McILROY, David Suttie (1872-1952), a talented architect and skilled delineator who was active in Calgary, Alta. from 1907 until his death there in 1952. Born in Buckhaven, Co. Fifeshire, Scotland on 5 October 1872, he was educated at Dysart Burgh School and trained in the office of John Murray of Kirkaldy from 1885 to 1890. He moved to Edinburgh in 1890 and joined the staff of Peddie & Kinnear, a leading firm in Scotland, but the death of Peddie in March 1891 likely prompted him to return to Kirkaldy where he worked as assistant to Alexander Fraser (in 1891-99), and as assistant to D. Forbes Smith (in 1899-1903). He then took a position as Senior Architectural Assistant at the Royal Naval Base at Rosyth, Scotland (in 1903-05).
McIlrory emigrated to Canada in 1905 and settled in Winnipeg, where he accepted a position in the local branch office of Darling & Pearson. Shortly after, he joined the architectural department of the Canadian Northern Railway in Winnipeg (1905-06), and then worked as assistant to John Woodman (in 1906-07). With a broad range of experience from leading offices in Scotland and Canada, he decided to move to Calgary to open his own office in July 1907. He was immediately successful in obtaining a variety of commissions for residential, commercial and institutional work, but he had a particular interest and skill in the field of ecclesiastical architecture, best seen in his refined Gothic design for First Baptist Church, Calgary (1911-12). This particular building so impressed the congregation of Robertson Presbyterian Church in Edmonton that they asked him for a virtual copy of the building (with slight modifications to the external massing), which was then completed in 1914.
McIlroy never formed a partnership; he preferred to work alone, and made use of his talent as a draftsman and delineator to execute many of his own drawings over the next 45 years. The Glenbow Museum in Calgary holds copies of some of his drawings which confirm his architectural knowledge of scholarly precedent, and his interest in adapting the modern Gothic style to some of his later projects such as St. Stephen’s Church, Calgary (1948-49). He was nominated as a Fellow of the Royal Architectural Inst. of Canada in 1930. McIlroy died in Calgary on 26 February 1952 and was buried at Burnsland Cemetery in Calgary (obit. Calgary Herald, 26 Feb. 1952, 11; The Albertan [Calgary], 27 Feb. 1952, 9; biog. Who’s Who and Why in Canada, 1913, 539; biog. R.I.B.A., Directory of British Architects 1834-1914, Vol. ii, 102; inf. Glenbow Museum, Calgary)
D.S. McILROY (works in Calgary)
ROYAL AVENUE, residence for Charles D. Taprell, c. 1908-10 (R.I.B.A., London, list of works in Application Form by McIlroy dated 19 July 1910)
17th AVENUE WEST, residence for Dr. A. Melville Scott, 1909 (Morning Albertan [Calgary], 13 March 1909, 4, t.c.; R.I.B.A., London, list of works in Application Form by McIlroy dated 19 July 1910)
EAST CALGARY, residence for Dr. Peter C. Bruner, 13th Avenue East, east of the Elbow River, near 1st Street, 1909 (Morning Albertan [Calgary], 8 May 1909, 9, t.c.)
1st STREET EAST, residence for Thomas J.S. Skinner, c. 1908-10 (R.I.B.A., London, list of works in Application Form by McIlroy dated 19 July 1910)
ELBOW PARK, residence for Harold L. Downey, 1909 (Morning Albertan [Calgary], 4 March 1909, 7, t.c.; R.I.B.A., London, list of works in Application Form by McIlroy dated 19 July 1910)
YOUNG WOMEN’S CHRISTIAN ASSOCIATION, 15th Avenue West, 1909 (Morning Albertan [Calgary], 7 Sept. 1909, 2, t.c.; R.I.B.A., London, list of works in Application Form by McIlroy dated 19 July 1910)
CALGARY COLLEGIATE INSTITUTE, 13th Avenue West, near 8th Street, 1909 (Const., iii, Dec. 1909, 113-14, 116, illus. & descrip.)
