WALKER, Irvin Stanley F. (1884-1974), an architect from Detroit, Mich. who later formed a partnership in Windsor, Ont. with Albert H. McPhail in 1915. Walker was born in Detroit on 25 July 1884 and was educated and trained there. By 1910 he was operating his own architectural practise in that city, but in 1912 he was invited to form a partnership with Donald C. Smith, as Smith & Walker, Architects, with offices in Walkerville, Ont. (Evening Record [Windsor], 29 Oct. 1912, 7). In 1915, he was noted as an architect “…formerly of Walkerville, Ont.” who had formed a partnership in Windsor, Ont. with Albert H. McPhail (see the Evening Record [Windsor], 12 Aug. 1915, p. 5). They collaborated for at least three years, but by 1919 Walker had closed his Walkerville office and opened a new office in downtown Windsor as architects and engineers, and he maintained another office across the border in Detroit (Border Cities Star [Windsor], 22 April 1919, 3). By 1922 he was listed as an architect and as a resident of Windsor (City of Windsor Directory, 1922-23, p. 573) and thus it may be presumed that he was maintaining an international practise in both Detroit and in Windsor. By 1935 he had relocated to Los Angeles and Glendale, Calif. where he became a designer of moderate-cost homes in a variety of eclectic styles. He later died in Los Angeles on 19 April 1974.
Irvin S.F. WALKER (works in Windsor region)
WALKERVILLE, ONT., Lincoln Road Methodist Church, 1914 (C.R., xxviii, 9 Sept. 1914, 66; Evening Record [Windsor], 17 Sept. 1914, 9, with credit to the architect; and 6 Jan. 1915, 1, illus. & descrip., but lacking attribution to the architect)
WINDSOR, ONT., a double house [pair of houses] on Caron Avenue for E.G. Milligan, 1915 (Evening Record [Windsor], 14 May 1915, 13)
WALKER & McPHAIL (works in Ontario)
WALKERVILLE, ONT., residence for C.M. Bennett, Huron Street at Windermere Road, 1915 (Evening Record [Windsor], 24 Sept. 1915, 2)
FORD CITY, ONT., residence for John Schnieder, Cadillac Street at Hickory Street, 1915-16 (Evening Record [Windsor], 25 Nov. 1915, 5)
WINDSOR, ONT., residence for S.E. Rigg, Victoria Avenue near Erie Street, 1915-16 (Evening Record [Windsor], 24 Dec. 1915, 5; 5 April 1916, 5)
WINDSOR, ONT., extensive alterations and remodeling of residence for E.G. Milligan, Caron Avenue at Park Street, 1915-16 (Evening Record [Windsor], 24 Dec. 1915, 5)
WALKERVILLE, ONT., a group of bungalow cottages, Lincoln Road, for the Burns-Walker Const. Co., 1916 (Evening Record [Windsor], 26 Jan. 1916, 2, descrip.)
SAULT STE. MARIE, ONT., a vaudeville theatre for F.W. Fawcett, possibly The Duchess Theatre, 1916 (Evening Record [Windsor], 10 April 1916, 3)
WINDSOR, ONT., power house and office building, for an unnamed client, 1916 (C.R., xxx, 4 Oct. 1916, 41)
Irvin S.F. WALKER (works in Ontario and California)
WALKERVILLE, ONT., movie theatre for Simon Meretsky, Wyandotte Street, 1919, but not built (Evening Record [Windsor], 9 Oct. 1919, 3; inf. Andrew Foot, Windsor)
WINDSOR, ONT., Osterhout Block, Ouellette Avenue, between London Street and Park Street, a five storey retail & office building for Peter & George Osterhout, Real Estate, 1920-21 (Border Cities Star [Windsor], 23 April 1920, 3, descrip.; 22 June 1921, 7, descrip. and 10-11, illus.; C.R., xxxiv, 26 May 1920, 59, t.c.)
WINDSOR, ONT., Reycraft Building, Wyandotte Street East, between Langlois Avenue and Pierre Avenue, retail stores and offices for Joseph Reycraft, 1920 (Border Cities Star [Windsor], 30 June 1920, 3, illus. & descrip.)
WINDSOR, ONT., residence for Max Allen, of the Allen Theatre chain, Pelissier Street, 1920 (Border Cities Star [Windsor], 30 June 1920, 3)
VICTORIA AVENUE, near Maple Avenue, residence for Arthur B. Drake, 1923 (Border Cities Star [Windsor], 7 June 1923, 7)
TECUMSEH ROAD, residence for Mrs. Hicks, 1923 (Border Cities Star [Windsor], 7 June 1923, 7)
TUSCARORA AVENUE, at Glengarry Avenue, two stores and apartment for Mr. Janousky, 1923 (Border Cities Star [Windsor], 7 June 1923, 7)
FORD CITY, ONT., residence for Joseph L. Reaume, Pillette Road at Sandwich Street, 1923 (Border Cities Star [Windsor], 20 Aug. 1923, 3)
WALKERVILLE, ONT., Holland Block, Lincoln Road at Assumption Street, 1925 (Border Cities Star [Windsor], 22 Sept. 1925, Section Two, p. 6, t.c.)
LOS ANGELES, CALIF., prototype design for a house :"...in the Monterey style", 1936 (Los Angeles Times, 1 Nov. 1936, Section Five, p. 4, illus. & descrip.)
MONROVIA, CALIF., prototype design for a house "....in the New Orleans style", 1938 (Monrovia Daily News-Post, 30 July 1938, 3, illus. & descrip.)
COMPETITIONS
WINDSOR, ONT., Masonic Temple, 1915. It appears that 4 local architects, including Walker, were invited to submit a design for the new Masonic Temple on Ouellette Avenue, but the submission by Walker was set aside and J.C. Pennington was awarded the commission (Evening Record [Windsor], 3 June 1915, 2). The winning scheme was not built until 1921, and was then credited to Pennington & Boyde, Architects)
WINDSOR, ONT., Assumption Street Public School School (a.k.a Frank W. Begley Public School), major addition of 8 classrooms, 1923. Irvin S.F. Walker was among several architects who submitted plans, and he was awarded Third Prize of $150 for his effort (Border Cities Star [Windsor], 28 Aug. 1923, 3). The winner was A.H. McPhail of Windsor.