ARMSTRONG, Norman Alexander (1882-1957) was a prolific designer of residential and commercial buildings in the Toronto area and who displayed a remarkable versatility in using both eclectic and contemporary architectural styles in his work. Born in Queenston, Ont. on 2 September 1882 he attended public and high schools in Niagara Falls and gained his knowledge of architecture and design from practical training with the Toronto architect J.W. Siddall from 1902 until 1904. He then moved to San Francisco, Calif. to work with the engineering staff of the Southern Pacific Railway for two years, and in 1906 joined the office of the influential classicist architect Albert Pissis (1852-1914). He remained in San Francisco until 1909 and then moved to Pittsburgh, Penn. to work as draftsman for Bernard H. Prack where he remained for ten years. Upon his return to Toronto in 1919 he opened his own office called the N.A. Armstrong Company Ltd., specializing in engineering and architectural projects.
Throughout the 1920's and 1930's Armstrong adapted to the changing tastes in design as he offered his residential clients a variety of schemes prepared in a Tudor, or Colonial, or Georgian Revival style. His most convincing commercial scheme from this pre-Depression era is the Moorish-inspired design for Savarin Tavern, Bay Street, Toronto (1929; dismantled 1980; and facade rebuilt 1983). With the emergence of the Moderne style in Europe and the United States in the 1930's he was one of the few Toronto architects daring enough to introduce a vocabulary of sweeping curves and rounded forms to his works. An exceptional yet underrated work from this period is his scheme for the International Harvester Co. Showroom, Bathurst Street, Toronto (1939), with its refined detailing executed in brick, art stone and plate glass.
Active until the early 1950's Armstrong turned over much of the work in his office to his son William G., and died at Toronto on 4 May 1957 (biography in J. Middleton, The Municipality of Toronto, 1923, iii, 265; obituary in the Globe & Mail [Toronto], 6 May 1957, 5; inf. from Ontario Assoc. of Architects). A photographic portrait of Armstrong was published in the Daily Commercial News [Toronto], 24 Feb. 1936, p. 1.
N.A. ARMSTRONG (works in Toronto)
LYNDHURST AVENUE, residence for J.F. Brown, 1922 (C.R., xxxvi, 3 May 1922, 403, illus. & descrip.)
L.R. STEEL CO. LTD., Mutual Street, office and addition to warehouse, 1922 (C.R., xxxvi, 2 Aug. 1922, 48, t.c.)
BOWLES LUNCH ROOM, King Street East near Yonge Street, 1923; demol. (C.R., xxxvii, 18 July 1923, 50)
IRISH CANADIAN ATHLETIC CLUB, Greenwood Avenue near Gerrard Street East, 1925 (C.R., xxxix, 28 Oct. 1925, 46)
BOWLES LUNCH ROOM, Bloor Street West near Yonge Street, 1925; demol. (Toronto b.p., 2 June 1925)
THE BLOOR BUILDING, Bloor Street West at Bay Street, a 6 storey office block, 1926-27; demol. c. 1970 (Toronto Daily Star, 3 July 1926, 3, descrip.; C.R., li, 14 July 1926, 670-71, illus. & descrip.; Const., xx, April 1927, 129-32, illus. & descrip.)
SHERBOURNE STREET, at Carleton Street, n.e corner, proposal for 10 storey apartment hotel, 1927, but not built (Toronto Daily Star, 1 March 1927, 26, illus. & descrip.)
MERLAN APARTMENTS, Isabella Street, east of Church Street, 1927; still standing in 2023 (Toronto Daily Star, 30 Sept. 1927, 2 and 8, illus. & descrip.; Daily Commercial News, 20 July 1927, 5)
HADDON HALL APARTMENTS, Jarvis Street near Gerrard Street East, 1928 (C.R., xlii, 4 Jan 1928, 49)
COMMERCE & TRANSPORTATION BUILDING, Bay Street at Front Street West, a 10 storey office block, 1927-28; demol. 1986 (Toronto Daily Star, 4 April 1927, 2, illus. & descrip.; and 16 May 1927, 1, descrip.; and 3 June 1927, 26, illus. & descrip; and 1 Oct. 1927, 9, illus. & descrip; C. R., xli, 4 May 1927, 55-6, illus. & descrip; Const., xx, Oct. 1927, 320; and xxii, April 1929, 125-26, 131-32, illus. & descrip.)
