Glegg, Sarah Turton | Biographical Dictionary of Architects in Canada

GLEGG, Sarah Turton (1813-1872), wife of Thomas Glegg, may rightfully be considered the first woman in Upper Canada to style herself as an architect. In 1841 she signed her name to a series of drawings submitted in competition for the Town Hall and Market, KINGSTON, ONT. (J. Stewart & I. Wilson, Heritage Kingston, 1973, 136; M. MacRae & A. Adamson, Cornerstones of Order: Courthouses and Town Halls in Ontario, 1983, 78-81, illus.). Undoubtedly coached by her husband Thomas Glegg, a Royal Engineer and himself a capable architect, her design for the Town Hall and public market was no match for the winning scheme submitted by George Browne, and it is unclear why she signed the drawings, or whether she actually contributed to the design. Her drawings survive and can be found in the John G. Howard Papers, Baldwin Room, Metro Toronto Reference Library (biog. Jennifer McKendry, Architects Working in the Kingston Region 1820-1920, 2019, 54, illus.)