HUTCHISON, William Burnet (1865-1959), active in Montreal, Que. for his entire career, was the son of Alexander C. Hutchison, a leading architect in eastern Canada in the latter half of the 19th Century. William B. was born in the town of Westmount, Montreal on 13 September 1865 and was educated at Montreal High School and attended McGill University for two years. He began work as an apprentice carpenter with Laird, Paten & Sons in 1885, but in 1887 his father offered to train him as a draftsman in his busy office of Hutchison & Steele, Architects. He remained with the firm for the next decade, and in July 1898 he became a registered member of the Province of Quebec Assoc. of Architects. By 1899, he had attained the post of senior assistant in his father’s new firm of Hutchison & Wood, Architects, and during the next 25 years he held the position of Site Supervisor for all outside works by the firm until the death of his father in early January 1922.
At this time, William B. became the successor to his late father‘s practise, and continued to work in partnership with George W. Wood who had joined his father’s firm in 1899. Their work included a variety of commercial, industrial, ecclesiastical and residential works in and around Montreal, many of them for English-speaking clients in Westmount, Hampstead, Hudson Heights, as well as in downtown Montreal. By 1942, Hutchison had withdrawn from active practise, and no references to his works after this date have been found. Hutchison died in Montreal on 30 November 1959 at the age of 94 years (obituary Montreal Star, 2 Dec. 1959, 43; obit. The Gazette [Montreal], 2 Dec. 1959, 37; biog. and port. National Reference Book, ii, 1927-28, 208-09).
HUTCHISON & WOOD (works in Montreal)
MONTREAL STREET RAILWAY CO. BUILDING, major addition to office block originally designed by George B. Post of New York City, Cote de la Place d’Armes, 1922-23 (C.R., xxxvi, 1 Nov. 1922, 47; City of Montreal, Les Hotels Les Immeubles de Bureaux, 1983, 93-96, illus.)
TOILET LAUNDRY CO. LTD., Guy Street near St. Jacques Street, major five storey addition to factory, 1924; with 6 storey addition at rear, 1930 (C.R., xxxviii, 2 April 1924, 56; City of Montreal, Architecture Industrielle, 1982, 68-9, illus.)
MASTERMAN LTD., Duke Street at William Street, a meat packing house, 1924 (C.R., xxxviii, 4 June 1924, 59)
MONTREAL ASSOCIATION FOR THE BLIND, Sherbrooke Street West at Coronation Avenue, 1925 (Const., xviii, Nov. 1925, 351; City of Montreal, Les Edifices Scolaires, 1980, 158-61, illus.)
WESLEY UNITED CHURCH, Notre Dame de Grace Avenue at Royal Avenue, 1926-27, with addition of Sunday School, 1931 (C.R., xl, 10 Feb. 1926, 53, t.c.; R.A.I.C. Journal, xiii, Sept. 1936, 169-70, illus.; Nov. 1936, 198-201, illus.; City of Montreal, Les Eglises, 1981, 470-73, illus.)
WOODHOUSE & CO. LTD., St. Urbain Street below Ste. Catherine Street West, behind the Gayety Theatre, a new 6 storey warehouse, 1926-27; major alterations and remodelling of the retail store, Ste. Catherine Street West near St. Urbain Street, 1932; all demol. c. 1975 (C.R., xl, 12 May 1926, 55; and xli, 12 Oct. 1927, 51; Montreal Daily Star, 2 July 1927, 22, illus. & descrip.; Gazette [Montreal], 2 July 1932, 4; inf. Scott Edwards)
ROBERT HAMPSON & SON BUILDING, St. Jean Street at St. Sacrament Street, 1926-27 (Gazette [Montreal], 19 Feb. 1927, 4; Const., xx, July 1927, 223-24, 239, illus. & descrip.; City of Montreal, Les Hotels Les Immeubles de Bureaux, 1983, 119-20, illus.; inf. Scott Edwards)
MOUNTAIN STREET, major addition, with new interior ballroom, and interior alterations to the former residence of David R. Wood, 1928 (City of Montreal, Les Residences, 1987, 764-65, illus.)
