HEDGES, James Gladwin (1889-1941) holds a unique position in 20th Canadian architectural history as having designed both of the major airport terminal buildings in Toronto, one at Malton (1939-40), and the other at the Toronto Island Airport (1939-40; and still standing in 2017). Born in Toronto on 24 December 1889, he attended night courses in architecture and building construction at the Toronto Technical School on College Street while training in the office of Joseph Hunt Stanford from 1903 to 1909. He then worked briefly for McNichol & Tom (in 1909-11) and opened an office as an architect under his own name in late 1911.
The outbreak of WWI prompted him to close his office and he moved to Ottawa where he took a post in the federal Dept. of Public Works, carrying out designing and estimating jobs there from 1915 to 1924. In February 1925 he returned to Toronto and joined Edward L. Cousins, the resident engineer at the Toronto Harbour Commission where he worked first as a draftsman, then as designer, and by 1930 as staff architect in the Commission office. During this period, he continued to practise under his own name, designing several small apartment buildings and private residences in Toronto between 1928 and 1931.
When Cousins became general manager of the T.H.C. in 1935, Hedges was officially hired as Architect with their Airports Division, and he prepared designs for both the Toronto Island Airport Terminal, and the Malton Airport Terminal. When WWII broke out in late 1939, Hedges used his expertise in airport design to provide the Royal Canadian Air Force with plans for five new training airports in small towns in southern Ontario. Hedges died at Clinton, Ontario on 18 August 1941 while supervising the construction of the RCAF Airport in that town (obituary Globe & Mail [Toronto], 20 Aug. 1941, 5; Toronto Telegram, 20 Aug. 1941, 32; inf. Ontario Assoc. of Architects)
(works in Toronto)
CLINTON STREET, a row of three attached houses on Clinton Street, near College Street, for William Greaves, 1909 (Const., iii, March 1909, 67)
SHAW STREET, south of Bloor Street West, pair of semi-detached houses for an unnamed client, 1911 (Toronto b.p. 25729, 20 March 1911)
ALEXANDRA PARK APARTMENTS, Grange Avenue at Ryerson Avenue, for Caplan Bros. & Layvesky, 1912 (C.R., xxvi, 14 Feb. 1912, 65, t.c.; Toronto b.p. 32810, 7 March 1912)
HEATH STREET, pair of semi-detached houses for P. Coltman, 1912 (C.R., xxvi, 21 Feb. 1912, 65)
CHESTER APARTMENTS, Vankoughnet Street at Borden Street, for H.W. Sharp, 1912 (Toronto b.p. 33152, 11 April 1912)
OSSINGTON AVENUE, near Carus Avenue, six pairs of semi-detached houses for Sylvester J. Gee, 1913 (Toronto b.p. 5938, 25 July 1913)
MANNING AVENUE, at Lennox Street, a three-storey apartment block, south-east corner, for McKinley & Bingham, 1914 (Toronto b.p. 13468, 23 July 1914)
OAKWOOD AVENUE, at St. Clair Avenue West, residence for Dr. W.R. Newman, 1920 (Toronto b.p. 28474, 2 Feb. 1920)
KINGSTON ROAD, at Scarborough Road, a pair of retail stores and apartments at 964-966 KIngston Road for Maxwell Wolf, 1928; still standing in 2024 (dwgs. at City of Toronto Archives, Fonds 200, Series 410, File 2756)
YORK MANOR APARTMENTS, Jarvis Street at Gerrard Street East, a six storey apartment block for M.J. Ingram, 1928 (Toronto b.p. A 5520, 20 Feb. 1928; C.R., xlii, 28 March 1928, 52)
BATHURST STREET, at Tichester Street, apartment block for H.T, Keen, 1929 (C.R., xliii, 24 April 1929, 67)
BATHURST STREET, near Tichester Street, apartment block for J.M. McKinley, 1930 (Toronto Star, 17 April 1930, 35)
TEDDINGTON PARK AVENUE, at Hilda Avenue, residence for Charles E. Hough, 1931 (Toronto b.p. 22742, 7 April 1931)
TORONTO ISLAND AIRPORT, large hangar building for aircraft, 1938 (Toronto b.p. 60359, 13 July 1938)
TORONTO ISLAND AIRPORT, Terminal and Administration Building, for the Toronto Harbour Commissioners, 1939-40; structure moved to Island Park, located south of the airport, in 2015 and currently undergoing restoration (dwgs. dated Oct. 1939, Toronto Harbour Commission Archives; inf. Jeff Hubbell, Ports Toronto; Tim Morawetz, Art Deco Architecture Across Canada, 2017, 223, illus. & descrip.)
MALTON AIRPORT, Passenger Terminal, near Airport Road, 1939-40; demol. c. 1963 (dwgs. Ontario Archives, Dept. of Labour for Ontario, blueprint collection, Plan 5651-250, Series IV -2 (d)
(works elsewhere)
FINGAL, ONT., R.C.A.F. Airport, c. 1940 (list of works in obituary article in the Globe & Mail [Toronto], 20 Aug. 1941, 5)
DUNNVILLE, ONT., R.C.A.F. Airport, c. 1940 (list of works in obituary article in the Globe & Mail [Toronto], 20 Aug. 1941, 5)
CAMP BORDEN, ONT., R.C.A.F. Airport, c. 1940 (list of works in obituary article in the Globe & Mail [Toronto], 20 Aug. 1941, 5)
PICTON, ONT., R.C.A.F. Airport, c. 1940 (list of works in obituary article in the Globe & Mail [Toronto], 20 Aug. 1941, 5)
CLINTON, ONT., R.C.A.F. Airport, c. 1940 (list of works in obituary article in the Globe & Mail [Toronto], 20 Aug. 1941, 5)