MAW, Samuel Herbert (1881-1952), a brilliant delineator, etcher, architect, cartographer and designer who was first active in England, and later in Toronto, then Halifax, then Montreal and finally in Toronto. Born in Needham Market, Co. Suffolk, England on 12 September 1881 he was educated at Ackworth School, but he does not appear to have obtained a formal university education in architecture. Instead, he articled with John S. Dorden in Ipswich (in 1899-1902), and then moved to London to continue his training with Edward W. Mountford, a leading Edwardian architect in London, in 1902-04. He was employed as a draftsman with Bradshaw & Gass, of Bolton (in 1904-06), and by Sir William Gelder, of Hull, Engl. in 1906-10. He won the prestigious Soane Medallion from the Royal Institute of British Architects in 1905, submitting a set of elaborate and meticulously rendered drawings for “A Royal Palace”. In 1909 he exhibited his work at the Royal Academy in London, showing his drawings for the Lancaster Town Hall, as designed by Mountford & Clapham. One of these, a delicately drawn elevation for a substantial Organ Case in a public room at the Town Hall, appeared in Building News [London], xcvii, 2 July 1909, 13, with a double-page illustrated plate signed “S.H. Maw, delt.” (A. Graves, Royal Academy Exhibitors 1905-1970, 1981, v, 192, Item 1511).
Maw then emigrated to the United States, and was briefly active in New York City in the firm of Brown & Maw before arriving in Toronto in late 1912. He joined the leading firm there, Darling & Pearson, and was immediately put to work by Frank Darling preparing elaborate watercolour perspective renderings of their commissions for the new Dominion Bank Headquarters in Toronto, and for other important projects by the firm including Trinity College, Toronto, and for the Art Gallery of Toronto. Maw also took the opportunity to collaborate with another employee in the firm, Colin Drewitt, to freelance and submit his own designs in competitions, which were always presented in breathtaking renderings from his own hand, for projects in Moose Jaw (1912) and in Ottawa (1914). He remained in Toronto until 1918, then moved to Halifax, N.S. to work as assistant to Sidney Dumaresq until 1923. While there, he exhibited his own oil paintings and etchings at the First Exhibition of Nova Scotia Artists, and drew uncommon praise, when it was noted that "....Mr. Maw's touch is characterized by an exquisite delicacy and refinement and by a thorough knowledge of the subjects of his pictures (Evening Mail [Halifax], 1 June 1923, 12, exhibition critique). He also published his own design proposal for a new War Memorial Library & Art Gallery (Morning Chronicle [Halifax], 8 June 1923, 3, illus. & descrip.), but his design was never realised. Later that same year he moved to Montreal and worked in the office of Philip Turner (in 1923-25) and later collaborated with him on the design of St. Phillip’s Anglican Church in Montreal West, Que.
His reputation as an architectural delineator received considerable attention in London, Engl. in 1924 when his drawings were selected for display in the Canadian Pavilion at the British Empire Exhibition (Const., xvii, Dec. 1924, 389). In Montreal he worked for Ross & Macdonald (1926-27), likely as a designer and delineator on the project for the Royal York Hotel in Toronto. By 1929 he was back in Toronto, and after his appointment as Head of the Architectural Department of the T. Eaton Co., he served as the juror for The Ideal Home Competition, sponsored by that department store, in 1930. He issued a lengthy report on the designs submitted (Const., xxiii, April 1930, 129-31; R.A.I.C. Journal, vii, April 1930, 139, 141). He remained on staff with the Interior Decorating Bureau at Eaton’s until July 1938. During this period he collaborated on the design of the Toronto Stock Exchange, Bay Street (1937-1938), with George & Moorhouse. A detailed essay written by Maw, describing his designs for the exterior and interior of the Stock Exchange, was published in The Globe & Mail [Toronto], 19 March 1937, 25, illus. & descrip.
In 1940 he accepted a position at McGill Univ., Montreal, where he gave classes in Architectural Rendering and Perspective (R.A.I.C. Journal, xvii, Nov. 1940, 204), but shortly after he moved to Ottawa to serve with the Dept. of National Defence in a civilian post during WWII. In 1946 he returned to Toronto, where he became a partner in the firm of Govan, Ferguson, Lindsay, Kaminker, Maw, Langley & Keenleyside, and they specialized in the design and planning of hospitals. Virtually every perspective drawing illustrating their new hospital buildings came from the hand of Maw, who had a remarkable facility to draw in pencil, in charcoal, and in watercolour media.
