MITCHELL, James (1876-1940) was born in Churnside, Berwickshire, Scotland on 19 April 1876 and trained under Archibald Macpherson, FRIBA in Edinburgh, at first as apprentice (in 1894-98) and then as chief assistant (1898-1902). He worked in Glasgow for Baird & Thomson for three years, and emigrated to Canada in 1905, settling in Montreal where he joined Hutchison & Wood.(1905-07). After moving to Toronto in late 1907 he obtained a position with Darling & Pearson, the leading firm in that city, and remained there until early 1911. He left their office to form a partnership with another Scotsman George White, who was to later become chief architect of the Provincial Dept. of Public Works for Ontario. Their best known work was a striking Beaux-Arts design for The Art Metropole Building, Yonge Street (1913), a picture gallery, showroom, art supply and blueprint facility catering to artists and architects. Their partnership was shortlived, however, and by 1914 Mitchell was operating his own office. Few references to his work can be found after 1930, and he left Canada in 1938 to return to Scotland. Mitchell died in Edinburgh on 21 November 1940 (obit The Scotsman [Edinburgh], 22 Nov. 1940; inf. Ontario Assoc. of Architects)
MITCHELL & WHITE
ART METROPOLE LTD., Yonge Street near Shuter Street, 1911 (C.R., xxv, 5 July 1911, 63-4, t.c.; 26 July 1911, 53, illus. & descrip.)
BANK OF BRITISH NORTH AMERICA, Royce Avenue at Symington Avenue, 1913 (Toronto b.p. 6223, 11 Aug. 1913)
J. MITCHELL
SPADINA ROAD, near Heath Street West, residence for J. McKay Ferguson, 1914 (inf. Toronto Historical Board)
POPLAR PLAINS ROAD, near Balmoral Avenue, residence for William J. Robertson, 1917 (Const., x, Dec. 1917, 433)
BALMORAL AVENUE, near Avenue Road, residence for E.B. Varey, 1917 (Const., x, June 1917, 218)
TORONTO HUNT CLUB, Avenue Road at Orchard View Boulevard, stables, 1919 (Toronto b.p. 23413, 10 June 1919)
ROXBOROUGH DRIVE, at Glen Road, residence for Dr. John F. Ross, 1921 (Toronto b.p. 43594, 26 Sept. 1921)
MOFFAT STOVE CO, Dennison Avenue near the CPR tracks, Weston, a major addition to factory, 1922 (C.R., xxxvi, 27 Sept. 1922, 52)
WEYBOURNE CRESCENT, at Lympstone Avenue, residence for Donald R. McLaughlin, 1925 (Toronto b.p. 82244, 17 July 1925)