HAMILL, Owen (1838-1868), active as an architect in both Prince Edward Island, New Brunswick, and in Nova Scotia. Born in Carlingford, Co. Louth, Ireland in March 1838, he emigrated to the United States in 1857 and settled in New York where he found a position as young assistant to Patrick Keely, a leading ecclesiastical architect in that City. Keely sent Hamill to Prince Edward Island in 1859 to oversee the construction of the new Roman Catholic Church in Tignish, P.E.I., and later asked Hamill to serve a similar role in Halifax, supervising the major additions and remodelling of St. Mary's Roman Catholic Cathedral. Hamill remained in Nova Scotia through to 1866, and in May 1867 he moved his office from Pictou to Antigonish (Colonial Standard [Halifax], 4 June 1867, 1, advert.). He was successful in obtaining his own commissions in Cheticamp, Pictou and Antigonish, but his promising career was cut short at the age of 30 years. Hamill died unexpectedly at Brule Point, Nova Scotia on 12 February 1868 (obituary Evening Express [Halifax], 17 Feb. 1868, 2; and 21 Feb. 1868, 3; Pictou Colonial Standard, 18 Feb. 1868; obituary Herald [Charlottetown], 4 March 1868, 3; obit. Summerside Progress [Summerside, P.E.I.], 9 March 1868, 2; biog. in M. Rosinski, Architects of Nova Scotia: A Biographical Dictionary, 1994, 93; inf. Harry Holman, Charlottetown).
TIGNISH, P.E.I., St. Simon & St. Jude Roman Catholic Church, Church Street at Maple Street, 1859-60, still standing in 2023. Hamill served as local supervising assistant to the New York City architect Patrick C. Keely (1816-1896)
HALIFAX, N.S., remodeling and enlargement of St. Mary's Roman Catholic Cathedral, Spring Garden Road near Barrington Street, designed 1860, but not built until 1864-65, still standing in 2023. Hamill again served as assistant to the New York City architect Patrick C. Keely (Evening Express [Halifax], 31 May 1865, 2)
CHETICAMP, CAPE BRETON, N.S., Roman Catholic Church, Cabot Trail near Bourgeois Road, 1861-62, but later replaced by a new church in 1892 (Evening Express [Halifax], 8 Oct. 1862, 2, descrip.)
PICTOU, N.S., Stella Maris Roman Catholic Church, St. Stephen Street at Denoon Street, 1865; still standing in 2023 (Evening Express [Halifax], 31 May 1865, 2; Colonial Standard [Pictou], 10 Oct. 1865, 2 and 3, with advert.; Herald [Charlottetown], 28 Nov. 1866, 2, descrip.; inf. Harry Holman, Charlottetown)
NEWCASTLE, N.B., preparing plans for a church, likely for St. Mary,s Roman Catholic Church, Prince William Street, 1865-66 (Evening Express [Halifax], 6 Dec. 1865, 2)
PICTOU, N.S., St. Andrew's Presbyterian Church, Coleraine Street at Church Street, 1866-68; still standing in 2023 (Evening Express [Halifax], 11 July 1866, 2, detailed descrip.; The Presbyterian [Montreal], Marc 1869, 91)
ANTIGONISH, N.S., St. Ninian's Roman Catholic Cathedral, St. Ninian Street at Notre Dame Avenue, initial design by Hamill in 1866. However, Bishop MacKinnon was said to have rejected the Hamill plans as “too extravagant”, and instead selected the plans of the Montreal architect Adolphe Levesque (Evening Express [Halifax], 12 March 1866, 3, and 4 July 1866, 2, descrip.; The Herald [Charlottetown], 28 March 1866, 4, descrip.; inf. Harry Holman, Charlottetown). The church was completed after his death in 1868 by Levesque in 1869-74; still standing in 2023 (Evening Express [Halifax], 21 Dec. 1868, 2, descrip.; E. Pacey, More Stately Mansions-Churches of Nova Scotia 1830-1910, 1983, 88-94, illus. & descrip.)