being among the first architects to introduce cast iron construction to industrial architecture in Canada. His design for the four storey warehouse for George Hagar Hardware Co. at 374-80 St. Paul Street West employs a cast iron structural column system throughout the ground floor area. It was completed in 1855, and still stands today (2016). The austere and functional design for the glass façade of this landmark is remarkably open and transparent, allowing natural light to penetrate to the centre of each floor plate throughout the building. One of his corporate patrons, and a favoured client to him, was the Bank of Montreal, who commissioned him to design substantial bank buildings in Cobourg, Ont., in Brockville, Ont. and in Belleville, Ont. For these, Springle employed an impeccably detailed English Palladian style, and he seemed to have been well-versed in the vocabulary required for commercial buildings of this type. He was also a talented draughtsman and delineator, as can be seen in his original watercolour drawings for the three storey Bank of Montreal in Cobourg (1857). Fortunately, his signed drawings for this building have survived, and can now be found in the collection of the Archives Nationales du Quebec at Montreal, Acc. P 147, Items 190-191.
One of his last engineering projects intended for Montreal was for a new fresh water supply system taken from the Lachine Rapids near Heron Island, along with a new bridge linking the island with La Salle and the Island of Montreal to the north. This proposal received the endorsement of Robert Stephenson (1803-1859), designer of the Victoria Tubular Bridge across the St. Lawrence River (built 1859). A detailed article describing his scheme was published in The Montreal Daily Herald, 25 February 1905.
Springle was also an ambitious and enthusiastic participant in architectural competitions and he submitted designs in five different juried competitions held between 1841 and 1859 (see list below). None of these resulted in an award for Springle, but he was a short-listed finalist in three of these events. His last competition entry, submitted in 1859, was a proposal for the Governor General’s Residence in Ottawa, but his design, presented in “the Modern Italian style” was passed over by the jury. No references to his architectural work have been found after 1859, and he appears to have abandoned the profession at the age of 43 years. However, this absence of architectural commissions may be related to two disastrous fires which occurred in 1860 and in 1863. The first completely destroyed his residence on Drummond Street in February 1860 (see The Pilot [Montreal], 15 Feb. 1860, p. 2, col. 2; Gazette [Montreal], 16 Feb. 1860, p. 2, col. 6), and the second fire burned all of the contents of his office in St. Lawrence Hall on St. Francois Xavier Hill in 1863 (see The Montreal Transcript, 17 Feb. 1863, p. 2, col. 2). This may explain the fact that virtually no original drawings or books owned by Springle have been found,. It is worth noting here that one of his young assistants in his office in 1863 was listed as “Alphonse Razon” [sic], likely Alphonse Raza (1846-1903) who would later become a prominent architect in Montreal, and the fact that Springle was training young architects in 1863 implies that he was still involved in some aspects of the profession. One of the few books from his personal library that has survived is now in the collection of the Fisher Rare Book Library at the University of Toronto. They hold his signed copy of Asher Benjamin‘s classic work, The American Builder’s Companion, (1806), inscribed on the title page with the name “James K. Springle”.
After 1860 Springle continued to work as a real estate developer and sanitary engineer, and he was one of the founding members of the first pre-Confederation associations of professional architects in Canada. This group, formed in February 1860, was called The Association of Architects, Civil Engineers and Provincial Land Surveyors of the Province of Canada, and it included leading architects such as William Thomas, John Tully, William Kaufmann and William Hay of Toronto, George Browne, Frederick Lawford and James Springle of Montreal, Charles Baillairge of Quebec City, Thomas Fuller of Ottawa, Frederick J. Rastrick of Hamilton, and Henry H. Horsey of Kingston (Gazette [Montreal], 27 April 1860, 2). The Association met on a regular basis until late 1862, but it would be at least fifteen years before another attempt to form a national association of architects was put forward in 1877. In his later career Springle became an authority on municipal sanitation and sewer systems, and his proposals for the venting and drainage of multi-storey residential and commercial buildings in Montreal, so critical to the evolution of indoor plumbing in 19th C. cities and towns, were illustrated and described in a lengthy article published in the Canadian Mechanics’ Magazine & Patent Office Record [Montreal], April 1876, 115-16, illus. Springle died after a short illness on 7 January 1877 at the age of 58, and he was buried in Mount Royal Cemetery in Montreal (obit. Montreal Gazette, 9 Jan. 1877, 2; obit. Daily Witness [Montreal], 9 Jan. 1877, 3; inf. Ms. Monique Comtois, University of Quebec at Montreal). A photographic portrait of Springle, taken c. 1870, was published in the Montreal Daily Herald, 25 February 1905.