VITRE STREET WEST, at St. Urbain Street, a large six storey warehouse for M. Vineberg, 1928 (C.R., xlii, 25 Jan. 1928, 63; 1 Feb. 1928, 47)
WILSIL LTD. MEAT PACKERS, Oak Street at Mill Street, office building, 1928; major addition to cold storage plant, 1932 (C.R., xlii, 18 April 1928, 70; Gazette [Montreal], 26 July 1932, 4, descrip.; inf. Scott Edwards)
BEVERLY APARTMENTS, Marcil Avenue at Monkland Avenue, 1928 (C.R., xlii, 9 May 1928, 57)
CONGOLEUM CO. OF CANADA, St. Patrick Street at Pitt Street, factory, 1928 (C.R., xlii, 4 July 1928, 50; and xliii, 29 May 1929, 105, illus. in advert.)
JOSEPH C. WRAY & BROS, Mountain Street, funeral chapel, 1928-29 (C.R., xlii, 29 Aug. 1928, 52; and 21 Nov. 1928, 51; R.A.I.C. Journal, viii, Dec. 1931, 411, exhibition list; City of Montreal, Les Residences, 1987, 764-65, illus.)
DOMINION OILCLOTH & LINOLEUM CO. LTD., Parthenais Street at St. Catherine Street, major addition to factory, 1930 (Montreal Daily Star, 6 Jan. 1930, 3)
TRAFALGAR APARTMENTS, Cote des Neiges Road at The Boulevard, for Joseph Gersovitz, 1930-31 (Gazette [Montreal], 21 April 1930, 5, descrip.; C.R., xliv, 1 Oct. 1930, 71; City of Montreal, Les Appartments, 1991, 100-03, illus.; inf. Scott Edwards)
UNITED TALMUD TORAHS SCHOOL, St. Joseph Boulevard West at Jeanne Mance Street, 1930 (C.R., xliv, 16 April 1930, 67, t.c.)
GUARANTEED PURE MILK CO., Aqueduct Street, near Dorchester Boulevard West, a four storey dairy production plant, 1930-31 (C.R., xliv, 15 Oct. 1930, 95; City of Montreal, Architecture Industrielle, 1982, 56-7, illus.)
PRINCESS MARGARET ROSE APARTMENTS, Queen Mary Road at Victoria Avenue, for David Wolfe, 1937 (C.R., Vol. 50, 10 Feb. 1937, 38)
COTE ST. LUC ROAD, apartment block for Joseph Gersovitz, 1937 (C.R., vol. 50, 27 Oct. 1927, 54)
PARKCHESTER APARTMENTS, Queen Mary Road at Victoria Avenue, 1938 (C.R., li, 13 April 1938, 34)
ARMSTRONG CORK & INSULATION CO., Decarie Boulevard near Vezina Street, factory, 1946 (C.R., lix, June 1946, 138)
CANADIAN LINSEED OIL MILLS LTD., Notre Dame Street East near Sicard Street, major alterations to factory, 1946 (C.R., lix, July 1946, 104)
HUTCHISON & WOOD (works in towns and suburbs around Montreal)
WESTMOUNT, Victoria Hall, Sherbrooke Street West at Arlington Avenue, 1924 (C.R., xxxviii, 30 July 1924, 48; Const., xviii, Sept. 1925, 282-89, illus. & descrip.; City of Montreal, Les Edifices Publics, 1981, 294-95, illus.; City of Westmount, Westmount: A Heritage to Preserve, 1991, 45, illus.)
MONTREAL WEST PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH, Westminster Avenue at Curzon Street, 1924-25 (C.R., xxxviii, 4 June 1924, 54; Gazette [Montreal], 12 July 1924, 4; Montreal Daily Star, 10 Jan. 1925, 3, illus. & detailed descrip.; G. Wadsworth, One Generation Unto Another - Story of the United Church in Montreal West, 1965, 5)
WESTMOUNT, The Whitehall Apartments, a four storey apartment block for Joseph Gersovitz, Sherbrooke Street West at Kensington Avenue, 1927-28 (C.R., xli, 14 Sept. 1927, 58; and xlii, 29 Feb. 1928, 54; City of Montreal, Les Appartements, 1991, 224-27, illus.)
