Gemmell, William | Biographical Dictionary of Architects in Canada

GEMMELL, William (1846-1872), an early partner in the important architectural firm of Smith & Gemmell in Toronto. He was born in Ayreshire, Scotland in 1846, son of Alexander Gemmell, and arrived in Canada with his family in 1851. He likely trained in the building trades in Toronto, and in early 1870 he was asked by James A. Smith to form an architectural partnership (see list of works under Smith & Gemmell). Their successful collaboration ended abruptly when Gemmell drowned on 12 December 1872 while attempting to skate across the frozen Toronto Bay (obituary Toronto Daily Mail, 13 Dec. 1872, 4; The Globe [Toronto], 13 Dec. 1872, 4). His younger brother John Gemmell was then invited by James A. Smith to take his place, and the firm of Smith & Gemmell continued to practise successfully for the next forty years.