PRICE, George Frederick William (1867-1924) was born in Belfast, Ireland and educated at Coleraine Academical Institution, at the Methodist College, and at the Municipal Technical Institute in that city. Price arrived in Canada in 1885 and settled in Toronto. He articled with E.J. Lennox (1885-88), then worked as an assistant in several offices including Edwards & Webster (in 1888), for Darling & Curry (1889), for Richard Ough (1889), and for William G. Storm (1890-91). His signed watercolour perspective drawing of Victoria College, Toronto, designed by Storm, can be found in the Horwood Collection (OA, Horwood Coll., 729[4]). Price moved to Hamilton and worked as chief assistant to James Balfour (1891-92), and later returned to the Lennox office and spent four years overseeing the construction and completion of the Toronto City Hall from 1895 to 1899. He then moved to New York and worked in the architectural office of J.H. L'Hommedieu Sons & Co. (in 1900-01), before returning to Belfast where he was assistant to J.L. Clelland, a civil engineer.
Returning to Toronto in 1905, he joined the staff of the City Architects Dept. as an engineer, working under the direct supervision of Robert McCallum. His promotion within the Department was rapid, and he was appointed Chief Building Inspector, and later as Assistant City Architect, a position he held from 1908 to 1919. During this period, he lost his right leg due to an accident, but this disability did not deter him from pursuing his career as an architect with the City. In February 1920 he succeeded W.W. Pearse as City Architect and held that post for the next four years, overseeing the design and construction of dozens of municipal buildings including his best know work, The Coliseum at the Canadian National Exhibition, 1921-22. Price died in Toronto on 20 March 1924 (obit. Toronto Star, 20 March 1924, 32; Globe [Toronto], 20 March 1924, 11; C.R., xxxviii, 26 March 1924, 322). His assistant J.J. Woolnough then took over the post of City Architect. A biography and photographic portrait of Price was published in the Canadian Engineer [Montreal], xxxviii, 12 Feb. 1920, 218, and in the Contract Record, [Toronto], xxxiv, 18 Feb. 1920, 166.
G.F.W. PRICE (works in Toronto)
RUSHOLME ROAD, residence for F.P. Solomon, 1901 (Toronto b.p. 61, 8 Nov. 1901; Toronto Region Architectural Conservancy, A Study of Rusholme Road, 1991, 16, illus.)
BATHURST STREET, near Davenport Road, residence for James Burford, 1902 (Toronto b.p. 405, 20 Sept. 1902)
BATHURST STREET, at Olive Avenue, store for James McLarty, 1903 (Toronto b.p. 1560, 20 Aug. 1903)
DELAWARE AVENUE, near College Street, residence for Eagan Avenue, 1904 (Toronto b.p. 176, 12 April 1904)
SIMPSON AVENUE, near Howland Avenue, pair of houses for William B. Charlton, 1904 (Toronto b.p. 331, 26 April 1904)
WELLS STREET, near Howland Avenue, row of three houses for Burford & Bland, 1904 (Toronto b.p. 414, 7 May 1904)
VERMONT AVENUE, residence for James Burford, 1905 (Toronto b.p. 206, 16 Jan. 1905)
ST. CLAIR AVENUE WEST, at Christie Street, apartment block for John Henderson, 1913 (Toronto b.p. 8049, 14 Nov. 1913)
G.F.W. PRICE, of the City of Toronto Architect's Office
CONCORD, ONT., Old Folk's Home at the Langstaff Industrial Farm, 1913 (C.R., xxvii, 5 Feb. 1913, 70)
FIRE HALL NO. 26, Greenwood Avenue at Oakvale Avenue, 1913-14 (Toronto b.p. 8743, 31 Dec. 1913)
ST. PATRICK'S PUBLIC MARKET, Queen Street West near John Street, 1913-14 (Toronto b.p. 8739, 31 Dec. 1913; W.Dendy, Lost Toronto, 1978, 107, illus.)
TORONTO STREET CLEANING DEPT., Coxwell Avenue, south of the GTR Railway Overpass, near Casci Avenue, horse stables and offices for the City of Toronto, 1920; converted to housing c. 1990; still standing in 2023 (Toronto b.p. 35610, 30 Nov. 1920)
DANFORTH AVENUE, west of Broadview Avenue, Public Lavatory Building, 1920-21; still standing in 2023 (inf. City of Toronto - Inventory of Buildings of Architectural & Historical Importance, 1984)
DUNDAS STREET EAST, at Munro Street, vehicle garages for the City of Toronto, 1920-21 (Toronto b.p. 35737, 9 Dec. 1920)
DUNDAS STREET EAST, at Hamilton Street, Water Works Emergency Station, 1921-22; still standing in 2023 (dwgs. City of Toronto - Engineering & Construction Services; inf. Wayne Reeves, Toronto)
YONGE STREET, at Ramsden Park, horse stables for the City of Toronto, 1921-22 (Toronto b.p. 45562, 1 Dec. 1921)
CANADIAN NATIONAL EXHIBITION, Live Stock Arena [also known as The Coliseum], 1921; still standing in 2023 (Toronto b.p. 40249, 1 June 1921; dwgs. C.N.E. Archives, Toronto)
SUNNYSIDE PUMPING STATION, at the foot of Roncesvalles Avenue, south of the railway embankment, 1922-23; demol. c. 1956 for the Gardiner Expressway (dwgs. at City of Toronto - Engineering and Construction Services; inf. Wayne Reeves, Toronto)
HIGH LEVEL PUMPING STATION, Poplar Plains Road, major addition of new electrical pump room, and addition to the Machine Shop., designed November 1923; built 1924 (dwgs. at City of Toronto - Engineering and Construction Services; inf. Wayne Reeves, Toronto)
WELLINGTON REFUSE DESTRUCTOR BUILDING, south of Wellington Street West, and west of Bathurst Street, begun 1924; completed after the death of Price by J.J. Woolnough; still standing in 2023 (Toronto Star, 15 Jan. 1925, 4, illus. & detailed descrip.; inf. EVOQ Architecture, Building Condition Assessment Report, 5 Sept. 2018, 9-10, illus.; inf. Alex Bozikovic, Toronto)