Ruhland, John William

RUHLAND, John William (1833-1914), a native of Lunenburg, N.S., was an architect and builder who came to Halifax in the early 1850's and served an apprenticeship as a carpenter with David Calder. He became a junior partner in the firm of John McVean & Co., Builders, but this collaboration was dissolved by early May, 1865 (Halifax Express, 14 July 1865, 3). He may have been an employee of the talented Prince Edward Island architect David Stirling, for he is recorded in 1877 as his local Nova Scotia representative at the opening ceremony of Stirling's design for the Masonic Hall, Halifax (Times & Commercial Gazette [St. John's, Nfld.], 10 June 1877, l). He acted as builder and contractor in the Halifax area until 1885 when he began to add the title of 'architect' to his name. His first design appears to be that of the Baptist Church, LUNENBURG, N.S. (1885), the plans for which he prepared free of charge (E. Bliss, Masonic Grand Masters of the Jurisdiction of Nova Scotia 1738-1966). He is listed in Halifax City Directories as an architect and builder from 1890 until 1899, and Building Permit Application books at Halifax City Hall record him as the designer of large residences for Mrs. Gibson, South Street, HALIFAX, N.S. (City of Halifax b.p., 10 Dec. 1898), for Mrs. Delaney, Brunswick Street, HALIFAX, N.S. (City of Halifax b.p., 28 April 1899, and for Dr. Halliday, Hollis Street, HALIFAX, N.S. (City of Halifax b.p., 7 Dec. 1899). He left the Halifax area in 1900 and moved to Ninga, Manitoba where he died on 11 February 1914 (obituary in the Halifax Herald, 17 Feb. 1914, 11; biography in M. Rosinski, Architects of Nova Scotia: A Biographical Dictionary, 1994, 173-4; inf. G. Shutlak)