TANNER, William Thomas (1849-1923) was active in Guelph, Ontario where he spent his entire career working as an architect, either under his own name, from 1892 onward, and from 1911 in partnership with his son William Clarence Tanner (1882-1918). Born in Guelph on 13 January 1849, he may have been trained there, but an obituary published at the time of his death refers to his absence from Guelph for a brief period “…in Rochester, N.Y. and Boston, Mass.” and it is possible that he could have served his articles with an architect in either city. By 1893 he was working full time in the profession, and he trained his son W.C. Tanner, whom he later invited to form a partnership of Tanner & Tanner in 1911. The untimely death of his son from scarlet fever in February 1918 was said to have precipitated the early retirement of William T. from the profession, although he continued to work as property valuator, advisor and municipal alderman. Much of his practise was devoted to the design of residences for local clients from the Guelph area. He died in Guelph on 6 December 1923 and was later buried at Woodlawn Cemetery in that town (obit. Guelph Evening Mercury, 6 Dec. 1923, 1; inf. Gordon Couling, Guelph, Ont.)
(works in Guelph unless noted)
RESIDENTIAL WORKS
PARK AVENUE, double house for Robert Barker, 1893 (Daily Mercury [Guelph], 2 Nov. 1893, 2)
CHARLES STREET, for Austin Sweetman, 1893 (Daily Mercury [Guelph], 2 Nov. 1893, 2)
EDWIN STREET, for Mrs. Boufeuillet, 1893 (Daily Mercury [Guelph], 2 Nov. 1893, 2)
PARK AVENUE, for James C. Keleher, 1893 (Daily Mercury [Guelph], 2 Nov. 1893, 2)
DUBLIN STREET, for E.R. Bollert, 1893 (Daily Mercury [Guelph], 2 Nov. 1893, 2, descrip.)
ONTARIO STREET, for Robert Dowrie, 1894 (C.R., v, 21 June 1894, 2)
CHAMBERS STREET, for Mrs. Elliott, 1894 (C.R., v, 21 June 1894, 2)
NORFOLK STREET, for John A. Scott, 1895 (C.R., vi, 27 June 1895, 3)
DURHAM STREET, for Mrs. C.A. Patton, 1896 (C.R., vii, 4 June 1896, 3)
NORFOLK STREET, for Mrs. Thomas Worswick, 1896 (Daily Mercury [Guelph], 28 Oct. 1896, 4)
GLASGOW STREET, for Mrs. Cooke, 1906 (Weekly Mercury [Guelph], 11 Oct. 1906, 6)
PAISLEY STREET, for Mrs. B. Kloepfer, 1906 (Weekly Mercury [Guelph], 11 Oct. 1906, 6)
OXFORD STREET, residence for the architect, 1906 (Weekly Mercury [Guelph], 11 Oct. 1906, 6)
CHARLES STREET, pair of houses for Mrs. Lindsay, 1906 (Weekly Mercury [Guelph], 11 Oct. 1906, 6)
NOTTINGHAM STREET, for J.L. Monkhouse, 1907 (C.R., xviii, 3 April 1907, 8)
McTAGUE STREET, for Joseph L. Fielding, 1907 (C.R., xviii, 19 June 1907, 6)
YORKSHIRE STREET, for J.H. Murray, 1908 (Evening Mercury [Guelph], 12 Sept. 1908, 5)
OXFORD STREET, for T.C. Rogers, 1908 (Evening Mercury [Guelph], 12 Sept. 1908, 5)
ROBINSON AVENUE, for Patrick Welsh, 1908 (Evening Mercury [Guelph], 12 Sept. 1908, 5)
PAISLEY STREET, for Dr. H.C. Skinner, 1909 (C.R., xxiii, 16 June 1909, 22)
PAISLEY STREET, for Ewan MacDonald and H. Penfold, 1910 (Evening Mercury [Guelph], 10 Sept. 1910, 7)
SOUTHAMPTON STREET, for A. & T. Readwin, 1910 (Evening Mercury [Guelph], 10 Sept. 1910, 7)
SUFFOLK STREET, for W.J. Thurston, 1910 (Evening Mercury [Guelph], 10 Sept. 1910, 7)
EDWIN STREET, for H. Kelly, 1910 (Evening Mercury [Guelph], 10 Sept. 1910, 7)
COMMERCIAL & INSTITUTIONAL WORKS
QUEBEC STREET, two stores for W. Hearn, and two stores for Mrs. N. Tovell, 1893 (Daily Mercury [Guelph], 2 Nov. 1893, 2)
GUELPH GENERAL HOSPITAL, Delhi Street, new Morgue and Laundry Building, 1908 (Evening Mercury [Guelph], 12 Sept. 1908, 5)
TANNER & TANNER
NORFOLK STREET, for John Sutherland, 1911 (Guelph Evening Mercury, 30 Sept. 1911, 6)
ISOLATION HOSPITAL, Delhi Street, 1911-12 (Evening Mercury [Guelph], 30 Sept. 1911, 1; 26 April 1912, 1 & 3, descrip.)
QUEBEC STREET, store for Benson Bros., 1915 (inf. Gordon Couling)