GREGORY, Peter Shearson (1861-1955), architect of Ottawa Ont. from 1907, and later of Vancouver from 1931 onward. He arrived in Canada in 1905, and in early 1907 he was ambitious enough to prepare an entry in the national competition for the new Departmental & Justice Building complex in Ottawa. He was one of 30 architects who submitted designs, but the chief juror, Edmund Burke of Toronto, ranked his entry in 20th place, with a low score of 42 out of 100. Burke found his scheme deficient, and stated that “...the exterior design of the Departmental Building is lacking in character” (Ontario Archives, Toronto, Horwood Papers). The winner was Edward & W.S Maxwell of Montreal, but their winning scheme was never built.
Gregory was born in Wales, U.K. on 4 July 1861 and lived and worked in the city of Bangor, Wales where he was said to have “...designed many churches and public buildings”. He joined the Society of Architects (the rival organization to the R.I.B.A.) in 1886 and practised in Wales before emigrating to Canada in 1905. He settled in Ottawa, and joined the staff of the federal Dept. of Public Works as a draftsman in December 1907, working under the supervision of Chief Architect David Ewart. After retiring from that department in 1931, he moved to Vancouver and continued to practise there. Gregory died in Vancouver on 10 May 1955 at the age of 93 years (obituary and port. The Province [Vancouver], 12 May 1955, 4; biog., Canada, Sessional Papers, 1919, No. 30, Civil Service List, 431-35; biog. Royal Institute of British Architects, Directory of British Architects 1834-1914, pub 2001, Vol. 1, 784).
VANCOUVER, B.C., new clubhouse for the West Point Grey Lawn Bowling Club, 1936 (Vancouver Sun, 1 April 1936, 20)