Maw was also the author of a masterpiece of Canadian cartography, a bird’s-eye view of Quebec City, begun in 1926 and completed in 1932, in which he accurately rendered every single building in the Old Town and surrounding area, complete with a hand-drawn cartouche and historical notes on the significance of the buildings shown. Published by the Alexander Litho Co. Ltd. of Toronto, this map, measuring 27” x 35”, was reproduced in thousands of printed copies sold to tourists and visitors to Quebec for nearly three decades. A copy of the map can be found in National Map Collection, NAC, Ottawa. The popularity of this map led to another commission in 1939 for the Royal Tour of Canada. Entitled "This is Canada", it consisted of a full colour folio of maps of all nine provinces, printed in a spiral coil edition by The Macmillan Pub. Co. of Canada, and drawn by hand by S.H. Maw, ARIBA (inf. Hugh Anson-Cartwright, Toronto). The original folio was presented to King George VI & Queen Elizabeth by the Prime Minister of Canada (Evening Citizen [Ottawa], 17 May 1939, 24, descrip.). Just three years later, in 1942, he prepared an equally impressive Map of Montreal for the Tercentenary Celebrations of that city. It was placed on public display in the concourse of Windsor Station for several months (Gazette [Montreal], 20 May 1942, 10, descrip.).
Yet another commission for a map was given to Maw in 1944 by the City of Ottawa, and he prepared a historical pictorial map of the Capital, unveiled at the National Gallery in Ottawa in 1944 (Evening Journal [Ottawa], 21 Oct. 1944, 7; Evening Citizen [Ottawa], 21 Oct. 1944, 12, descrip.). This original map was later mounted on the north wall in the foyer of the Convention Hall in the Chateau Laurier Hotel. Maw died in Toronto on 19 August 1952 (obit. Globe & Mail [Toronto], 20 Aug. 1952, 5; Telegram [Toronto], 20 Aug. 1952, 24; Ottawa Journal, 21 Aug. 1952, 34; R.A.I.C. Journal, xxix, Nov. 1952, 343; biog. Ross Hamilton, Prominent Men of Canada, 1931-32, 57; Royal Inst. of British Architects, Application for Membership No. 3806, 1925; biog. M. Rosinski, Architects of Nova Scotia: A Biographical Dictionary, 1994, 248; Rosemarie L. Tovell, A New Class of Art: The Artist’s Print in Canadian Art 1877-1920, 1996, 115; inf. Mrs. Betty Brett, Toronto). A photographic portrait of Maw can be found in the R.A.I.C. Journal, xiii, Jan. 1936, 12.
BUILT WORKS
(with Philip Turner) MONTREAL WEST, QUE., St. Philip’s Anglican Church, Brock Avenue North at Connaught Avenue, 1929; reredos screen, 1944; Parish Hall, 1950 (Gazette [Montreal], 8 May 1929, 8, descrip.; R.A.I.C. Journal, vii, Aug. 1930, 291-6, illus. & descrip.; viii, Dec. 1931, 417, illus.; C.R., lxiii, Aug. 1950, 240; dwg. in the possession of Mrs. Betty Brett, Toronto). A stained glass window, dedicated to S.H. Maw, was installed in the church in 1954 (Gazette [Montreal], 11 Dec. 1954, 29).
TORONTO, ONT., a Model Suite in the “moderne” style, for the Society of Interior Decorators of Ontario, 1935. Constructed for display inside the T. Eaton Department Store in downtown Toronto, the design by Maw was “…a determined effort to break away from the conventional and commonplace….” (C.H.G., xii, Jan-Feb. 1936, 29, illus.)
(with George & Moorhouse) TORONTO, ONT., Toronto Stock Exchange, Bay Street near King St. West, 1936-37; altered 1989-90, and now called The Design Exchange (R.A.I.C. Journal, xiii, Aug. 1936, 148-50, illus. & descrip.; xiv, April 1937, 58-66, illus. & descrip.; Globe & Mail [Toronto], 19 March 1937, 25, illus. & descrip.; W. Dendy & W. Kilbourn, Toronto Observed, 1986, 226-8, illus. & descrip.)