James K. SPRINGLE (works in Montreal unless noted)
SOREL, QUE., Congregational Church, 1843 (Montreal Transcript, 7 Nov. 1843, 2)
ST. MAURICE STREET, shops and house for John Whyte, 1844 (Montreal Transcript, 1 Feb. 1844, 3, t.c.)
DORCHESTER STREET WEST, at St. Charles Boromee Street, three houses for Mrs. M. Wagner, 1844 (ANQM, W. Easton, Notaire, 7 April 1844, No. 189)
CANADA BAPTIST COLLEGE, Guy Street, 1845-46 (Montreal Transcript, 15 March 1845, 3, t.c.; Gazette [Montreal], 12 May 1845, 4, illus.; Newton Bosworth, Hochelega Depicta, 1846, 19-20, illus. & descrip.)
DORCHESTER STREET WEST, near Aqueduct Street, at the mansion for Charles Phillips, addition of new cast iron entrance gates, carriageway and elaborate stone piers, 1849 (Gazette [Montreal], 23 Nov. 1849, 2, detailed descrip.; Montreal Transcript, 24 Nov. 1849, 2, descrip.)
DORCHESTER STREET, a See House, or Bishop's Residence, for the Anglican Diocese of Montreal, 1851 (Montreal Transcript, 1 April 1851, 2, t.c.)
WILLIAM LYMAN & CO., St. Paul Street, large retail store, 1853 (Montreal Transcript, 24 May 1853, 2, t.c.)
McGILL STREET, shop for William Stephen 'on the site of Mr. King's confectionery', 1853 (Montreal Transcript, 1 Sept. 1853, 2)
LADIES BENOVOLENT INSTITUTION, Berthelot Street, 1854-55 (Montreal Transcript, 11 Nov. 1854, 2, t.c.)
GEORGE HAGAR HARDWARE CO., St. Paul Street West, west of St. Peter Street, warehouse block, 1855 (ANQM, T. Doucet, Notaire, 1 March 1855, No. 8428; Montreal, Architecture Industrielle, 1982, 10-13, illus.; inf. from Monique Comtois, Montreal)
TROIS RIVIERES, QUE., Presbyterian Church, Hart Street at Radisson Street, 1855; demol. 1967 (Montreal Transcript, 21 April 1855, 3, t.c.)
BELLEVILLE, ONT., Bank of Montreal, Pinnacle Street at Hotel Street, 1856-57 (Hastings Chronicle [Belleville], 19 Nov. 1856, 2, descrip.; dwgs. at ANQM, CAR 39/65)
COBOURG, ONT., Bank of Montreal, King Street at Division Street, 1857; demol. 1960 (Montreal Transcript, 31 Jan. 1857, 2, t.c.; dwgs. at ANQM, P147/190-191)
BROCKVILLE, ONT., Bank of Montreal, 1857-58 (dwgs. at ANQM, No. 1675, dated 13 Oct. 1857)
MOUNTAIN STREET, two houses for Mr. Wood, and Mr. Dakers, 1857 (Montreal Herald, 14 July 1857, 1)
DORCHESTER STREET WEST, a 3 storey mansion for Harrison Stephens, with glass conservatory on south side, 1857 (Montreal Herald, 14 July 1857, 1, descrip)
BELMONT STREET, a row of 4 houses, each 2 storeys, for Hugh Allan, 1857 (Montreal Herald, 14 July 1857, 1)
GREEN & SON, St. Paul Street, a 4 storey warehouse and store, 1857 (Montreal Herald, 14 July 1857, 1)
LE MOYNE STREET WEST, near St. Pierre Street, five stores for Jesse Joseph, each 4 storeys high, 1857 (Montreal Herald, 14 July 1857, 1, descrip.; ANQM, J.H. Issacson, Notaire, 12 Jan. 1857, No. 4459; Montreal, Les Magasins Les Cinemas, 1985, 53-7, illus.)
