WHEELER, William Henry (1874-1956), native of Australia, was born in the State of Victoria on 9 January 1874 and was educated and trained there with an architect in Melbourne. He had already attained some recognition there by winning First Premium in the competition for a new Mechanics Institute at Victoria in Australia, but, despite this success, he decided to emigrate to Canada and settled in Vancouver in late 1893 (C.A.B., vi, Dec. 1893, 125). His name is recorded as an architect there in 1894-96 (Williams British Columbia Directory, 1894, 682), and he completed a number of residential and industrial commissions, but no references to his work in Vancouver after 1897 have been found. He moved to San Francisco in 1900, and after the earthquake there in 1906, he moved to Tucson, Arizona where he was recorded as a supervising architect for the Souther Pacific Railway in 1907-12 (W.T. Comstock, The Architects Directory of the United States & Canada, 1907, 26; 1909, 34). In 1913 he moved again, this time to San Diego, Calif. where he maintained a successful practise for the next thirty years. His best known works there include the Eagle’s Masonic Hall (orig. building by Wheeler, 1917; remodelled by Wheeler in 1934), Temple Beth Israel Synagogue (1926), the Balboa Theatre (1924), and All Saints Episcopal Church (1928). Wheeler died in San Diego on 30 January 1956 (obituary Los Angeles Times, 2 Feb. 1956, Section Two, p. 12; inf. San Diego Public Library).
VANCOUVER, B.C., a pastoral residence for the Very Rev. Father Eummelin, Richards Street, 1894 (Vancouver Daily World, 17 Feb. 1894, 2, t.c.)
VANCOUVER, B.C., residence for C. Wiegand, 12th Avenue, 1894 (Vancouver Daily World, 8 March 1894, 3, t.c.; 26 March 1894, 8)
VANCOUVER, B.C., cold storage buildings on Front Street for the Texas Lake Ice Company, 1895 (Vancouver Daily World, 23 April 1895, 5)
(works in California and Mexico)
SAN DIEGO, CALIF. The Balboa Theatre, 4th Avenue at E. Street, 1924; restored 2003-08 (Los Angeles Times, 6 April 1924, Section Five, p. 5; 29 Jan. 2008, p. E3, illus. & descrip.)
SAN DIEGO, CALIF., a mansion for Percy Benbough, Mayor of San Diego, 1925 (Los Angeles Times, 4 May 1975, Section Five, p. 10-11)
SAN DIEGO, CALIF., Temple Beth Israel, 3rd Avenue at Laurel Street, 1926 (Newsletter of Save Our Heritage Organization, San Diego, Vol. 31, No. 2, 2000 (online)
SAN DIEGO, CALIF., Athletic Club Building, 6th Avenue at A Street, a 13 storey club and office building, 1928 (Los Angeles Times, 19 Feb. 1928, Section Five, p. 3, illus. & descrip.)
HERMOSILLO, MEXICO, a large hotel for Mr. Topete, Governor of Sonora State and W.G. Bowman of San Diego, 1928 (Los Angeles Times, 15 March 1928, 9)
MEXICALI, MEXICO, The Governor's Mansion, Avenida Alvaro Obregon near Calle E, c. 1930 (Los Angeles Times, list of works in obituary)
LOS ANGELES, CALIF., Temple Towers, Glendale Boulevard, an apartment hotel adjacent to Angelus Temple, 1932 (Los Angeles Times, 28 Feb. 1932, Section Five, p. 3, illus. & descrip.)
LOS ANGELES, CALIF., Theta Delta Chi Fraternity House, Gayley Avenue near Strathmore Drive, Westwood, 1935 (Los Angeles Times, 30 June 1935, 29)