GOFF, Thomas Hargrave (1854-1904) was active in Woodstock, Ontario from 1879 until 1883-84. Born in Quebec in 1854, he was educated there but in 1872, at the age of 18 years, he moved to western Canada to serve an apprenticeship as a stair builder and carpenter. He spent four years in training, then took up the study of architecture and followed it for five years while continuing his work as a carpenter. In 1878 he received the appointment of County Architect for Oxford County in Woodstock, and he designed several commercial, ecclesiastical and residential buildings in the Woodstock area before moving to Toronto. In 1885 he was listed as 'architect, Toronto' who prepared the designs for barn, dairy and stables on the country estate of William Mulock, M.P., located on Yonge Street in York County, north of Toronto (Newmarket Era, 15 May 1885, 2, t.c.).
Goff then moved to Chicago in late 1885, but was not pleased with business prospects, and he moved again, this time to Los Angeles, arriving there on 9 April 1886 and starting his own office in late 1886 (see the Los Angeles Herald, 25 Dec. 1886, 7, advert.; with biog. 9 Jan. 1887, 5). He won the competition for an important hotel project in nearby Santa Ana, Calif., and he won another competition for a new hotel in San Bernardino.
With this work secured, he moved there permanently in early 1887. In San Bernardino, he was immediately successful, and '..with his superb work [he] has proven himself to be one of the ablest and most successful architects in the State' (Daily Courier [San Bernardino], 29 June 1888, 5). His credits included designs for the Stewart Hotel, the federal Post Office, the Byrne residence, the Wilkins mansion, the Anderson-Harris Block, the Otis Block, the Terracina Hotel, as well as the Brunswick Hotel in nearby Santa Ana, Calif. A summary of Goff’s career in San Bernardino up to 1888 appeared in the Daily Courier [San Bernardino], 29 June 1888, 5, and was reproduced in the Sentinel Review [Woodstock], 10 July 1888, 1. In June 1888 he formed a partnership with George Fyfe, a talented young British architect who had trained under R. Norman Shaw, a leading architect in London, and it was Fyfe who later worked as an assistant to Charles Shoppee, FRIBA in London, and for Burnham & Root in Chicago. The collaboration between Goff and Fyfe appeared to be a promising one. However, in less than two years, the partnership of Goff & Fyfe had ended, and was dissolved by mutual consent on 13 August 1889.
Goff then opened his own office in San Bernardino and sustained a successful practise under his own name until his death in 1904. In 1890, he was appointed Supervising Architect of the California State Asylum at Highland, Calif. and he held this post for nearly a decade. He also was elected as State Assemblyman to the California Legislature in 1897, representing the District of San Bernardino. Much of his work after 1900 was for commercial and residential commissions in the San Bernardino region. Goff died in Los Angeles on 19 April 1904 (obituary San Bernardino Daily Sun, 20 April 1904, 3; and 21 April 1904, 9; article on Will & Estate, 28 April 1904, 4; obituary Montreal Daily Star, 3 May 1904, 6, which states that he was "...formerly well-known in Montreal"; biography of Goff in the Daily Sun [San Bernardino], 28 Sept. 1896, 4).
T.H. GOFF (works in Woodstock unless noted)
PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH, 1879 (Sentinel-Review [Woodstock], 10 Oct. 1879, 1)
PRINCETON, ONT., a brick church, 1880 (Sentinel-Review [Woodstock], 12 March 1880, 4, t.c.)
DELHI, ONT., a brick church, 1880 (Sentinel-Review [Woodstock], 2 April 1880, 4, t.c.)
BUTLER STREET, at Vansittart Street, residence for John Forbes, 1881 (Sentinel-Review [Woodstock], 4 Nov. 1881, 4, descrip.)
BULLER STREET, double house for T.H. Parker, 1881 (Sentinel-Review [Woodstock], 4 Nov. 1881, 4)
LIGHT STREET, residence for John G. Short, 1881 (Sentinel-Review [Woodstock], 4 Nov. 1881, 4)
GRAHAM STREET, addition to residence for Asa Hall, 1881 (Sentinel-Review [Woodstock], 4 Nov. 1881, 4)
BULLER STREET, at Graham Street, two houses for John Cameron, 1881 (Sentinel-Review [Woodstock], 4 Nov. 1881, 4)
WELLINGTON STREET, at Adelaide Street, major addition to residence, with a glass conservatory, for H. Emigh, 1881 (Sentinel-Review [Woodstock], 4 Nov. 1881, 4)
JAMES HOLMES HARDWARE CO., Dundas Street, commercial block, 1881 (Sentinel-Review [Woodstock], 4 Nov. 1881, 4)
DUNDAS STREET, rebuilding of a block for J. & T. Grant Ltd., 1881 (Sentinel-Review [Woodstock], 4 Nov. 1881, 4)
BRANTFORD, ONT., Bow Park Farm, on Bow Park Road, extensive brick stables and barns, 1880-82 (Daily Expositor [Brantford], 23 July 1880, 4; and 5 Oct. 1880, 4, t.c.; Globe [Toronto], 25 Dec. 1885, 2, list of works by Goff; History of the County of Brant, 1883, 218-23, description of the Bow Park Farm buildings, but lacking attribution to the architect)
NEWMARKET, ONT., a model farm for William Mulock, M.P., "...midway between Aurora and Newmarket", including barn, stables, windmill and dairy buildings, 1885 (Globe [Toronto], 25 Dec. 1885, 2; Toronto Daily Mail, 25 Dec. 1885, 2, extensive descrip.; Newmarket Era, 8 Jan. 1886, 1, extensive descrip.)