UNDERWOOD BLOCK, 1st Street West, for Thomas Underwood, 1910-11 (C.R., xxiv, 26 Oct. 1910, 29)
ODDFELLOW’S TEMPLE, (also called the I.O.O.F. Block), Centre Street South, 1910-12 (C.R., xxv, 11 Oct. 1911, 59; and 29 Nov. 1911, 64)
ST. PAUL’S PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH, 15th Avenue East at 1st Street, 1911 (C.R., xxv, 25 Jan. 1911, 26)
ST. ANDREW’S PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH, 8th Avenue East at 13th Street, East Calgary, 1911 (C.R., xxvi, 15 Feb. 1911, 34, t.c.)
FIRST BAPTIST CHURCH, 13th Avenue West at 4th Street, 1911-12 (C.R., xxv, 19 April 1911, 55; B. Melnyk, Calgary Builds 1905-1914, 1985, 114, illus.)
CARSON BLOCK, 9th Avenue East near 13th Street, for J.A. and D.M. Carson, 1911 (C.R., xxv, 31 May 1911, 60; and 11 Oct. 1911, 62; dwgs. at Glenbow Archives, Plans Folder No. 47)
PROSPECT AVENUE, residence for Charles Traunweiser, 1911-12 (C.R., xxv, 11 Oct. 1911, 58)
CHRISTIAN SCIENCE CHURCH, 1911-12 (C.R., xxv, 15 Nov. 1911, 59)
LOUGHEED BUILDING, 1st Street S.W. at 6th Avenue, 1911 (Calgary Herald, 30 Sept. 1911, 30)
McLAUGHLIN CARRIAGE CO., 7th Avenue West at 3rd Street, auto garage, 1912 (C.R., xxvi, 21 Feb. 1912, 66)
SHELLEY’S BAKERY, 12th Avenue West, West Calgary, 1912 (C.R., xxvi, 21 Feb. 1912, 66, t.c.)
ONTARIO STEAM LAUNDRY CO., 5th Avenue East, 1913 (Morning Albertan [Calgary], 7 March 1913, 1; C.R., xxvii, 20 Aug. 1913, 87, t.c.)
MASSEY-HARRIS CO., a large warehouse, 1913 (Morning Albertan [Calgary], 7 March 1913, 1)
8th STREET WEST, at 21st. Avenue, a large residence for Baldwin P. Hutton, 1913 (Morning Albertan [Calgary], 7 March 1913, 1, descrip.)
CENTRAL CHRISTIAN CHURCH, a new Education Building for the church, 13th Avenue at 6th Street West, 1922 (Calgary Herald, 11 March 1922, 15, illus. & descrip.; inf. Robert Hamilton, of Hamilton, Ont.)
CALGARY ELECTRICAL SUB-STATION NO. 1, 9th Avenue at 7th Street West, major addition, 1926 (Calgary Herald, 19 July 1926, 4, t.c.)
