THORNTON, [Tom] Walter Matcham (1880 - 1948) was active in Vancouver, B.C. in partnership with William F. Jones, and can be credited with several residential and commercial projects, including their best known work, the Georgian revival design for the Felix Apartment Block (1911). Thornton was born in London, England on 22 January 1880 and was educated and trained there. He emigrated to Canada in 1908 and settled in Vancouver where he worked as an assistant to William F. Gardiner. The British Columbia Provincial Archives holds a perspective drawing signed "W.M. Thornton, delineator" showing the design by Gardiner for the Provincial Normal School at Vancouver and dated 1909. Thornton appears to have lived and worked in Vancouver until 1914 when he left Canada. He is almost certainly the same "Walter M. Thornton" who moved to New Zealand, and later died at Matamata, Waikato, New Zealand on 27 December 1948 (New Zealand Death Index, Oct.-Dec. 1948, Folio 4292; inf. Andy Coupland, Vancouver).
THORNTON & JONES
(works in Vancouver unless noted)
VICTOR HOTEL (later the Savoy Hotel), East Hastings Street, 1910 (dwgs. at Vancouver City Archives)
THURLOW STREET, at West Pender Street, a six storey apartment block with 24 units, 1910 (Vancouver Daily World, 16 July 1910, Section Three, p. 1, descrip.)
DENMAN STREET, between Barclay Street and Nelson Street, apartment block for W.S. Hugo, 1910 (Vancouver Daily World, 16 July 1910, Section Three, p. 1, illus. & descrip.; C.R., xxiv, 27 July 1910, 29)
EAST HASTINGS STREET, between Gore Street and Dunlevy Street, a four storey rooming house block for Cyril Tweedale, 1910 (Vancouver Daily World, 16 July 1910, Section Three, p. 1, illus. & descrip.; C.R., xxiv, 27 July 1910, 26; Modern Architecture, 1911, illus.)
BROADWAY, two blocks of stores and apartments, each containing three stores and four apartment units, for Charles R. Gilbert, 1910 (Vancouver Daily World, 16 July 1910, Section Three, p. 1, descrip.; C.R., xxiv, 27 July 1910, 26)
R.D. RORISON & SON LTD., Homer Street, warehouse, 1910 (dwgs. at Vancouver City Archives)
FELIX APARTMENTS (later the Banffshire Apartments), Jervis Street, 1911 (Modern Architecture, 1911, illus.; H. Kalman, Exploring Vancouver, 1993, 113, illus.; dwgs. at Vancouver City Archives)
GRANVILLE STREET, at Peters Road, in Shaughnessey Heights, residence for Ardwell N. Sandell, 1912 (Vancouver Daily World, 22 Oct. 1912, 5)
NEW WESTMINSTER, B.C., Arundel Mansions Apartments, Begbie Street, 1912 (J.D. Scott, Once in the Royal City: the Heritage of New Westminster, 1985, 139)