COLONIAL LIFE INSURANCE CO., Great St. James Street, backing onto Fortification Lane, a 3 storey office block, 1857 (Montreal Herald, 14 July 1857, 1, descrip.; ANQM, T. Doucet, Notaire, 4 April 1857, No. 10965; 28 May 1857, No. 11117)
BANK OF MONTREAL SAVINGS BANK, Great St. James Street, an office for the bank, located between the main Bank of Montreal Building (by John Wells), and the Banque du Peuple, 1857 (Montreal Herald, 14 July 1857, 1)
T.J. GREENE & SONS, St. Paul Street East at St. Claude Street, two wholesale stores at 305, 307 and 309 St. Paul Street, each 5 and 6 storeys high, 1857; located directly opposite Bonsecours Market, and still standing as of 2018 (Montreal Herald, 14 July 1857, descrip.; Gazette [Montreal], 9 Nov. 1857, 3, descrip.; ANQM, J. Smith, Notaire, 17 April 1857, No. 3295)
ST. PAUL STREET WEST, two stores for Jesse Joseph 'between the property of Mr. Greene and Mr. Ross', 1858 (ANQM, T. Doucet, Notaire, 8 Feb. 1858, No. 12132; Montreal, Les Magasins Les Cinemas, 1985, 53-7, illus.)
LAGAUCHETIERE STREET, row of three houses for G.F. Prowse 'situated opposite St. Patrick's Church', 1858 (Montreal Transcript, 15 April 1858, 2, t.c.)
ALEXANDER STREET, two houses for G.F. Prowse, 1859 (ANQM, J. Smith, Notaire, 3 May 1859, No. 5333)
CHOUILLOU BUILDING, St. Jean Street near St. Sacrement Street, 1859 (ANQM, T.B. Doucet, Notaire, 22 Sept. 1859, No. 13960; Montreal, Les Magasins Les Cinemas, 1985, 27-9, illus.)
HERON ISLAND, LACHINE RAPIDS, a proposal for a bridge, and new fresh water system for the City of Montreal, 1859 (historical article in the Montreal Daily Herald, 25 Feb. 1905; inf. Michael Nation)
COMPETITIONS
KINGSTON, ONT., Queen's College, 1841. Springle, together with George L. Dickinson, collaborated on a submission in a competition for this major institutional work and their scheme was awarded Second Premium, with First Prize going to John Howard of Toronto (J. Stewart & I. Wilson, Heritage Kingston, 1973, 121-22). The winning design, however, was never built, due to insufficient funds.
QUEENSTON, ONT., Brock Monument, 1843. A detailed description of his scheme for an Obelisk resting on large pedestal can be found in the Brock Monument Papers at the Ontario Archives in Toronto (OA, MU 296, Design No. 12). In his design he '.....studiously avoided introducing any ornament incompatible with the object or situation of the Monument', but the jury apparently preferred the more ornate proposal sent in by Thomas Young, who was declared as the winner.
MONTREAL, QUE., Bank of Montreal, 1845. A group of seven architects from Montreal and Toronto submitted a total of nine different designs for the new headquarters building for the Bank to be built in Place d'Armes. Springle, along with John Wells, were each awarded £50 for their plans (Gazette [Montreal], 12 Aug. 1845, 2, list of competitors; Merrill Denison, Canada's First Bank-The Bank of Montreal, 1967, ii, 20-1). The commission was later awarded to John Wells.
MONTREAL, QUE., St. Andrew's Presbyterian Church, 1847. Springle received a prize of £12 for his entry, with the First Premium being awarded to Tate & Smith (S. Coley, 'The Church of St. Andrew & St. Paul: Architecture & Patronage' in the Society for the Study of Architecture in Canada Bulletin, xvi, March 1991, 5)
OTTAWA, ONT., Governor General's Residence, 1859. In August of that year Springle was among several competitors who submitted a design for one of the three new buildings in the Parliament Hill complex. His design for the Governor General's Residence, presented in the 'Modern Italian' style, was not premiated (NAC, RG11, Letter Book, Vol 131, Letter 29192; Carolyn Young, The Glory of Ottawa: Canada's First Parliament Buildings, 1995, 118). The winner was Cumberland & Storm of Toronto, but their design for the Residence was never built.