McLEAN, James Grey (1852-1916), an early architect active in Chatham, Ontario where his name is recorded in 1885 as advertising his professional services for “Plans and Specifications prepared for Buildings of all Descriptions” (Chatham Directory & County Gazetteer, 1885-86, 49, advert.). The following year he had formed a partnership with James L Wilson, as McLean & Wilson, but by 1888 he had left Chatham to open a new office in nearby Windsor, Ont. under his own name. He was a successful architect in that town for more than ten years, but in 1901 he closed his office and moved to Toronto to join the staff of the Ontario Dept. of Public Works at Queen’s Park, and remained with that department until shortly before his death in Toronto at the age of 63 years on 17 January 1916 (obit. Chatham Daily Planet, 20 Jan. 1916, 5).
(works in Windsor)
WINDSOR HIGH SCHOOL, Ann Street at Goyeau Street, 1889; demol. 1979 (London Free Press [London], 31 May 1889, 3; Andrew Foot, Windsor Then & Now, 2021, 44-5, illus.)
MERCER STREET PUBLIC SCHOOL, large addition, 1889 (Detroit Free Press, 30 May 1889, 8)
DAVIS BLOCK, Pitt Street, a three storey commercial block with six stores, 1889 (Detroit Free Press, 26 July 1889, 8)
WINDSOR NOVELTY WORKS, Pitt Street at Ferry Street, a three storey brick factory, 1889 (Engineering & Building Record [New York], xx, 28 Sept. 1889, 252)
CHATHAM STREET, residence for William Douglas, 1889 (Engineering & Building Record [New York], xx, 9 Nov. 1889, 344)
unnamed street, a Public School, 1890 (Engineering & Building Record [New York], xxii, 21 June 1890, 48)
WINDSOR, WALKERVILLE & SANDWICH RAILWAY CO., University Avenue West at Wellington Street, trolley car barns, 1891 (Detroit Free Press, 7 April 1891, 8; Andrew Foot, Windsor Then & Now, 2021, 40-41, illus.)
PITT STREET, commercial block of stores and apartments for Mr. Fitzbridges, 1891 (C.R., xx, 23 May 1891, 2)
EVER READY DRESS STAY CO., Glengarry Avenue, major addition to factory for S. Rowling (Amherstburg Echo, 19 June 1891, 1)
CRAWFORD AVENUE, residence for Rev. Dr. Archibald McDiarmid, 1891 (Detroit Free Press, 29 July 1891, 8)
CHILDREN’S HOME, 1894 (Amherstburg Echo, 12 Oct. 1894, 6, descrip.; C.R., v, 18 Oct. 1894, 1)
ANCIENT ORDER OF FORESTERS HALL, Goyeau Street, 1894 (C.R., v, 31 May 1894, 1)
unnamed street, a large residence for Dr. Augustus Soper of Detroit, 1895 (Amherstburg Echo, 15 March 1895, 4; C.R., vi, 21 March 1895, 2)
CURRY BLOCK, Ouellette Avenue at London Street, a 4 storey commercial block for John Curry, 1895 (Amherstburg Echo, 15 March 1895, 4, descrip.; C.R., vi, 21 March 1895, 2)
CRAWFORD AVENUE, extensive remodelling of residence for H.W.F. Ellis, 1895 (C.R., vi, 28 Nov. 1895, 2)
unnamed street, pair of stores for J. Askew, 1896 (C.R., vii, 20 Aug. 1896, 2)
LONDON STREET WEST, addition and alterations to residence of James Atkinson, 1896 (C.R., vii, 20 Aug. 1896, 2)
(works elsewhere)
WALKERVILLE, ONT., railway station for the Walkersville & Leamington Railway Co., 1888 (Detroit Free Press, 30 Sept. 1888, 5)
KINGSVILLE, ONT. railway station for the Walkersville & Leamington Railway Co., 1888 (Detroit Free Press, 30 Sept. 1888, 5)
LEAMINGTON, ONT., railway station for the Walkersville & Leamington Railway Co., 1888 (Detroit Free Press, 30 Sept. 1888, 5)
SANDWICH, ONT., The Mineral Springs Hotel, Bedford Street, 1892-93 (London Free Press, 19 Nov. 1892, 3; C.R., iii, 26 Nov. 1892, 1)
WALKERVILLE, ONT., large residence for John Bott, Second Avenue [now Devonshire Road], between Brant Street and Wyandotte Street, 1894 (C.R., v, 28 June 1894)
CHATHAM, ONT., Central School, 1895, but plans by McLean later rejected by the Board of Education due to excessive cost, and a design by J.L. Wilson was accepted (C.R., vi, 5 Sept. 1895, 1; Detroit Free Press, 10 Sept. 1895, 8; Evening Record [Windsor], 15 June 1896, 3)
WALKERVILLE, ONT., residence for Robert Kerr, Lincoln Avenue, 1896 (Evening Record [Windsor], 5 June 1896, 8)
GLENCOE, ONT., Town Hall & Fire Hall, 1898 (C.R., ix, 9 March 1898, 1)
ESSEX COUNTY, summer cottage for John Curry, 1898 (C.R., ix, 9 March 1898, 1)