JOST, George Henry (1851-1922) was the son of Thomas Philip Jost, a sea captain and resident of Halifax, Nova Scotia. His name appears as 'architect' in the nominal and classified listings of the Halifax City Directory from 1875 until 1914, but he was frequently absent from the city while on assignment with the firm of S.G. Brookfield & Co., one of the largest and most successful building contractors in the Maritimes in the late nineteenth century. Jost was residing in St. John's, Newfoundland from 1884 until 1886, and in his role as Architect and Superintendent for the Brookfield Company he designed several public and institutional works there. He taught architectural drawing at Victoria College of Art & Design in Halifax in 1890, replacing Charles H. Hopson who had taught the same subject in 1888-89. The Great Fire in St. John's Newfoundland in July 1892 prompted Jost to return there as architect for the S.G. Brookfield & Co. to assist in the rebuilding efforts, and he later moved back to Halifax in June 1893 (Halifax Herald, 3 June 1893, 6).
In January 1905 Jost commenced practise on his own account in Halifax, and it was there that his largest commissions for the Chronicle Block and for the Herald & Mail Building were completed. He was a competent though not a particularly adventurous designer, remaining active until his retirement in 1914. Jost died at Musquodoboit Harbour, Nova Scotia on 30 December 1922 (obituary in Acadian Recorder [Halifax], 1 Jan. 1923, 3; obit. Evening Mail [Halifax], 2 Jan. 1923, 1; Halifax Herald, 2 Jan. 1923, 4; biography in M. Rosinski, Architects of Nova Scotia: A Biographical Dictionary, 1994, 213)
ST. JOHN'S, NFLD.
CITY HALL, Prescott Street, 1884 (Evening Telegram [St. John's], 16 Oct 1884, 4, descrip.)
SKATING RINK, 1884-85 (Evening Telegram [St. John's], 18 Feb. 1885, 1; 21 Feb. 1885, 4)
FISHERMAN'S & SEAMAN'S HOME, Duckworth Street, 1885; used as the City Hall from 1911 until 1971; demol. 1971 (Evening Telegram [St. John's], 9 June 1885, 4, descrip.)
MASONIC TEMPLE, unnamed street, 1885 (Harbour Grace Standard, 13 June 1885, 2; The Times [St. John's], 2 Jan. 1886, 2, descrip.)
NEWFOUNDLAND METHODIST COLLEGE, with local Superintending Architect John Southcott, 1886-87; burned July 1892; rebuilt 1893 (Colonist [St. John's], 12 Jan. 1887, 4, detailed descrip.; Evening Telegram [St. John's], 12 Dec. 1893, 4, descrip.)
HALIFAX, N.S.
COLE HARBOUR, Poor House for the Halifax County Council, 1887 (Presbyterian Witness [Halifax], 1 Jan. 1887, 5)
ST. AGNES ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH, Chebucto Road at Mumford Road, 1890 (Halifax Herald, 20 Oct. 1890, 4, descrip.)
BRUNSWICK STREET, at the corner of North Street, a group of four houses [perhaps in a row??] for William Barry, 1893 (Halifax Herald, 24 Oct. 1893, 6)
NORTH WEST ARM, a new clubhouse for the North West Arm Boating Club, 1900; with major addition, 1905 (Evening Mail [Halifax], 23 March 1900, 1, descrip.; and 16 April 1900, 5; and 26 Aug. 1905, 6, t.c.)
NORTH WEST ARM, 'Emscote', a residence for Benjamin F. Pearson, 1906 (dwgs. at PANS)
CHRONICLE PUBLISHING CO., Granville Street at Prince Street, office building, 1906-07; demol. 1972 (Nova Scotian [Halifax], 31 May 1907, 14-5, descrip.)
BARRINGTON STREET, a 3 storey block of retail stores for Crump & Perrier, 1907 (Evening Mail [Halifax], 25 March 1907, 10, descrip.; dwgs. at PANS)
PENTAGON BUILDING, Granville Street at Water Street, extensive interior alterations, 1907 (Evening Mail [Halifax], 5 April 1907, 10, descrip.)
QUEEN HOTEL, Hollis Street, major addition of 5 storeys, with 40 rooms, and extensive alterations to existing hotel and rotunda, 1908 (Evening Mail [Halifax], 29 Aug. 1908, 1, illus. & detailed architectural descrip.; Montreal Daily Star, 12 Sept. 1908, 6, illus. & detailed architectural descrip.; dwgs. at PANS)
COBURG ROAD, at Oxford Street, residence for Arthur W. Redden, 1908 (C.R., xxii, 2 Sept. 1908)
LUCKNOW STREET, near Fenwick Street, residence for Charles H. Barnes, 1909 (inf. G. Shutlak)
QUINPOOL ROAD, shop and residence for Alfred Harvey, 1910 (inf. G. Shutlak)
J. & M. MURPHY CO., Duke Street at Hollis Street, commercial block, 1911 (dwgs. at PANS)
ORPHEUS MUSIC HALL, Granville Street, near Blower Street, 1911-12 (Evening Mail [Halifax], 10 Feb. 1912, 16, descrip.)
HERALD & EVENING MAIL BUILDING, Argyle Street, 1912 (dwgs. at PANS)
(with Andrew R. Cobb) CRAGG BROTHERS, Barrington Street at George Street, office block, 1912 (dwgs. at PANS)
(with J.J. Laferme) GARDEN CREST APARTMENTS, Summer Street, 1913-14 (Morning Herald [Halifax], 1 Jan. 1914, 2; E. Pacey, Historic Halifax, 1988, 124-5, illus.)
RICHMOND PUBLIC SCHOOL, major addition, 1917; destroyed December 1917 (C.R., xxxi, 21 Feb. 1917, 42; 13 June 1917, 41, t.c.; inf. Scott Edwards) dwgs. at PANS)
ACADIAN SCHOOL, Albemarle Street, 1914 (dwgs. at PANS)
PRYOR STREET, near Jubilee Road, residence for William H. Piers, 1914 (inf. G. Shutlak)
SPRING GARDEN ROAD, residence for E. Gibson, 1915 (Canadian Builder & Carpenter [Toronto], v, Aug. 1915, 21, illus.)
ELSEWHERE
WINDSOR JUNCTION, N.S., St. Rose of Lima Roman Catholic Church, 1884 (Morning Herald [Halifax], 5 Sept. 1884, 3, descrip.)
YARMOUTH, N.S., St. Ambrose Roman Catholic Church, addition, 1908 (C.R., xxii, 2 Sept. 1908, 26)