HENDERSON, James (1861-1932) was a prominent architect in Edmonton, Alberta from 1908 to 1914. Born in Sunderland, Co. Durham, England on 19 June 1861, he was educated at Grange School, Sunderland and at Bedford County School. At the age of 16 years, he articled with Thomas Baves in Sunderland (in 1877), and with Francis E. Caws (in 1878-1882), and later worked as an assistant to Caws in 1882-83. He commenced private practise under his own name in Sunderland in 1884, and from 1896 to 1906 he was in partnership there with John Hall as Henderson & Hall Architects of Sunderland. His business prospered, and he became a successful and sought-after architect in that city. During the period from 1884 to 1906, he was credited with the design of over fifty commercial, institutional and educational commissions in Sunderland and in the surrounding County of Durham, and he was elected as an Associate Member of the Royal Institute of British Architects in London in December 1901. He would later be nominated as a Fellow of that organization in December 1907.
Despite this apparent professional success, it is unclear why, at age 45 and in mid-career, Henderson chose to leave England and emigrate to western Canada in 1906. He settled in Edmonton, Alberta, and took up the offer of a job with the Alberta Provincial Dept. of Public Works (in 1907-08), working under the direct supervision of Allan M. Jeffers, the Provincial Architect for Alberta. Henderson left this post within a year, and opened his own office in that city in 1908. His best-known work there was the remarkably sophisticated Edwardian design for the 4 storey Moser-Ryder Block (1912).
Henderson was a respected member of the Alberta Association of Architects, and was elected as President of that organization in 1914 and served a one-year term. After WWI, however, Henderson appears to have terminated his private practise as an architect. He became associated with the Alberta Dept. of Pubic Works, and later took up a position with the Hudson’s Bay Company as a staff architect in their Land Department (Edmonton City Directory, 1922, 384). Henderson died in Edmonton on 25 April 1932 (obituary Edmonton Journal, 25 April 1932, 11; obit. R.A.I.C. Journal, ix, May 1932, 134; obit. Contract Record [Toronto], xlvi, 11 May 1932, 520; obit. Canadian Engineer [Toronto], lxv, 10 May 1932, 26; obit. Construction [Toronto], xxv, May 1932, 121; biog. Who’s Who and Why in Canada, 1913, 335; R.I.B.A., [London], Directory of British Architects 1834-1914, pub. 2001, 889). A biography, list of works, and photographic portrait of Henderson was published in the Special 10th Anniversary Edition of the Edmonton Journal, 1913, p. 120
HENDERSON & HALL (works in Sunderland, England and area)
HYLTON ROAD, a row of 18 shops, with a tract of 205 houses on a 7 acre site behind, located on the old Hartley’s Glassworks site (M. Johnson & G. Potts, The Architecture of Sunderland, 2013, 166, descrip.)
MARITIME BUILDINGS, Sunniside Street at St. Thomas Street, 1900 (M. Johnson & G. Potts, The Architecture of Sunderland, 2013, 112-14, illus. & descrip.)
SUNNISIDE CHAMBERS, Sunniside Street at St. Thomas Street, on the opposite corner of the building listed above, 1900-02 (M. Johnson & G. Potts, The Architecture of Sunderland, 2013, 112-14, illus. & descrip.)
RIVER WEAR COMMISSIONERS BLOCK, St. Thomas Street at John Street, designed 1904; built 1905-07 (Builder [London], lxxxvii, 17 Sept. 1904, 297; xciii, 30 Nov. 1907, 588-89, illus. & descrip.; xcviii, 18 June 1910, 696, illus.; M. Johnson & G. Potts, The Architecture of Sunderland, 2013, 133-34, illus. & descrip.)
HENDERSON & HALL (Competitions in England)
SUNDERLAND, ENGL., Police Building & Fire Station, Gill Bridge Avenue, 1902. The firm of Henderson & Hall were one of 25 firms who submitted designs for this major commission. Their proposal, submitted under the pseudonym “Ad Rem” was commended as “…well-treated and adapted to the site“, but it was not among the three finalists (Builder [London], lxxxiii, 13 Sept. 1902, 227-28, descrip.; 230). The first premium was awarded to W. & T.R. Milburn of Sunderland, working with the London firm of Wills & Anderson.
SUNDERLAND, ENGL., River Wear Commissioners Office Block, St. Thomas Street, competition 1904; built 1905-07. The firm of Henderson & Hall were one of 54 competitors who submitted plans for this major project and their scheme was awarded First Premium (Builder [London], lxxxvii, 17 Sept. 1904, 297). However, Henderson left England in 1906, and the completed building was later published in 1907 but credited solely to John Hall (Builder [London], xciii, 30 Nov. 1907, 588-89, illus. & descrip.)
James HENDERSON (works in Edmonton)
FIRE HALL NO. 5, 1st Street between Norwood Street and Pine Street, 1910 (City of Edmonton b.p. 10 Aug. 1910; Edmonton Capital, 5 July 1910, 4, t.c.; 7 Jan. 1911, 5-6, descrip.)
REFUGE HOME FOR CHILDREN, [later called The Ross Flat Apartments], Calgary Avenue at First Street, 1911-12 (Edmonton Capital, 15 Aug. 1911, 7, t.c.; Edmonton Daily Bulletin, 20 May 1912, 3, descrip.)
PETRIE MFR. CO., 13th Street, warehouse, 1911 (Edmonton Daily Bulletin, 6 May 1911, 1; C.R., xxv, 24 May 1911, 62, t.c.)
AMES HOLDEN McCREADY LTD., 3rd Street at Athabasca Avenue, a three storey warehouse, 1911 (Edmonton Daily Bulletin, 27 June 1911, 1, descrip.; C.R., xxv, 9 Aug. 1911, 66; dwgs. at PAA, Blakey Coll., Acc. 67.100, reel 6)
ERNEST BROWN BLOCK, Jasper Avenue, 1911-12 (Edmonton Daily Bulletin, 5 April 1911, 2, t.c.; 21 June 1911, 1, descrip.; list of works by Henderson in the Edmonton Capital, 25 Sept. 1912; City of Edmonton, Historical Walking Tours of Downtown Edmonton, 1988, 51, illus.)
7th STREET, residence for Charles W. Cross, 1912; demol. 1976 (inf. Provincial Archives of Alberta)
MOSER RYDER BLOCK, First Street, 1912 (Edmonton Journal, 6 Sept. 1912, 17, illus.)
HUDSON'S BAY CO., large five storey warehouse block, 3rd Street, 1912-13 (Edmonton Daily Bulletin, 9 Nov. 1912, 12, descrip.)
BELLAMY CO., 21st Street, a large garage, 1913 (C.R., xxvii, 26 Feb. 1913, 68)
WESTERN COMMERCIAL CO., Jasper Avenue, store and warehouse, 1913 (C.R., xxvii, 9 April 1913, 74)
EMPIRE HOTEL, 2nd Street at Jasper Avenue, 1913 (C.R., xxvii, 9 April 1913, 75; 20 Aug. 1913, 88; Edmonton Daily Bulletin, 27 March 1913, 9, illus. & descrip.; 10 May 1913, 5, descrip.)
WILKINSON [sic] BROTHERS BLOCK, [ perhaps the Williamson Block?], 1914 (City of Edmonton b.p. No. 79, 1914; dwgs. at City of Edmonton Archives)
LANE & SCARTH, 96th Street, retail store block, 1914 (City of Edmonton b.p. No. 771, 1914; dwgs. at City of Edmonton Archives)