WECHSELBERGER, Joseph (1868- c. 1914), a native of Chicago, Illinois, born there on 6 August 1868. He later moved to Canada and trained in Toronto with the leading firm of Darling & Pearson. By 1907 he had moved to Montreal and registered with Province of Quebec Association of Architects on 3 September 1907. He was described as the "resident architect" for Darling & Pearson in Montreal during the construction of their design for the Canadian Bank of Commerce Building, St. James Street, 1907-08 (Montreal Daily Star, 3 June 1909, 13). He was active there until 1913, but no information has been found on his activity in Canada after this date.
He is almost certainly the same "Joseph Wechselberger, Architect" who is listed as active in Peoria, Illinois from 1890 to 1899, working in partnership with William H. Reeves as Wechelberger & Reeves, Architects (Franks Peoria City Directory, 1891, p. 668), and later under his own name. In 1900 he moved to Milwaukee, Wisc. in 1900 to continue his career. An architect by this name was later recorded in Chicago in 1904 (William T. Comstock, The Architects Directory 1904-05, p. 34, listings for Chicago, Ill.)
Joseph WECHSELBERGER (works in the Montreal area)
OUTREMONT, residence for Lucien Morin, St. Joseph Boulevard, 1910 (Outremont b.p. 352, 28 July 1910)
WESTMOUNT, The Western Apartments, Western Avenue at Olivier Avenue, 1912 (Montreal Daily Star, 12 Oct. 1912, 24, descrip.; Montreal, Les appartements, 1991, 149-51, illus.; City of Westmount, Westmount: A Heritage to Preserve, 1991, 40, illus.)
WESTMOUNT, Centerfreze Sanitary Ice Co., Metcalfe Avenue at Hillside Avenue, warehouse, 1912 (dwgs. at CCA, DR 1982-018)
WESTMOUNT, residence for John J. Laferme, Wood Avenue, 1913 (Const., vii, Nov. 1914, 412-15, illus. & descrip.; Montreal, Les Residences, 1987, 377-9, illus.)