ALLEY, Thomas (1820-1900) was an architect and builder in Charlottetown, P.E.I. who was born there on 12 August 1820, and who began work in that city as a carpenter and is identified as such in the 1848 census for Charlottetown. He was sufficiently well-regarded so as to be recommended for the post of Superintendent of Public Works in Prince Edward Island in 1859, but was passed over for this position (Examiner [Charlottetown], 8 Aug. 1859, 2). His first major commission in Charlottetown was for the Wesleyan Chapel (now Trinity United Church), Prince Street, 1863-64, a design which was "...simple, plain and exceedingly primitive with no tower or steeple to grace its ample proportions" (Islander [Charlottetown] 29 May 1863). He held the position of Superintendent of Public Works for P.E.I. during a time of expansion in the 1860's which saw the construction of militia facilities, lighthouses and courthouses. During this period Alley designed one of the largest buildings on the entire Island, the Militia Drill Shed, Charlottetown, in 1866. This large assembly hall, measuring 160 ft by 60 ft., was supported by large clear-span wooden roof trusses which provided column-free space for year-round military drills and training.
Alley became embroiled in a political controversy over the construction of the Victoria Barracks in 1865-1866 when the contract to design this facility was awarded to him in spite of his holding the related office. He resigned from that position in early 1867. Three years later, he was named Superintendent of Public Works for Queens County, but he continued to work privately as professional architect, and he prepared plans for the Union Bank, Great George Street (1872-73), a scheme which "..reflects the very highest credit upon his skill, it being one of the finest buildings in the city" (Island Argus [Charlottetown] 9 Dec. 1873, 2). With this work, Alley had refined the distinctive characteristics of his own style which make his designs easily recognizable: flat, planar red Island clay brick walls pierced with round-headed windows and carved stone trim, and crowned by a distinctive corbelled brick cornice and Mansard roof. He received few commissions after 1880 as failing eyesight forced him to give up his practice, and he died in Charlottetown on 17 March 1900. He was buried in Sherwood Cemetery, and the city has honoured his memory by designating a street in his name. (obituary in the Daily Patriot [Charlottetown], 17 March 1900, 4; Patriot, 12 May 1981, 2; P.E.I. Wills, Liber 15, Folio 229).
CHARLOTTETOWN
WESLEYAN METHODIST CHAPEL, Prince Street, 1863-64 (Monitor [Charlottetown], 26 Feb. 1863, 3, t.c.; I. Rogers, Charlottetown: The Life in its Buildings, 1983, 202-3, illus.)
VICTORIA BARRACKS, Brighton Road, powder magazine building, 1866 (Royal Gazette [Charlottetown], 20 June 1866, p. 4640, t.c.)
MILITARY BARRACKS, Brighton Road, 1865 (Royal Gazette [Charlottetown], 16 Aug. 1866, p. 4339, t.c.)
MILITIA DRILL SHED, Kent Street at West Street, overlooking Government Pond, 1866-67; demol. 1966 (Examiner [Charlottetown], 21 Jan. 1867, 3, descrip.; inf. Harry T. Holman, Charlottetown)
WESLEYAN METHODIST ACADEMY [also called Wesleyan Female Academy], Prince Street, 1870-71, built according to a plan from the United States, but modified by T. Alley (Provincial Wesleyan [Halifax], 25 Jan. 1871, 2, descrip.; inf. Harry Holman, Charlottetown)
UNION BANK, Great George Street, 1872-73 (Patriot [Charlottetown] 11 Oct. 1873, 2; Island Argus [Charlottetown] 9 Dec 1873, 2, col. 5, descrip.)
PROTESTANT CEMETERY GROUNDS, a Chapel and Keeper's Cottage, 1873 (Semi-Weekly Patriot [Charlottetown], 2 Aug. 1873, 3, t.c.)
ST. PAUL'S ANGLICAN CHURCH, Church Street at Grafton Street, addition of a new chancel in brick, 1873-74 (Frank Jelks, Parish of Charlotte and the Church of St. Paul's, Charlottetown, 1990, 40-41; inf. Harry Holman, Charlottetown)
PROVINCIAL LAW COURTS, Queen Square, 1874-76, burned 1976, and later restored (Examiner [Charlottetown], 30 March 1874, 3; Globe [Toronto], 4 Feb. 1876, 2, descrip.; I. Rogers, Charlottetown: The Life in its Buildings, 1983, 217-19, illus.; M. Carter, Early Canadian Court Houses, 1983, 206, illus.)
PRINCE STREET, a residence for the architect, 1874-76 (Island Argus [Charlottetown], 6 Jan 1874, 1; I. Rogers, Charlottetown - The Life in its Buildings, 1983, 201-2, illus.)
PRINCE STREET, Methodist parsonage, 1874 (Provincial Wesleyan [Halifax], 2 Feb. 1874, 3, item extracted from The Charlottetown Argus; inf. Harry Holman, Charlottetown)
WEST KENT PUBLIC SCHOOL, Kent Street, 1877, with major addition of a new wing, 1879 (P.E.I., Annual Report of the Board of Education for P.E.I., 1877, 26; Daily Examiner [Charlottetown], 3 Jan 1878, 3, t.c.; Daily Examiner [Charlottetown], 22 March 1879, 3, t.c.)
BAPTIST CHURCH, Prince Street, 1879, designed by Thomas Alley and based on a plan obtained from a source in Montreal (Semi-Weekly Patriot [Charlottetown], 6 Dec. 1879, 3, descrip.)
GREAT GEORGE STREET, at Kent Street, commercial block for W.E. Dawson, 1881 (Daily Examiner [Charlottetown], 23 Dec. 1881, 2; Daily Patriot [Charlottetown], 6 Jan. 1882, 2, descrip.; inf. Harry Holman, Charlottetown)
QUEEN SQUARE, south side, facing Richmond Street, commercial block for Catharine Stamper, 1884 (Daily Examiner [Charlottetown], 4 April 1884, 3, t.c.; inf. Harry Holman, Charlottetown)
ELSEWHERE
NORTH CAPE LIGHT HOUSE, P.E.I., 1865, with addition of a Keeper's Cottage, 1866 (Royal Gazette [Charlottetown], 22 March 1866, p. 3372, t.c.; 7 Feb. 1866, 4471, t.c.)
GEORGETOWN, P.E.I, Court House, 1865-66 (Royal Gazette [Charlottetown], 19 April 1866, p. 3404, t.c.)
EAST POINT LIGHT HOUSE, P.E.I., 1866-67 (Royal Gazette [Charlottetown], 6 June 1866, p. 4617, t.c.)
SUMMERSIDE, P.E.I., Militia Drill Shed, 1866 (Royal Gazette [Charlottetown], 15 Aug. 1866, p. 4707, t.c.)
GEORGETOWN, P.E.I., Militia Drill Shed, 1866 (Royal Gazette [Charlottetown], 22 Aug. 1866, p. 4717, t.c.)