SAVARIN TAVERN, Bay Street near Adelaide Street West, for Traymore Cafeterias Ltd., 1927-28; dismantled 1980 and facade later rebuilt on the same site, 1983; facade still standing in 2023 (Toronto Star, 23 Dec. 1927, 8, illus. & descrip.; Const., xxii, Jan. 1929, 19-25, illus. & descrip.; Canadian Hotel Review, vi, Dec. 1928, 40-44, illus.; Globe & Mail [Toronto], 2 July 1983, E11)
DANFORTH PUBLIC MARKET, northwest corner of Danforth Avenue at Coxwell Avenue, for Crystal Palace Public Markets Ltd., 1927-28 (Globe [Toronto], 21 Dec. 1927, 13, descrip., but erroneously credited to "James Armstrong [sic], Architect"; C.R., xlii, 18 Jan. 1928, 50, descrip.)
AERODROME, with aircraft runways and hangar, for Canada Air Express Ltd., on the old Salvation Army farm, between Bathurst Street and Dufferin Street, 1928 (Toronto Daily Star, 29 June 1928, 8, descrip., and 13 July 1928, 18, illus. & descrip.)
KING STREET EAST, at the southeast corner of Leader Lane, proposal for an 18 storey hotel, 1928, but not built (Toronto Daily Star, 31 Aug. 1928, 8, illus. & descrip.)
MAYFAIR APARTMENTS, Edmund Avenue at Avenue Road, near Edmund Avenue, at s.e. corner, a 5 storey apartment block, 1928; still standing in 2023 (Toronto Daily Star, 21 Sept. 1928, 8, detailed descrip.; C.R., xlii, 26 Sept. 1928, 1046); This project should not be confused with the Mayfair Mansions Apartments, located across the street at No. 400 Avenue Road, and designed by Herbert C. Roberts in 1931.
LOGAN AVENUE, near Danforth Avenue, residence for Harry Hague, c. 1929 (Home Builders Service Bureau, 1932 Home Builders Plan Book, illus.)
CANADIAN PAD & PAPER CO., Madison Avenue at Bridgeman Avenue, a large 4 storey factory, 1929 (Toronto Daily Star, 23 Nov. 1928, 8, illus. & descrip.; Toronto b.p., 10 Dec. 1928)
ST. EDMUNDS APARTMENTS, Edmund Avenue at Benvenuto Place, at s.w. corner, a 7 storey apartment block for Dr. Stanley Floyd, 1929-30; still standing in 2023 (Toronto Daily Star, 5 July 1929, 20, illus. & descrip.; and 29 Aug.1930, 29, illus. & descrip.; and 2 Jan. 1931, 27, descrip.; C.R., xlv, 5 Aug. 1931, 937-39, illus. & descrip.)
MILLER LITHOGRAPHIC CO., Adelaide Street West near Bathurst Street, printing plant, 1929 (C.R., xliii, 9 Jan. 1929, 49, t.c.)
NOBLE SCOTT CO. LTD., King Street West near Brant Street, printing plant, 1930 (Toronto Daily Star, 31 Jan. 1930, 32, illus. & detailed descrip.)
FLEXLUME SIGN CO., Queen Street East near Pape Avenue, major addition to factory, 1930 (Toronto Daily Star, 1 Aug. 1930, 25, illus.)
DUNDAS STREET EAST, near Jarvis Street, commercial block of stores and offices, for an unnamed client, 1931 (Toronto Daily Star, 13 Feb. 1931, 31, illus. & descrip.)
MUIRHEAD'S CAFETERIA, Yonge Street at Shuter Street (later called The Silver Rail Tavern), 1933-34; closed 1998 (Const., xxvii, May-June 1934, 64-69, illus. & descrip.; R.A.I.C. Journal, xi, Oct. 1934, vi, advert.)
H.R. BAIN & CO. LTD., Bay Street, south of Adelaide Street West, a four storey office building, 1935; demol. c. 1980 (Financial Post, 6 July 1935, 2, illus. in advert.)
KERR BROS. CANDY CO., Wolseley Street at Ryerson Avenue, 1936; still standing in 2023 (Toronto Daily Star, 2 Oct. 1936, 21; and 1 Dec. 1936, 11, descrip.)
WILLINGDON CRESCENT, residence for Archibald J. Armitage, 1937 (C.H.G., xv, June 1938, 46, illus.)
MAY STREET, residence for Fred A. Fielder, 1938 (C.H.G., xvi, March 1939, 23, illus.)
INTERNATIONAL HARVESTER CO., Bathurst Street at Wellington Street West, showroom and service depot, 1939; portion of the building and facade still standing in 2023 (Toronto Daily Star, 18 Sept. 1939, 24, illus.; and 20 Nov. 1939, 24, descrip.; Canadian Transportation, xliii, June 1940, 325-26, illus. & descrip.; R.A.I.C. Journal, xvii, May 1940, 80, illus.; Tim Morawetz, Art Deco Architecture Across Canada, 2017, 200-201, illus. & descrip.)
