MAYCOCK, John Alexander (1850-1940) was active in Essex County, Ontario where he worked in a succession of partnerships as well as under his own name. Born in Sandwich, Ont. on 1 October 1850 he was taken to England by his father to receive an education at a Roman Catholic Jesuit school in Banbury, where he studied civil engineering and architecture. In 1866 or 1867 he moved to Ottawa, Ont. where his father Richard Maycock had obtained a position as supervisor of building operations on the Parliament Building (1859-66). His son John A. then moved to Goderich to work in the office of Thomas Weatherald, a surveyor and civil engineer. From 1875 he practiced alone and in several partnerships including:
Maycock & Smaill, Goderich, 1875-1877 (with James Smaill)
J.A. Maycock, Essex Centre, 1878-1880
J.A. Maycock, Kingsville, 1880-1888
Maycock & Welsh, Kingsville, 1889-Jan. 1890
Maycock & Woodiwiss, Kingsville, Feb. 1890-March 1891
Maycock & Cady, Kingsville, April 1891-Aug. 1892
Maycock & Newman, Windsor, March 1892-Jan. 1894 (with William Newman)
J.A. Maycock, Windsor, Feb. 1894-Dec. 1896
J.A. Maycock, Leamington, Jan. 1897-c. 1905
J.A. Maycock, Calgary, Alta., 1906 -1908
J.A. Maycock, Leamington, Jan. 1908 - c. 1912
During his career he was active in five different partnerships in southwestern Ontario, including one with William Newman, but none of these collaborations lasted more than two years. Under his own name, he designed a variety of ecclesiastical, educational and residential buildings throughout Essex County, often in a Romanesque Revival style, while his commercial buildings (such as the DeJean Block, 1891) were executed in an elaborate Italianate style. In late 1905, he left Ontario and moved to Alberta, and opened an office in Calgary. He is almost certainly the same “John A. Maycock, Architect” who appeared there in 1906 (Morning Albertan (Calgary), 23 Aug. 1906, 7, advert.), but he only remained there for less than 2 years before returning to Ontario. He remained active until c. 1914, and died in Leamington on 14 Nov. 1940 (obit. Leamington Post, 14 Nov. 1940, 1; biog. Commemorative Biographical Record of the County of Essex Ontario, 1905, 95-6; inf. John J. Maycock, Leamington; Norman Goodger, Woodstock; Veronica Brown, Kingsville Municipal Heritage Advisory Committee)
J.A. MAYCOCK
ESSEX, ONT., Gardner Block, a commercial block for the Gardner Brothers, 1886 (Daily Advertiser [London], 29 June 1886, 4, descrip.)
ESSEX, ONT., Roman Catholic Church, 1887; demol. (Daily Advertiser [London], 5 April 1887, 8)
KINGSVILLE, ONT., residence for Mrs. Peter J. Wigle, Division Street South, 1889 (Amherstburg Echo, 19 July 1889, 6)
KINGSVILLE, ONT., Union Block, including Masonic Hall and Oddfellows Hall, Main Street West, 1889 (Amherstburg Echo, 22 Nov. 1889, 6)
KINGSVILLE, ONT., DeJean Block, Main Street West, for J.F. DeJean of London, Ont., 1891 (Amherstburg Echo, 10 April 1891, 6)
KINGSVILLE, ONT., St. John's Anglican Church, 1891 (Amherstburg Echo, 17 April 1891, 6; and 24 April 1891, 8, descrip.)
KINGSVILLE, ONT., residence for Maycock & Cady, Prospect Street near Lansdowne Avenue, 1891-92 (Amherstburg Echo, 4 Dec. 1891, 5; and 8 April 1892, 8)
KINGSVILLE, ONT., residence for Curtis Greene, 1891; completed 1893 (C.R., ii, 19 Dec. 1891, 2)
LEAMINGTON, ONT., Knox Presbyterian Church, 1892 (inf. Ledger Book, Knox Church, Leamington, entry for 1892 with payment of '$80.00 for plans to J.A. Maycock')
MAYCOCK & NEWMAN (works in Windsor unless noted)
FIGHTING ISLAND, in the Detroit River, new buildings and extensive improvements on the summer resort island of Des Chree Shos Ka, for Gillman & Barnes, 1893 (Evening Star [Windsor], 28 Jan. 1893, 8, 28 Oct. 1893, 7, descrip.; C.R., iii, 4 Feb. 1893, 1)
WINDSOR DRIVING PARK, Tecumseh Road at Ouellette Avenue, grandstand, 1893 (Detroit Free Press, 5 April 1893, 8; C.R., iv, 13 April 1893, 2)
CHURCH STREET, residence for A. Morris, 1893 (Evening Record [Windsor], 18 Feb. 1893, 1)
CHURCH STREET, residence for James McCollum, 1893 (Evening Record [Windsor], 18 Feb. 1893, 1)
PITT STREET, at Goyeau Street, hotel for T.M. White, 1893 (Evening Record [Windsor], 18 Feb. 1893, 1)
VICTORIA AVENUE, residence for J. Eugene D'Avignon, 1893 (Evening Record [Windsor], 18 Feb. 1893, 1)
FLEMING BLOCK, Ouellette Avenue at Chatham Street, a 3 storey block of stores, offices and Masonic Lodge, 1893 (Detroit Free Press, 9 April 1893, 5, illus. & descrip.; Evening Record [Windsor], 15 April 1893, 7, illus. & descrip.)
SANDWICH STREET, commercial block for John Baines, 1893 (Daily Advertiser [London], 22 June 1893, 7)
YOUNG MEN'S CHRISTIAN ASSOCIATION, Pitt Street at Ferry Street, 1893 (Evening Record [Windsor], 29 Aug. 1893, 2, t.c.)
