SHENNAN, David (1880-1968) was born at Dumfries, Scotland on 17 January 1880 and began an architectural apprenticeship in April 1896 with John A. MacGregor, Architect of Castle Douglas, Scotland. In May 1899 he moved to Stirling, Scotland and entered the office of McLuckie & Walker where he was employed as junior assistant until late 1903. Shennan then moved to Perth, Scotland to work chief assistant to James Marshall and remained with him for two years before emigrating to Canada in early 1906. He settled in Montreal and in April of that year entered the office of Saxe & Archibald where he acted as chief assistant on commissions such as the Cavendish Apartments (1906), the residence of Shirley Ogilvie (1907) and the Technical High School (1909-10).
After the dissolution of the office of Saxe & Archibald in 1915 Shennan went overseas and served with Canadian armed forces in WW1 and upon his return to Montreal he was made a partner in the office of John S. Archibald, remaining with him until 1933. During this period he was frequently called upon to design and supervise projects which Archibald was too busy to handle. These included the Bessborough Hotel, Saskatoon (1929-35), the Hotel Vancouver (1929-39), and the Gymnasium Building at Queen's University in Kingston (1929-30), a commission which was to lead to several later works by Shennan on that Ontario campus after 1950. Shennan commenced practise under his own name in 1936, and was briefly in partnership with Colin Copeman in 1939-41. He was elected as a Fellow of the Royal Architectural Institute of Canada in 1943, and as an Associate of the Royal Canadian Academy in 1948. In 1950 he was nominated as a senior member of the Academy in 1950. He died in Montreal on 27 May 1968 (death notice in the Gazette (Montreal), 29 May 1968, 50; biography in Col. W. Wood, The Storied Province of Quebec, 1931, iv, 495; R.I.B.A., Directory of British Architects 1834-1914, 2001, ii, 597-8; inf. from the Royal Canadian Academy, Toronto)
DAVID SHENNAN
SENNEVILLE, QUE., mansion for Frederick C. Morgan, Senneville Road, 1912 (C.H.G., iii, April 1926, 33-5, illus.; Montreal, Les Residences, 1987, 530-5, illus.; Gazette [Montreal], 27 Oct. 2012, Section F, p. 1 and p. 2, illus. & descrip.)
CAP-A-L'AIGLE, QUE., two cottages for Dr. Elzear Pelletier, 1914 (P. Dube, Deux cents ans de Villegiature dans Charlevoix, 1986, 179-81)
KINGSTON, ONT., major additions to 'Woodburn', the residence of Agnes Etherington, University Avenue, on the campus of Queen's University (now the Agnes Etherington Art Centre), 1924 (C.H.G., ii, Dec. 1925, 37, illus.; J. McKendry, Modern Architecture in Kingston, 2014, 13, illus. & descrip.)
MONTREAL, QUE., residence for A.P.S. Glassco, Cedar Avenue, 1926 (C.H.G., iii, Dec. 1926, 46-7, illus.)
SHENNAN & COPEMAN
TOWN OF MOUNT ROYAL, a tract of 24 detached and semi-detached houses, Balfour Avenue, between Regent Street and Dunraven Street, 1939-40 (Gazette [Montreal], 1 April 1939, 23, descrip.; and 19 Aug. 1939, 19, illus. & descrip.; and 20 Jan. 1940, 19, illus. & descrip.; and 9 March 1940, 21, descrip.; and 13 April 1940, 21, descrip.; Montreal Daily Star, 23 Sept. 1939, 24, illus. & descrip.)
TOWN OF MOUNT ROYAL, two pairs of semi-detached houses in the Norman style, and a single detached house in the Colonial style, Balfour Avenue, for William Malo, 1939-40 (Montreal Daily Star, 8 Dec. 1939, 41, descrip.; Gazette [Montreal], 20 Jan. 1940, 19, illus. & descrip.)
POINTE CLAIRE, QUE., residence for F.A. Bider, 1939-40 (Gazette [Montreal], 10 Nov. 1939, 23)
LACHINE, major addition to factory for Anglo-Canadian Wire Rope Co., Rockfield Street, 1940-41 (Montreal Daily Star, 27 Nov. 1940, 29)
DAVID SHENNAN
TADOUSSAC, QUE., Hotel Tadoussac, for Canada Steamship Lines, demolition of the old hotel, and construction of a new 3 storey hotel, 1941-42 (C.R., liv, 18 June 1941, 36; Montreal Daily Star, 3 Sept. 1941, 22, detailed descrip.; R.A.I.C. Journal, xxi, July 1944, 152-7, illus. & descrip.)
ST. SIMEON, QUE., hotel for Canada Steamship Lines, 1944 (C.R., lvii, 13 Sept. 1944, 29)
MONTREAL, QUE., Labour Temple for the Carpenters & Joiners District Council, St. Lawrence Boulevard, 1945 (C.R., lviii, Oct. 1945, 133)
MONTREAL, QUE., Foundation Co. of Canada, Sherbrooke Street West at St. Mark Street, a five storey head office building, 1946 (Financial Post [Toronto], 9 Feb. 1946, 2, descrip.)
VALLEYFIELD, QUE., Canadian Schenley Distilleries Ltd., major additions for new distillery building, bottling plant, grain storage, and warehouses, 1946 (C.R., lix, June 1946, 140; Financial Post [Toronto], 9 Nov. 1946, 8, descrip.)
LACHINE, addition to factory, for the Anglo-Canadian Wire Rope Co., Rockfield Street, 1948 (Financial Post [Toronto], 1 May 1948, 8)
(with E.M. Coleman) SOREL, QUE., Canadian Bank of Commerce, 1950 (R.A.I.C. Journal, xxvii, Oct. 1950, 348, illus.)
HENRY BIRKS & SONS LTD., a new 2 storey silverware production factory, Ogilvy Avenue, 1950 (Financial Post [Toronto], 9 Sept. 1950, 10, descrip.)
MONTREAL, QUE., Central Autobus Station & Terminal, de Maisonneuve Boulevard East at Berri Street, 1951-52 (Architecture Batiment Construction, vi, Feb. 1952, 16-21, illus. & descrip.)
WESTMOUNT, QUE., residence for M.A.R. Thompson, 1952 (Batiment, xxvii, May 1952, 3, 21-3, illus. & descrip.)
ST. COLUMBA ANGLICAN CHURCH, Hingston Avenue at Notre Dame de Grace Avenue, major addition to the church, 1953 (Gazette [Montreal[, 14 March 1953, 25; As It Happened: A History of the Parish of St. Columba, Montreal 1907-1982, 23-25; inf. Scott Edwards)
KINGSTON, ONT., Richardson Hall Administration Building, on the campus of Queen's University, University Avenue, 1953-54 (Kingston Whig-Standard, 19 Dec. 1953, 7, illus.; and 17 Aug. 1955, 29, illus. in advert.; J. McKendry, Modern Architecture in Kingston, 2014, 26, illus. & descrip.; inf. from Queen's University Archives, Kingston)
KINGSTON, ONT., a 4 storey Men's Residence Block, on the campus of Queen's University, Albert Street near Stuart Street, 1954-55 (Kingston Whig-Standard, 7 July 1954, 13, descrip.; and 17 Aug. 1955, 31, illus. & descrip.)
KINGSTON, ONT., Physiology Building, on the campus of Queen's University, Arch Street at Deacon Street, 1956-57 (Kingston Whig-Standard, 13 Oct. 1956, 20, illus.; and 21 March 1957, 35, descrip.)