NORTH YORK, residence for Alice Innis, Cheltenham Avenue near Haslemere Avenue, 1938 (Toronto Daily Star, 2 Sept. 1938, 28, illus.)
NORTH YORK, residence for John S. Corrigan, Cheltenham Avenue, 1940 (R.A.I.C. Journal, xviii, May 1941, 85, illus.)
NEVILLE PARK BOULEVARD, near the waterfront beach, residence for J. Neil Kennedy, at No. 7 Neville Park Boulevard, 1942; still standing in 2024 (dwgs. at City of Toronto Archives, Fonds 200, Series 410, File 967)
CANADIAN PAD & PAPER CO., Bowie Avenue, factory, 1946-47 (Financial Post [Toronto], 27 Sept. 1947, 13; R.A.I.C. Journal, xxvii, June 1950, 201, illus.)
ARGONAUT ROWING CLUB, Lakeshore Road West at Dowling Avenue, boathouse, 1949 (Toronto b.p., 25 Aug. 1949)
ETOBICOKE, ONT, factory for Thor Canadian Co., 1950 (C.R., lxiii, July 1950, 128)
N.A. ARMSTRONG (works elsewhere)
BRANTFORD, ONT., department store for L.R. Steel Co., Colborne Street at Queen Street,1922 (C.R., xxxvi, 18 Jan 1922, 56)
HAMILTON, ONT., department store for L.R. Steel Co., King Street East, 1922 (C.R., xxvi, 17 May 1922, 140)
CLEAR LAKE, ONT., residence for Percy C. Deeble, 1922 (C.R., xxxvi, 14 June 1922, 59)
LONDON, ONT., Bowles Lunch, Dundas Street, 1927 (Canadian Hotel Review, vi, Feb. 1928, 26, 63, illus.)
OSHAWA, ONT., The Alger Building, King Street East, a 4 storey block, 1928 (Toronto Daily Star, 27 Jan. 1928, 8, Daily Commercial News, 28 Jan. 1928, 1, illus.)
THORNHILL, ONT., conversion of the historic Cruickshank Home to a residence for Charles T. Heintzman, Yonge Street North on the Willcocks farm site, 1930 (Toronto Daily Star, 26 March 1930, 33, illus. & descrip.; and 23 Jan. 1931, 31, descrip.; R.A.I.C. Journal, ix, March 1932, x, illus. in advert.)
SUDBURY, ONT., a 3 storey retail block for A. Silverman, Durham Street,1929-30 (Toronto Daily Star, 2 Aug. 1929, 16, descrip.; C.R., xliii, 21 Aug. 1929, 97)
STREETSVILLE, ONT., 'Flying Goose Farm', the residence of B.L. Smith, 1940 (C.H.G., xviii, March 1941, 32, illus.)
OAKVILLE, ONT., residence for William G. Armstrong, Dundas Street North, 1945 (R.A.I.C. Journal, xxii, July 1945, 143, illus.)
OAKVILLE, ONT., residence for Mrs. William T. Merry, Dundas Street North, 1945 (C.H.G., xxii, Sept. 1945, 17, illus.)
OAKVILLE, ONT., residence for R.W. Clark, Douglas Avenue, 1946 (C.H.G., xxiii, May 1946, 21, illus.)
PORT CREDIT, ONT., residence for S.R. McBride, Glenburnie Road, 1946 (C.H.G., xxiii, June 1946, 22, illus.)
BRAMPTON, ONT., factory for Dixie Cup Co. Ltd., 1948 (C.R., lxi, Sept. 1948, 132)
OAKVILLE, ONT., Trafalgar Township Town Hall, 1948-49 (Acton Free Press, 30 Dec. 1948, 8)
OAKVILLE, ONT., residence for Cedric Hitchcox, Sheddon Avenue, 1949 (C.H.G., xxvi, June 1949, 26, illus.)
KLIENBURG, ONT., residence for J.F. Lynett, 1949 (C.H.G., xxvi, Nov. 1949, 37, illus.)
SARNIA, ONT., Canadian Bank of Commerce, Front Street North at Lochiel Street, 1951; converted to offices; still standing in 2023 (inf. Lambton County Archives; inf. Ian Mason, Sarnia)
COMPETITIONS
ETOBICOKE, ONT., The Public Library for the village of New Toronto, 1926. Armstrong was one of four architects invited to submit a design for this local library branch (dwgs. at Toronto Public Library Archives, New Toronto Public Library, Fonds 17, Series 6, Box 3; inf. Barbara Myrvold, Toronto Public Library). The winner was Walter Grayson-Brown.