ST. CATHARINES, ONT., T. Eaton Co. Department Store, St. Paul Street at William Street, 1936-37; demol. 1978 (C.R., vol. 50, 5 Aug. 1936, 34; E. Julian et al, St. Catharines: Our Built Heritage, 2005, 62, illus.)
UNBUILT PROJECTS
OTTAWA, ONT., Riverfront Parks along the Ottawa River and the Rideau River, 1945. Maw prepared a visionary plan for an elaborate network of public parks along the shoreline of both rivers in Hull, Quebec and in Ottawa, Ont. His illustrated plan, along with a description written by Maw, appeared in The Ottawa Citizen, 3 Feb. 1945, 8, and his "Dream of the Future" proved to be remarkably prescient, with several parts of his design being built over the next 50 years.
COMPETITIONS
LONDON, ENGLAND, Soane Medallion Competition, 1905, for the R.I.B.A. Maw was one of 12 students who submitted a design for “A Royal Palace”. His drawings, labelled with the pseudonym ‘Crumpets’, were lauded for “…the well-studied plan, laid out in a sumptuous manner”, and earned him First Prize of the Soane Medallion and an award of £100 (Architect & Contract Reporter [London], lxiii, 27 Jan. 1905, 61; 10 Feb. 1905, 100, descrip.; R.I.B.A. Journal [London], xii, 28 Jan. 1905, 206; 11 Feb. 1905, 222, descrip.; Builder [London], lxxxviii, 28 Jan. 1905, 83, descrip.; Builder's Journal & Architectural Record [London], xxii, 27 Dec., 1905, 26, illus.)
LONDON, ENGLAND, The Tite Prize, 1909. This annual R.I.B.A. competition elicited 21 designs for “A Covered Arcade of Shops”. The design by Maw, submitted under the pseudonym ‘Dezzezero’, was selected for the Third Prize of 10 Guineas (R.I.B.A. Journal [London], xvi, 23 Jan. 1909, 215; 6 Feb. 1909, 235, descrip.; Architectural Review [London], xxv, February 1909, 57)
LONDON, ENGLAND, The Owen Jones Studentship, 1909. Maw was the sole competitor in this round, submitting his historical drawings of the Corsini Chapel in Rome, and the ceiling of the Scale d’Oro in Venice. The jury commented that ‘....his work is astonishing’, and awarded him a prize of 20 Guineas for his effort (R.I.B.A. Journal [London], xvi, 23 Jan. 1909, 214; 6 Feb 1909, 233, descrip.)
MOOSE JAW, SASK., City Hall, 1912. A total of 30 submissions were sent in by Canadian architects from Vancouver, Montreal, Toronto and elsewhere. The Toronto firm of Maw & Drewitt received Second Premium for their refined and formally composed Beaux-Arts scheme (Edmonton Journal, 24 Dec. 1912, 18; Const., vi, Jan. 1913, 16, illus.). The commission was later awarded to John D. Atchison of Winnipeg, but his winning design was never built.
WINNIPEG, MAN., City Hall, 1913. The Toronto firm of Maw & Drewitt were one of 39 architects from across Canada who submitted plans in this national competition, but they were not among the five finalists (City of Winnipeg Archives, Council Communications, 1913, Box A169, Item 9741, list of entrants). The winners were Clemesha & Portnall of Regina, but their scheme was never built.
OTTAWA, ONT., Departmental Buildings, Wellington Street, 1914. The Toronto firm of Maw, Drewitt & Payne were one of sixty-two entrants in this major competition for the extension of government buildings located west of Parliament Hill (NAC, RG11, Vol. 2952, File 5370 - 1B, list of entrants). The project was cancelled by the federal government due to the outbreak of WWI.
MONTREAL, QUE. Maw received Third Prize in a competition for “Best Illustrated Advertisement” which featured his perspective drawing for the Crown Trust Building, Montreal (Gazette [Montreal], 21 Nov. 1924, 4, descrip.; Const., xvii, Dec. 1924, 389, illus. & descrip; C.R., xxxviii, 10 Dec. 1924, 1216, descrip.). The competition was sponsored by the New York architectural journal called The American Architect.
TORONTO, ONT., design for the cover of the monthly R.A.I.C. Journal. The first prize was awarded to Maw, and his proposal for the cover design appears in the R.A.I.C. Journal, v, Nov. 1927, 385 and 416-17, illus.