BALSAM LAKE, ONT, in North Victoria County, a large farm complex for George Laidlaw, 1885 (Globe [Toronto], 25 Dec. 1885, 2; Toronto Daily Mail, 25 Dec. 1885, 2)
T.H. GOFF (works in San Bernardino, California and region 1887-1891)
SIXTH STREET, between E and F Street, a mansion for Matthew Byrne, 1887 (Daily Courier [San Bernardino], 24 April 1887, 4, detailed architectural descrip.)
STEWART HOTEL, Third Street at E Street, a four storey hotel, 1887-88 (Daily Courier [San Bernardino], 9 Feb. 1887, 5; and 26 July 1887, 4, detailed architectural descrip.; and 21 Jan. 1888, 5, descrip.)
unnamed street, residence for J.F. Hamilton, 1887 (Daily Courier [San Bernardino], 3 June 1887, 4)
unnamed street, residence for Mrs. R.J. Dougherty, 1887 (Daily Courier [San Bernardino], 3 June 1887, 4)
SECOND STREET, between G and H Street, mansion for James W. Waters, 1887 (Daily Courier [San Bernardino], 16 Aug. 1887, 4)
LUGONIA, CALIF., a residence for Major D.A. Shaw, “…on the road between San Bernardino and Lugonia", 1887 (Daily Courier [San Bernardino], 26 Aug. 1887, 4)
NINTH STREET, at G Street, large residence for W.J. Wilkins, 1887-88 (Daily Courier [San Bernardino], 30 Nov. 1887, 5)
UNITED STATES POST OFFICE BLOCK, E Street at Court Street, 1888 (Daily Courier [San Bernardino], 15 Jan. 1888, 5, descrip.; Building [New York], viii, 4 Feb. 1888, News Supplement, 8)
AGRICULTURAL FAIR GROUNDS, a large new pavilion, 1890, a commission won in a competition, for which Goff was given the First Prize of $75 against three other competitors (Daily Courier [San Bernardino], 16 July 1890, 3; and 15 Aug.. 1890, 3)
PUBLIC SCHOOL, to be built in brick, 1891 (Daily Courier [San Bernardino], 1 Feb. 1891, 4, t.c.)
HIGH SCHOOL, 1891 (Los Angeles Times, 5 Aug. 1891, 7, local news column on San Bernardino; Daily Courier [San Bernardino], 1 Oct. 1890, 3; and 1 Nov. 1891, 3)
SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA ASYLUM FOR INEBRIATES & INSANE, at Highlands, 1891-92 (The Kaleidoscope [San Bernardino], 7 May 1892, 8), and several additions including:
- major addition of a large new wing, 1894 (Los Angeles Herald, 4 Feb. 1894, 5, detailed architectural descrip.), and
- new Administration Building, 1896-97 (Redlands Facts [Redlands, Calif.], 9 Dec. 1896, 4; and 9 Jan. 1897, 1), and
- new Patient Ward building, 1896-97 (Reedley Exponent (Fresno County), 7 Jan. 1897, 2) ; and
- new Patient's Dining Hall, 1900 ( Daily Times Index [San Bernardino], 5 Feb. 1900, 2)
HARLEM SPRINGS, new public bath houses, 1896 (Los Angeles Herald, 18 Jan. 1896, 7)
D STREET, near 6th Street, residence for Joseph Rich, 1898 (Daily Times Index [San Bernardino], 8 July 1898, 8)
DAILY SUN NEWSPAPER CO., office and printing plant, 1900 (Daily Sun [San Bernardino], 7 Oct. 1900, 5, detailed descrip.)
T.H. GOFF (works in San Bernardino after 1900)
WEST FIRST STREET PUBLIC SCHOOL, 1901 (Daily Sun [San Bernardino], 23 Aug. 1901, 1)
FOURTH STREET PUBLIC SCHOOL, 1901 (Daily Sun [San Bernardino], 23 Aug. 1901, 1)
WARD BLOCK, south side of Third Street at E Street, a 2 storey block for John E. Ward, ".... next to the National Hotel", 1901 (Daily Sun [San Bernardino], 16 Oct. 1901, 8)
SIXTH STREET, at F Street, residence for Henry R. Levy, 1902 (Daily Sun [San Bernardino], 23 March 1902, 1, descrip.)
ODD FELLOWS HALL, Third Street, extensive alterations and improvements, 1902 (Daily Sun [San Bernardino], 9 March 1902, 5)
INGERSOLL & ESLER BLOCK, Third Street near E Street, retails stores and Lodge Hall, 1903 (San Bernardino Daily Sun, 9 March 1902, 5, descrip.; and 19 June 1903, Section Two, Street Fair Souvenir Edition, 10, illus. & descrip.)
D STREET, block for Albert E. Rudell and George W. Rudell, 1902 (San Bernardino Daily Sun, 9 March 1902, 5, descrip.)
COUNTY HOSPITAL, a large dormitory building “…for patients requiring special attention”, 1903 (San Bernardino Daily Sun, 27 May 1903, 6, descrip.)
RAINER BREWING CO., First Street at E. Street, bottling works, 1903 (Weekly Sun {San Bernardino], 10 July 1903, 2)
COURT STREET, at E Street, warehouse and shop for Anderson and the Drew Estate, to be occupied by Thomas Hadden Co., and located at the rear of the Boston Department Store, 1903 (Weekly Sun {San Bernardino], 18 Dec. 1903, 7)
WEST THIRD STREET, livery stables for J.I. Baxter and the Jacobs Estate, 1903 (Weekly Sun {San Bernardino], 18 Dec. 1903, 7)