HENDERSON, John Baptist (1849-1931), active in the British Columbia Interior from 1899 where he maintained an office in the town of Grand Forks. Born in Rathmullen, Co. Donegal, Ireland on 29 September 1849, he was educated and trained there and took drawing lessons in Londonderry in 1871. He emigrated to the United States in late 1871, then moved to Canada in 1875, settling in Chilliwack, B.C. before he was on the move again, this time to New Westminster to learn the trade of a carpenter and builder. Henderson does not appear to have obtained any formal training or education as an architect; instead, he gained much of his knowledge about design and architecture by enrolling in courses offered by the International Correspondence Schools of Scranton, Penn. From 1899 he began to offer his services as an architect, and opened an office in Grand Forks, B.C. in June 1899 where he designed several commercial and institutional works.
By 1910 however, he appears to have closed his office in British Columbia and he moved to Calgary where he found a position as a draftsman for the Union Iron Works Co. While in Calgary, he designed ecclesiastical and commercial projects, but no references to his work after 1914 have been found. Henderson died in Vancouver on 22 November 1931 and was later buried there at Mountain View Cemetery (obit. The Province [Vancouver], 23 Nov. 1931, 2; obit. Daily Colonist [Victoria], 24 Nov. 1931, 5; biog. and port. in Donald Luxton, Building the West: The Early Architects of British Columbia, 2003, 246-47, 504; inf. Architectural Institute of British Columbia, Vancouver)
GOLDEN, B.C., major addition and alterations to public school, 1898 (Golden Era, 30 Sept. 1898, 1, descrip.)
GRAND FORKS, B.C., Province Hotel, Bridge Street, 1898; burned 1986 (Grand Forks Miner, 24 Dec. 1898, 1, descrip., but lacking attribution; Architectural Inst. of British Columbia, Application for Membership by J.B. Henderson dated 11 Oct. 1920, with list of works)
GRAND FORKS, B.C., Public School, Central Avenue, 1901-02; demol. 1972 (Gazette [Grand Forks], 7 Dec. 1901; D. Luxton, Building The West, 2003, 247, illus.)
REVELSTOKE, B.C., Central School, Pearson Street at Second Street, 1902; burned 1959 (Kootenay Mail [Revelstoke], 1 Aug. 1902, 1, descrip.; Chilliwack Progress, 24 Sept. 1902, 5; D. Luxton, Building The West, 2003, 247, illus.)
GRAND FORKS, B.C., residence for the architect, Central Avenue, 1903; altered (D. Luxton, Building The West, 2003, 504, list of works)
PHOENIX, B.C., power substation for the West Kootenay Power & Light Co., 1905 (Evening Sun [Grand Forks], 6 Oct. 1905, 1)
GRAND FORKS, B.C., two houses for the West Kootenay Power & Light Co., one for the General Superintendent, and one for the Chief Electrician, at Bonnington Falls, 1907 (Evening Sun [Grand Forks], 22 Feb. 1907, 3, descrip.; Pacific Builder & Engineer [Seattle], v, 2 March 1907, 14)
CALGARY, ALTA., The Canton Block, Centre Street S.E., 1910 (J. Brian Dawson, “The Chinese Experience in Frontier Calgary 1885-1910“, in A.W. Rasporich, Frontier Calgary 1875-1914, pub. 1975, 127-32)
CALGARY, ALTA., Unitarian Hall, 16th Avenue N.E. at 1st Street N.W., Balmoral, c. 1911 (Architectural Inst. of British Columbia, Application for Membership by J.B. Henderson dated 11 Oct. 1920, with list of works)
CALGARY, ALTA., Trinity Methodist Church, 10th Avenue S.E. at 13th Street, S.E., Inglewood, 1912 (Architectural Inst. of British Columbia, Application for Membership by J.B. Henderson dated 11 Oct. 1920, with list of works)
CALGARY, ALTA., a large commercial block "....for the Beveridge interests", 1913 (Morning Albertan [Calgary], 7 March 1913, 1)
CALGARY, ALTA., Sullivan Block, stores and apartments for P.O. Sullivan, 7th Avenue East, 1913 (C.R., xxvii, 15 Oct. 1913, 67)