GREENE, William Howe (1865-1937) was active in St. John's, Newfoundland where he was instrumental in helping to rebuild the city after the Great Fire there on 8 July 1892. Greene was born at Great Boughton, Co. Cheshire, England in 1865 and received his high school education in Liverpool. In 1881, at the age of 16 years, he began to article in the office of Edmund Kirby, FRIBA, a prominent architect in Liverpool, and remained there for five years while attending classes in building, engineering and design sponsored by the Liverpool Architectural Society. In 1886, he became a full time assistant to Kirby, then joined the office of Francis U. Holme, FRIBA, and later obtained additional experience under Alfred Culshaw, FRIBA, both of whom were leading architects in Liverpool.
In 1892 Greene was elected as an Associate of the Royal Institute of British Architects, and promptly departed for Newfoundland in July 1892 after the Great Fire in that city. His family cousins in the Colony of Newfoundland were the Bowring Brothers, of Liverpool and St. John's, owners of the famous wholesale and retail operation in St. John's, and it is likely that they played a role in persuading Greene to leave London and move to Newfoundland (Royal Gazette [St. John's], 30 July 1892). His intention was only to remain there “....for a short time”, but one of the first young architects who he met there was John A. Pearson, a recent arrival from Toronto who had moved to that city in July 1892 after the Great Fire. Greene invited Pearson to form a partnership, and they collaborated for the next two years, completing several commercial, educational and institutional projects, many of which still stand today. Their office was dissolved in June 1894, amid much acrimony, and their difficulties were documented in legal proceedings nearly six years later, with Greene suing Pearson in court hearings (Royal Gazette [St. John's], 24 April 1900, 1).
After 1894 Greene continued to work in Newfoundland under his own name, and remained active until 1914 when he returned to England and served with British Forces during WWI. He was elected as a Fellow of the R.I.B.A. In 1912. He remained in England after the war, but no references to his architectural activity there have yet been found. Green died in London, England on 23 June 1937 and his ashes were later interred at Liverpool (obituary The Times [London], 25 June 1937, 1; obit. The Builder [London], cliii, 16 July 1937, 100; biog. R.I.B.A., Directory of British Architects 1834-1914, 2001, Vol. 1, p. 780; biog. & works in Macmillan Encyclopedia of Architects, 1982, Vol. 2, 246).
GREENE & PEARSON
(works in St. John's, Nfld.)
CITY CLUB, Baird's Corner, Water Street, a three storey block for the Club, with retail stores for J.W. Foran on the ground floor, 1892 (Evening Telegram [St. John's], 13 Oct. 1892, 4, descrip.; 17 May 1893, 4; 12 July 1893, 4, descrip.)
AYRE & KNOWLING BLOCK, Water Street, for Ayre & Sons, 1892-93; demol. c. 1971 (Evening Herald [St. John's], 3 Dec. 1892, 4; dwgs. in the possession of Shane O'Dea, St. John's)
STAR OF THE SEA HALL, Henry Street, 1893 (Evening Herald [St. John's], 3 Feb. 1893, 4)
ST. PATRICK'S HALL, Queen's Road, rebuilding of the Hall for the Benevolent Irish Society, 1893 (Evening Telegram [St. John's], 2 May 1893, 1, t.c.)
TOTAL ABSTINENCE & BENEFIT SOCIETY HALL, Duckworth Street at Henry Street, 1893-94 (Evening Telegram [St. John's], 13 March 1893, 1, t.c.; Trade Review – Christmas Number [St. John's], 1893, p. 3 & 6, illus. & descrip.; Jubilee Volume of the St. John's Total Abstinence & Benefit Society 1858-1908, p. 63-66, descrip.)
GOODFELLOW & CO., Water Street, new retail fish store, 1893 (Evening Herald [St. John's], 16 May 1893, 4, descrip.)
MARSHALL & RODGER'S BLOCK, Water Street at Prescott Street, a three storey commercial block, 1893 (Evening Herald [St. John's], 9 May 1893, 4, descrip.)
MECHANIC'S HALL, west side of War Memorial Park, 1893-94 (Evening Telegram [St. John's], 8 May 1893, 1, t.c.; 18 Sept. 1894, 4, descrip, with text of speech by W.H. Greene)
DUCKWORTH STREET, at Merchant's Lane, Ryan's Houses, two large attached houses for J.D. Ryan, 1893 (Evening Telegram [St. John's], 25 May 1893, 4, descrip.)
PRESENTATION CONVENT SCHOOL, Cathedral Square, major addition, 1893 (Evening Telegram [St. John's], 3 July 1893, 1, t.c.)
FOREST ROAD, at Kingsbridge Road, extensive interior alterations to the residence for Edgar R. Bowring, 1893-94 (dwgs. in the possession of Shane O'Dea, St. John's)
CHURCH OF ENGLAND SCHOOLS, Colonial Street, 1893-94 (dwgs. in the possession of Shane O'Dea, St. John's)
CLERGY HOUSE, Cathedral Street, for the Anglican Church, 1894 (Evening Telegram [St. John's], 28 Aug. 1894, 1, t.c.)
W.H. GREENE
GAZETTE BUILDING, Water Street at McBride's Hill, for the Royal Gazette & Newfoundland Advertiser Co., for J.W. Withers, 1896-97 (Evening Telegram [St. John's], 24 Aug. 1896, 1, t.c.; 16 March 1897, 4, descrip.)
EVENING HERALD PRINTING OFFICE, Prescott Street, .c 1896 (dwgs. in the possession of Shane O'Dea, St. John's)
CABOT MEMORIAL TOWER, at Signal Hill, overlooking the harbour, 1897-1900 (Evening Telegram [St. John's], 28 June 1898, t.c.; 22 June 1900, 4, descrip.; Newfoundland Historic Trust, Signal Hill: An Illustrated History, 1982, 34-5, illus. & descrip.; dwgs. in the possession of Shane O'Dea, St. John's; dwgs. at NAC, Ottawa, National Map Collection)
PITT'S BUILDING, Water Street, retail store for the Hon. J.S. Pitts, designed 1905; built 1907 (Evening Telegram [St. John's], 14 Oct. 1905, 3; 5 Jan. 1907, 6)
AYRE & SONS, Water Street, a new five storey department store, 1907 (Evening Telegram [St. John's], 23 Sept. 1907, 7, extensive descrip.; Newfoundland Quarterly [St. John's], vii, Oct. 1907, descrip.)
COMMERCIAL SCHOOL, Springdale Street, 1907-08 (Evening Telegram [St. John's], 7 Dec. 1907, 6)
GAZETTE BUILDING, Water Street, major addition and extensive alterations, 1910 (Trade Review & Commercial Annual [St. John's], 31 Dec. 1910, 4, descrip.)
TOPSAIL, NFLD., gardener's bungalow and cottage on the estate of Edgar R. Bowring, 1913 (dwgs. in the possession of Shane O'Dea, St. John's)