WALKER, John Edmund (1874-1963) of Toronto was born at Caledonia, Ont. on 25 May 1874 and attended the Hamilton Art School. He worked as an apprentice for Charles Mills in 1894-95 and then moved to New York City to further his education and training. He spent one year with Arnold Brunner, a leading architect in New York and from 1897 until 1908 he worked as a draftsman for Wilson Potter, with whom he operated a partnership in New York from 1909 to 1913. While there he attended evening classes over a four year period organized by the New York Society of Beaux-Arts Architects and conducted by the renowned Beaux-Arts masters Henry Hornbostel and E.L. Masqueray. From 1915 to 1920 he worked for different architects in Toledo and Columbus, Ohio and in Massachusetts, and returned to Toronto in 1922.
With John M. Gibson he formed the partnership of Walker & Gibson in 1923, and designed the High School at Caledonia, Ont., 1923-24, and an office for Hunt's Bakery Ltd., Walker Avenue, west of Yonge Street, in Toronto, Ont., 1927. This partnership was dissolved in 1930 and after operating his own practice for five years Walker joined with John G. Elliott to form the office of Walker & Elliott in 1935. They collaborated on the design of the Post Office & Customs House, Georgetown, Ont., 1935-36, which was a restrained and muted interpretation of the Art Deco style, adapted for a civic landmark. After 1950 he continued to practise in Toronto and worked briefly for Mathers & Haldenby. Walker died there on 21 February 1963 (death notice in the Telegram [Toronto], 22 Feb. 1963, 33; inf. from Ontario Association of Architects)
WALKER & GIBSON (works in Ontario)
CALEDONIA, ONT., the High School, 1923-24 (A.H. Arrell, A Short History of Caledonia, n.d., 101, illus.)
TORONTO, ONT., Hunts Bakery Ltd., office and bakery, 1927 (Toronto b.p. 99765, 13 June 1927)
WALKER & ELLIOTT (works in Ontario)
GEORGETOWN, ONT., Post Office & Customs House, Mill Street at Park Avenue, 1935-36; still standing in 2023 (The Globe (Toronto), 23 April 1935, 15, perspective drawing; Building in Canada, Aug. 1935, illus.)