PERSPECTIVE DRAWINGS BY S.H. MAW
With the expectation that an exhibition of drawings by Maw will soon be held in Canada, a list of his best-known drawings, together with their current location (where known) is included here, and is drawn from information extracted from both institutional and corporate collections scattered across Canada.
MOOSE JAW, SASK., City Hall, 1911. The perspective drawing by Maw was recently in the possession of the Moose Jaw Public Library, along with submissions by other architects in this competition.
TORONTO, ONT. Dominion Bank Building, King Street West at Yonge Street, designed by Darling & Pearson, 1912. A series of three full page perspective drawings signed by Maw appear in the promotional brochure for the building entitled The Dominion Bank Building, 1912, pub. by Gibson Brothers, Toronto. A copy of this publication is held by the Toronto Dominion Bank Archives, Toronto.
TORONTO, ONT., Trinity College, University of Toronto, Hoskin Avenue, designed by Darling & Pearson, 1914-25. A perspective for Founder’s Quadrangle, signed by Maw, appeared in the R.A.I.C. Journal, ii, Nov.-Dec. 1925, 192, 195-204. A full set of eleven impressive watercolour drawings, all from the hand of Maw and dating from 1914, have survived and can be found in the Archives of Trinity College, Univ. of Toronto.
TORONTO, ONT., Art Gallery of Toronto, Dundas Street West, designed by Darling & Pearson, 1924. Maw prepared several birds-eye watercolour perspective drawings showing the alternative schemes for major expansion of the Art Gallery. These drawings are now held within the Archives of the Art Gallery of Ontario. A pair of these drawings was reproduced in M. Osbaldeston, Unbuilt Toronto Two, 2011, 186, illus.
MONTREAL, QUE., memorial to M. Bourgeoys, who founded the first school in Montreal, a plaque to be erected by the Salada Tea Co., 1925. The perspective by Maw appears in Const. [Toronto], xviii, Sept. 1925, 292.
TORONTO, ONT., Woodbine Racetrack, Queen Street East, designed by John M. Lyle, 1927. The watercolour perspective by Maw is now held by the Jockey Club, New Woodbine Racetrack, Etobicoke, Ont., and is reproduced in Geoffrey Hunt, John M. Lyle: Toward a Canadian Architecture, 1982, 100, illus.
MONTREAL, QUE., Sun Life Building, designed by Darling & Pearson, 1928. Perspective drawing by Maw was reproduced in colour in the R.A.I.C. Journal, v, Jan. 1928, 2. The original watercolour drawing is now held by the Sun Life Co. Archives in Toronto.
TORONTO, ONT., Royal York Hotel, designed by Ross & Macdonald and Sproatt & Rolph, 1928. The perspective drawing by Maw is reproduced in colour in the R.A.I.C. Journal, v, June 1928, 194.
TORONTO, ONT., Canada Permanent Building, Bay Street, designed by Mathers & Haldenby and Sproatt & Rolph, with F. H. Wilkes, 1928. Perspective drawing by Maw appears in the R.A.I.C. Journal, v, Sept. 1928, 319.
TORONTO, ONT., The Northway Building, Yonge Street, designed by Horwood & White, 1928. Perspective drawing by Maw in the R.A.I.C. Journal, v, Sept. 1928, 321.
MONTREAL, QUE., Royal Bank Headquarters, designed by York & Sawyer, 1929. The perspective drawing by Maw was published in the journal called Construction [Toronto], xxii, Feb. 1929, 51.
TORONTO, ONT., Canadian Bank of Commerce Head Office Building, King St. West, designed by York & Sawyer, with Darling & Pearson, 1931. Perspective drawing by Maw reproduced in colour in R.A.I.C. Journal, viii, April 1931, 132. The original rendering is now in the possession of Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce. An earlier pair of alternative designs proposals for the bank, also rendered by Maw, were prepared in 1925-26 and are reproduced in M. Osbaldeston, Unbuilt Toronto Two, 2011, 123-26, illus.
TORONTO, ONT., Toronto Stock Exchange, Bay Street, designed by George & Moorhouse and S.H. Maw, 1936. Perspective drawing by Maw in the R.A.I.C. Journal, xiii, Aug. 1936, 148 and 150. The original drawing is now held in the executive offices of the Toronto Stock Exchange.