MERCER STREET PUBLIC SCHOOL [also called East Central School], 1893 (Evening Record [Windsor], 6 Sept. 1893, 2)
DOUGALL BLOCK, Sandwich Street at Ferry Street, 1893 (Evening Record [Windsor], 18 Sept. 1893, 4; Detroit Free Press, 19 Sept. 1893, 4)
SANDWICH, WINDSOR & AMHERSTBURG STREET RAILWAY CO., Brock Street at Sandwich Street, a 2 storey office block, 1893 (Detroit Free Press, 28 Oct. 1893, 9, descrip.)
BRUCE AVENUE, residence for Joseph S. Edgar, 1893 (Evening Record [Windsor], 4 Nov. 1893, 2)
VICTORIA AVENUE, residence for Richard Beasley, 1894 (C.R., v, 1 March 1894, 2)
VICTORIA AVENUE, residence for Robert White, 1894 (C.R., v, 1 March 1894, 2)
VICTORIA AVENUE, at Erie Street, residence for John Clarke, 1894 (Evening Record [Windsor], 20 April 1894, 4; C.R., v, 31 May 1894, 1)
RIVER CANARD, ONT., Roman Catholic School, and a rectory, adjacent to the church, for Rev. Father Marseille, 1894 (Amherstburg Echo, 27 July 1894, 1, t.c., and 4, news item; C.R., v, 2 Aug. 1894, 1)
J.A. MAYCOCK (works in Ontario)
GODERICH, ONT., residence for D. Cantelon, 1894 (Evening Record [Windsor], 17 April 1894, 4)
WINDSOR, ONT., residence for S.L. McGlashan, Sandwich Street West, 1894 (Evening Record [Windsor]. 6 Sept. 1894, 4)
WINDSOR, ONT., large residence for Duncan Dougall, Victoria Avenue, 1894 (Evening Record [Windsor], 6 Sept. 1894, 4)
KINGSVILLE, ONT., The Wigle Block, Main Street West at Division Street, 1895; burned 1981 (Amherstburg Echo, 1 March 1895, 6)
ESSEX, ONT., Town Hall and Oddfellow's Temple, Talbot Street, 1898-99 (Evening Record [Windsor], 14 April 1898, 5, t.c.; 2 June 1899, 4, illus. & extensive descrip.; C.R., ix, 20 April 1898, 2, t.c.)
MERLIN, ONT., Sales & Halliday Block, a 2 storey brick commercial block, 1898 (Evening Record [Windsor], 28 May 1898, 8, descrip.)
LEAMINGTON, ONT., Opera Block, with Oddfellow's Hall, Talbot Street at McGow Street, 1898-99 (Amherstburg Echo, 13 May 1898, 6; C.R., ix, 18 May 1898, 3; Evening Record [Windsor], 2 June 1899, 4, descrip.)
LEAMINGTON, ONT., commercial block of stores for Charles Coulters, Erie Street, 1899 (Evening Record [Windsor], 1 July 1899, 7)
WALLACEBURG, ONT., Presbyterian Church, Duncan Street at Wellington Street, 1899; still standing in 2022 (C.R., x, 13 Sept. 1899, 2)
LEAMINGTON, ONT., commercial block of stores and assembly hall, Talbot Street, "....on the property east of Mrs. Wigle's store", for William McSween and Hugh McSween, 1899-1900 (Evening Record [Windsor], 8 Dec. 1899, 7, descrip.)
LEAMINGTON, ONT., Wagner-Fenton Tobacco Co., factory, 1900 (C.R., xi, 4 April 1900, 2)
KINGSVILLE, ONT., major addition to the public school, 1900 (Amherstburg Echo, 3 Aug. 1900, 6; C.R., xi, 8 Aug. 1900, 2, t.c.)
WHEATLEY, ONT., hotel, 1901 (C.R., xii, 22 May 1901, 2)
LEAMINGTON, ONT., residence for Charles Allison, 1901 (C.R., xii, 22 May 1901, 2)
KINGSVILLE, ONT., Conklin Block, Main Street East at Division Street, for David Conklin, 1901-02 (Kingsville Reporter, 11 April 1901, 4, descrip.; 20 Feb. 1902, 5, descrip.)
LEAMINGTON, ONT., St. John's Anglican Church, Erie Street North at Clarke Street East, 1902-03; still standing in 2022 (Evening Record [Windsor], 26 Feb, 1902, 4, descrip.; Leamington and Its Churches, 1902, illus.; St. John's Anglican Church Centenary Celebration, 1939, 10, illus.)
LEAMINGTON, ONT., W.F. McKenzie Carriage Works & Show Room, Talbot Street at Wellington Street, 1904 (Evening Record [Windsor], 19 Aug. 1904, 3, descrip.)
J.A. MAYCOCK (works in Alberta)
CALGARY, ALTA., The Doll Block, 8th Avenue East, in East Calgary, a 2 storey commercial block for Louis H. Doll, 1906 (Morning Albertan (Calgary), 12 Sept. 1906, 5, t.c.)
J.A. MAYCOCK (works in Ontario)
SANDWICH, ONT., new County Court Office Building, 1910, with rooms for two judges, the Crown Attorney, Clerk of the County Court, law library (Evening Record [Windsor], 21 May 1910, 4; Essex Free Press, 27 May 1910, 5, descrip.)
LEAMINGTON, ONT., Carnegie Library, 1910-11; demol. (Evening Record [Windsor], 29 Oct. 1910, 3; M. Beckman, The Best Gift, 1984, 184)
PELEE ISLAND, ONT., Town Hall, West Shore Road, 1911, and now occupied by the Pelee Island Heritage Centre; still standing in 2022 (Evening Record [Windsor], 19 Aug. 1911, 3)