WESTMOUNT, a four storey apartment block, Sherbrooke Street West at Victoria Street, 1927-28 (C.R., xli, 21 Sept. 1927, 64; and xlii, 4 Jan. 1928, 48)
OUTREMONT, Fairmount-Giles United Church, Bernard Avenue West at Stuart Avenue, 1928-29 (C.R., xlii, 18 April 1928, 69; and xliii, 12 June 1929, 115; City of Montreal, Les Eglises, 1981, 220-21, illus.)
WESTMOUNT, The Baroness Apartments, and The Baron Byng Apartments, two apartment blocks on Sherbrooke Street West at Northcliffe Avenue, 1928 (City of Montreal, Les appartements, 1991, 410-11, illus.)
WESTMOUNT, Acme Court Apartments, Clarke Avenue at Ste. Catherine Street West, 1929 (City of Montreal, Les appartements, 1991, 84-86)
WESTMOUNT, residence for Hon. Gordon W. Scott, Braeside Place, 1929 (R.A.I.C. Journal, viii, Dec. 1931, 411, exhibition list; City of Montreal, Les Residences, 1987, 628-29, illus.)
WESTMOUNT, major addition and alterations to residence of George Summer, Belvedere Road, 1929 (City of Montreal, Les residences, 1987, 696-99, illus.)
HUDSON HEIGHTS, Masonic Temple, 1930 (C.R., xliv, 3 Sept. 1930, 63, t.c.)
TOWN OF HAMPSTEAD, St. Matthew’s Anglican Church, Dufferin Road at Cote St. Luke Road, reconstruction of the church in 1933 after a fire in 1926, with enlargement and interior alterations, 1937 (C.R., xlvii, 25 Jan. 1933, 37; City of Montreal, Les Eglises, 1981, 328-29, illlus.)
WESTMOUNT, The Nelson Apartments, Queen Mary Road, near Lemieux Street, 1939 (Gazette [Montreal], 19 Aug. 1939, 19, descrip.)
WESTMOUNT, The Rodney Apartments, Queen Mary Road, between Victoria Avenue and Lemieux Street, 1939-40 (Gazette [Montreal], 31 Aug. 1940, 19, descrip.; 7 Sept. 1940, 19, illus. & descrip.; inf. Scott Edwards)
WESTMOUNT, The Athlone Apartments, Queen Mary Road, between Victoria Avenue and Lemieux Street, 1940-41 (Montreal Daily Star, 5 Feb. 1941, 27, descrip.; inf. Scott Edwards)
WESTMOUNT, The Lida Apartments, Queen Mary Road at Victoria Avenue, a 4 storey apartment block with 32 units, for Joseph Gersovitz, 1941 (C.R., liii, 4 Dec. 1940, 28; Montreal Daily Star, 28 Feb. 1941, 35, descrip.; inf. Scott Edwards)
HUTCHISON & WOOD (works outside Quebec)
KINGSTON, ONT., Kingston Shipbuilding Co., Ontario Street, a ship building factory and assembly plant, 1942 (C.R., lv, 25 Feb. 1942, 119)
COMPETITIONS
GENEVA, SWITZERLAND, Palace for the League of Nations, 1927. The design submitted by Hutchison & Wood in this major international architectural competition suffered the same fate as the entry from another Montreal firm, Nobbs & Hyde. Both schemes were simply no match for the dramatic and innovative designs put forward by progressive European architects such as Le Corbusier, Eliel Saarinen, Richard Neutra and Hannes Meyer. The scheme by Hutchison & Wood was not included in the twenty-seven finalists, and the First Premium was later awarded to Henri-Paul Nenot of Paris. An aerial perspective and elevation of the proposal by Hutchison & Wood was published in the R.A.I.C. Journal, v, May 1928, 190, illus. & descrip. A full list of the 27 architects who received First and Second Prizes, and Honorable Mentions, was published in the Montreal Daily Star, 23 July 1927, p. 19 & p 32. Architects from the USA and Russia were barred from entering because these countries were not members of the League of Nations.