FINNEY, Percy Howard (1875-1925) was active in Toronto, Ont. where he specialized in preparing plans for speculative blocks of detached and semi-detached houses for a number of prominent builders and contractors who were developing the Annex and Riverdale neighbourhoods in the city. Born in Believad, England in 1875, he was educated and trained there and emigrated to Canada in June 1903. He was a remarkably prolific architect in the pre-WWI era, but his designs are often undistinguished and his reputation rests on the volume of his output rather than on his originality as a designer. His name is absent from membership records of the Ontario Association of Architects, and no information can be found on his activity after 1921. He died in Toronto on 10 December 1925.
(works in Toronto unless noted)
(Residential works)
DOVERCOURT ROAD, near Bloor Street West, residence for Dr. William C. Dumble, 1904 (Toronto b.p. 270, 19 April 1904)
BLOOR STREET WEST, at Gladstone Avenue, two detached houses for Charles Mould, 1904 (Toronto b.p. 856, 8 July 1904)
ROBERT STREET, near Sussex Avenue, residence for Priscilla Barton, 1904 (Toronto b.p. 1087, 20 Aug. 1904)
BROADVIEW AVENUE, at First Avenue, four pairs of houses, 1905 (Toronto b.p. 796, 8 May 1905)
DUNDAS STREET WEST, at Ritchie Avenue, store with five attached dwellings, 1905-06 (Toronto b.p. 2530, 18 Nov. 1905)
MAJOR STREET, two pairs of houses houses for George Phillips, 1905 (Toronto b.p. 2535, 18 Nov. 1905)
FIRST AVENUE, at De Grassi Street, five houses for Harry W. Love and Percy Love, builders, 1906 (Toronto b.p. 3101, 14 March 1906; inf. Chris Bateman, Toronto)
GRACE STREET, near Arthur Street, seven pairs of houses for George Phillips, 1906 (Toronto b.p. 4392, 21 June 1906)
DUNDONALD AVENUE, near Yonge Street, residence for H.J. and Edwin R. Reynolds, 1906-07 (Toronto b.p. 6176, 29 Dec. 1906)
MADISON AVENUE, near Bernard Avenue, four detached houses for H.J. and E.R. Reynolds, 1907 (Toronto b.p. 6928, 11 April 1907)
DEARBOURNE AVENUE, near Broadview Avenue, eight pairs of houses, 1907 (Toronto b.p. 7821, 24 May 1907)
PALMERSTON BOULEVARD, residence for Crozier Coulter, 1908 (Const., i, June 1908, 66; C.R., xxii, 1 July 1908, 27)
BLOOR STREET WEST, at Brunswick Avenue, row of five stores with apartments above, 1908 (Const., ii, Nov. 1908, 65)
FOREST HILL ROAD, residence for E. Taylor, 1908-09 (C.R., xxii, 30 Dec. 1908, 27)
COLLEGE STREET, at Grace Street, pair of stores with apartments, for McKinney & Johnson, 1908-09 (C.R., xxii, 30 Dec., 1908, 28)
ST. GEORGE STREET, near Dupont Street, two houses for Wilkins & Co., 1909 (C.R., xxiii, 10 Feb. 1909, 21)
BROADVIEW AVENUE, near Danforth Avenue, residence for William W. Hiltz, 1909 (Const., ii, April 1909, 80)
DANFORTH AVENUE, at Logan Avenue, stores with apartments above, for T. McNea, 1909 (C.R., xxiii, 5 May 1909, 21)
HAMPTON AVENUE, near Wolfrey Avenue, residence for Alfred Tambling, 1909 (C.R., xxiii, 12 May 1909, 37)
MAJOR STREET, near Bloor Street West, two houses for George Phillips, 1909 (C.R., xxiii, 12 May 1909, 37)
CRESCENT ROAD, near South Drive, residence for James Lumbers, 1909 (Toronto b.p. 15512, 28 May 1909)
PEMBROKE STREET, three houses for Henry Niscon, 1911 (C.R., xxv, 14 June 1911, 60, t.c.)
COLLEGE STREET, near Dovercourt Road, apartment block for J.W. Ellis, 1911 (C.R., xxv, 16 Aug. 1911, 61, t.c.)
BROADVIEW AVENUE, near Danforth Avenue, four stores with apartments for William W. Hiltz, 1911 (C.R., xxv, 16 Aug. 1911, 62)
FURNISS AVENUE, near Leslie Street, seven pairs of houses for Samuel J. Cairns, 1914 (Toronto b.p. 9772, 23 March 1914)
KINGSTON ROAD, at Malvern Avenue, 28 stores with apartments above, for William C. Charters, 1916 (C.R., xxx, 8 March 1916, 46; Const., ix, Jan. 1916, 30)
GERRARD STREET EAST, at Normandy Boulevard, apartment house with eight units, 1917 (Const., x, Nov. 1917, 399)
BROADVIEW HEIGHTS APARTMENTS, Tennis Crescent, for City Homes Ltd., 1918 (Const., xi, March 1918, 48)
SPADINA ROAD, at Heath Street, two houses for W.J. O'Reilly, 1919 (Toronto b.p. 23246, 4 June 1919)
BRIGHTON APARTMENTS, Avenue Road opposite Boswell Avenue, 1919; demol. (C.R., xxxiii, 6 Aug. 1919, 48)
KINGSWOOD ROAD, residence for A.M. Crawford, 1920-21 (City of Toronto b.p. 35459, Nov. 1920; inf. Barbara Myrvold, Toronto)
ASHDALE AVENUE, at Mountjoy Avenue, four pairs of houses for George W. Lucas, 1921 (Toronto b.p. 36271, 2 Feb. 1921)
ASHDALE AVENUE, at Felstead Avenue, three pairs of houses for John Lucas, 1921 (Toronto b.p. 36688, 24 Feb. 1921)
ASHDALE AVENUE, at Felstead Avenue, four pairs of houses for G.W. Lucas, 1921 (Toronto b.p. 38025, 6 April 1921)
WOODBINE AVENUE, at Gerrard Street East, five pairs of houses for John Lucas, 1921 (Toronto b.p. 37266, 18 March 1921)
STRATHMORE BOULEVARD, at Glebemount Avenue, four pairs of houses for William A. Roden, 1921 (Toronto b.p. 37374, 22 March 1921)
(Other works)
EAST & CO., Yonge Street at Dundas Street West, warehouse and factory at rear of property, 1904; demol. c. 1968 (Toronto b.p. 1239, 21 Sept. 1904)
ADELAIDE STREET WEST, at Peter Street, six storey factory for an unnamed client, 1907 (C.R., xviii, 1 May 1907, 6, t.c.)
ROUMANIAN HEBREW SYNAGOGUE, Centre Avenue, 1907 (Toronto b.p. 6755, 27 March 1907)
MILTON, ONT., factory for C.R. Willmott Co., 1909 (C.R., xxiii, 3 Feb. 1909, 22)
WATT MILLING CO., Osler Avenue, planing mill, 1909 (C.R., xxiii, 5 May 1909, 21)
ST. MARTIN'S ANGLICAN CHURCH, Perth Avenue near Macauley Avenue, 1911 (C.R., xxv, 6 Sept. 1911, 61)
LENNOXVILLE, QUE., Methodist Church, 1911 (C.R., xxv, 6 Sept. 1911, 61, t.c.)
MUTUAL MOTORS CO., Woodycrest Avenue, public garage and residence, 1917 (Const., x, March 1917, 106)