MASONIC TEMPLE, 12th Avenue S.W., 1928 (C.R., xlii, 29 Feb. 1928, 50, t.c.; Calgary Herald, 21 April 1928, 17, but lacking attribution; The Albertan [Calgary], 14 May 1928)
HOLY CROSS ROMAN CATHOLIC HOSPITAL, 2nd Street West at 22nd Avenue, 1928 (C.R., xlii, 2 May 1928, 53)
TRUSTS & GUARANTEE CO., 8th Avenue West, 1928 (C.R., xlii, 9 May 1928, 53)
MOTOR CAR SUPPLY CO., 6th Avenue West, office and showroom, 1929 (C.R., xliii, 20 March 1929, 69; 26 June 1929, 61)
CALGARY ELECTRICAL SUB-STATION, in Block 53, 1930 (dwgs. at Glenbow Archives, Folder 239)
CALGARY HERALD LTD., 7th Avenue at 1st Street West, major alterations and addition, 1932 (C.R., xlvi, 6 April 1932, 55)
CALGARY UTILITIES BUILDING, 6th Avenue West, 1938 (C.R., li, 12 Oct. 1938, 39)
ST. STEPHEN’S ANGLICAN CHURCH, 14th Avenue at 10th Street, designed 1948, built 1951-52 (St. Stephen’s Church - Golden Jubilee, 1956, 6, illus.; dwgs. Univ. of Calgary, Canadian Architectural Archives, Stevenson-Raines Coll. 51 S 72)
ALBERTA ICE CO., Riverside Boulevard at 6A Street, offices and plant, 1950 (C.R., lxiii, June 1950, 129)
BETHEL BAPTIST CHURCH, 7th Avenue West, 1951 (dwgs. Univ. of Calgary, Canadian Architectural Archives, Stevenson-Raines Coll. 51 B 46)
D.S. McILROY (works elsewhere)
COCHRANE, ALTA., public school, c. 1908-10 (R.I.B.A., London, list of works in Application Form by McIlroy dated 19 July 1910)
LACOMBE, ALTA., a church, c. 1908-10 (R.I.B.A., London, list of works in Application Form by McIlroy dated 19 July 1910)
GRAND FORKS, B.C., hotel for an unnamed client, c. 1908-10 (R.I.B.A., London, list of works in Application Form by McIlroy dated 19 July 1910)
WARDNER, B.C., residence for Peter Lund, c. 1908-10 (R.I.B.A., London, list of works in Application Form by McIlroy dated 19 July 1910)
PRINCE ALBERT, SASK., Methodist Church, 1913, a commission won in a competition (Morning Albertan [Calgary], 7 March 1913, 1)
EDMONTON, ALTA., Robertson Presbyterian Memorial Church, 102nd Avenue at 121st Street, 1913-14, built as an exact replica of First Baptist Church in Calgary, also designed by McIlroy (Edmonton Bulletin, 14 Jan. 1914, 6; list of works in obituary in The Albertan, 27 Feb. 1952, 9)
BANFF. ALTA., Lux Theatre, major addition, new proscenium, and interior plaster decoration, 1921 (dwgs. at Univ. of Calgary, Canadian Architectural Archives, STE hc/21 L89)
STANDARD, ALTA., a four room brick school for the Dana School District No. 2505, 1924 (Strathmore Standard, 23 July 1924, 6, t.c.)
STAVELEY, ALTA., hotel for Louis Parr, 1926 (dwgs. at Univ. of Calgary, Canadian Architectural Archives, 37A - 7825)
MIRROR, ALTA., Town Hall, 1927 (The Mirror Mail [Mirror, Alta], 7 April 1927, 1)
DRUMHELLER, ALTA., major addition to municipal hospital, 1928-29 (Drumheller Mail, 15 March 1928, 5; 24 Jan. 1929, 1, descrip.; Const., xxi, June 1928, 195)
BASSANO, ALTA., major addition to the General Hospital, with new Nurses Home, and Isolation Hospital, 1928 (Bassano Mail, 12 July 1928, 1, descrip.)
DRUMHELLER, ALTA., Elk's Lodge, Centre Street North, at the rear of the Napier Theatre, 1929 (Drumheller Mail, 18 July 1929, 1, descrip.)
CLUNY, ALTA., addition to St. Joseph’s Indian Residential School, 1931-32 (Canada, Dept. of Indian & Northern Affairs, drawings INAC File No. 650)
LETHBRIDGE, ALTA., American Lutheran Church, 1949 (Lethbridge Herald, 1 Oct. 1949, 4, illus.)
LETHBRIDGE, ALTA., St. Patrick's Roman Catholic Church, 4th Avenue South at 10th Street South, 1950-52 (Lethbridge Herald, 23 Sept. 1952, 8, illus. and descrip.)
COMPETITIONS
LETHBRIDGE, ALTA., Manual Training School, 5th Avenue South, 1911. McIlroy was one of four architects who submitted designs for this large institutional building (Lethbridge Herald, 23 March 1911, 3). His design was passed over in favour of the winning scheme by H.M. & W.A. Whiddington.