WOODS, Chester Charles (1890-1970) was one of a new generation of hospital planners who had trained under Stevens & Lee, the North American experts in the field. He then developed his own career designing medical buildings throughout Ontario. Born in Toronto on 15 August 1890 he spent his youth in Sarnia and studied architecture and construction at the Toronto Technical School and at the University of Toronto. He articled with John M. Lyle (in 1912-14), then moved to Detroit to work with Smith, Hinchman & Grylls (in 1915-16) and later to New York to join Stevens & Lee. Woods opened an office in Sarnia in early 1920 in partnership with the American architect G.L. Harvey who lived and worked across the St. Clair River in Port Huron, Michigan (Sarnia Canadian Observer, 8 May 1920, 4). This collaboration appears to have been a brief one; by 1921 Woods was working under his own name. In addition to hospital commissions, Woods was hired by the Harris Theatre chain in 1936 to design movie houses in Sarnia, Chatham, Stratford, Brantford, Owen Sound, Guelph, Galt, Peterborough, Orillia and Oshawa (C.R., vol. 50, 8 July 1936, 36). He continued to practise in Toronto until after 1950 and died there on 26 January 1970 (obit. Toronto Star, 28 Jan. 1970, 37; inf. Ontario Assoc. of Architects; inf. Ian Mason, Brigden, Ont.)
SARNIA, ONT., Public School, London Road, c. 1920 (Catalogue of the International Casement Window Co., 1922)
SARNIA, ONT., Isolation Hospital, 1921; addition, 1927 (C.R., xxxv, 15 June 1921, 56; xli, 25 May 1927, 175)
WALLACEBURG, ONT., War Memorial Hospital, designed 1922, but not built (C.R., xxxvi, 7 June 1922, 54, t.c.)
(with Marcus Burrowes of Detroit) SARNIA, ONT., large residence for Chester Belton, London Road near MacKenzie Street North, 1923; still standing in 2023 (Register of Sarnia Heritage Property, 2010, illus. & descrip.)
SARNIA, ONT., Johnston Memorial Public School, Russell Street South, 1928; demol. 2009 (C.R., xlii, 4 April 1928, 51, t.c.)
SAULT STE. MARIE, ONT., major addition to Plummer Memorial Hospital, Queen Street East, 1929 (Sault Daily Star, 19 Dec. 1928, 11, descrip., and 26 July 1929, 1, illus.; C.R., xliii, 27 Feb. 1929, 145, t.c.; and Letter of Appreciation for C.C. Woods who "... made only a nominal charge for preparing the plans" Sault Daily Star, 22 Feb. 1930, 4)
SARNIA, ONT., hotel for unnamed client, Christina Street, 1929 (Canadian Hotel Review, vii, Aug. 1929, 24)
SARNIA, ONT., Imperial Oil Co., Christina Street, office building, 1929 (C.R., xliii, 30 Oct. 1929, 61)
SARNIA, ONT., Canon Davis Memorial Anglican Church, Russell Street North, 1930 (50th Anniversary Davis Memorial Church 1926-1976)
CORNWALL, ONT., St. Lawrence Tuberculosis Sanatorium, a sanatorium or tuberculosis hospital and nurses' residence, Highway 2, near Riverview Drive, overlooking the St. Lawrence River, "...on the Purcell Craig Farms site about 5 miles east of Cornwall", 1936-37 (Ottawa Journal, 10 Oct. 1936, 30, descrip.; Gazette [Montreal], 30 Oct. 1936, 11, descrip.; 28 Dec. 1936, 8, descrip.; C.R., Vol. 50, 12 Aug. 1936, 35; 25 Aug. 1937, 39; inf. Scott Edwards)
CORNWALL, ONT., Collegiate Institute & Technical School, major addition, 1937 (C.R., l, 18 Aug. 1937, 37)
GANANOQUE, ONT., General Hospital, 1943 (C.R., lvi, 21 April 1943, 32)
PARRY SOUND, ONT., General Hospital, 1944 (C.R., lvii, 22 March 1944, 28)
CORNWALL, ONT., General Hospital, major addition, 1944 (C.R., lvii, 3 May 1944, 28)
PORT COLBORNE, ONT., Memorial Hospital, 1945 (R.A.I.C. Journal, xxii, Nov. 1945, 233, illus.)
BRAMPTON, ONT., major addition to Peel Memorial Hospital, 1948 (C.R., lxi, Sept. 1948, 126, t.c.)
GRIMSBY, ONT., Memorial Hospital, Main Street, 1948 (inf. Allan Smith, Grimsby)
CAMPBELLFORD, ONT., General Hospital, 1949 (C.R., lxii, July 1949, 133)
ST. CATHARINES, ONT., Hotel Dieu Roman Catholic Hospital, 1949 (C.R., lxii, Feb. 1949, 151)
PENETANGUISHENE, ONT., General Hospital, 1950 (C.R., lxiii, May 1950, 140)
ORANGEVILLE, ONT., major addition to Lord Dufferin Hospital, 1950 (C.R., lxiii, Oct. 1950, 154)