GRAY, George (1841-1926) was born at Falkirk, Scotland on 26 December 1841 and was educated and trained there, serving an apprenticeship in the building trade and studying architecture in Glasgow. In 1869 he emigrated to Canada and worked in Guelph, Ont. for two years as a builder and architect. Gray moved to Harriston, Ont. in 1871 and remained there for the next forty years operating the Harriston Planing Mills on Mill Street. He also took an interest in preparing plans for buildings, working in Harriston and in surrounding towns in Wellington County, and although local directories list him variously as 'carpenter', 'planing mill operator' or 'cigar box manufacturer' his name appears repeatedly as an architect for residences, factories and institutional buildings in the Canadian Contract Record from 1890 until after 1910. Gray assimilated the conventions of the Queen Anne and Beaux-Arts styles and interpreted these in simple and modest ways for private residences and for several classically inspired designs for Carnegie library buildings. His Romanesque Revival scheme for the Town Hall at Drayton was a bold composition but lacks the refinement and attention to detail found in similar instituitional buildings of the time in the larger towns such as Guelph and Kitchener. Gray was active in local politics in Harriston serving as reeve in 1884 and as Mayor of the town in 1887-88. In 1903 he formed a business partnership with his son John who continued the firm of George Gray & Son. Gray died in Harriston on 17 April 1926 (obituary in the Confederate & Representative (Mount Forest), 22 April 1926, 8; 29 April 1926, 6; biography in the Illustrated Historical Atlas of Wellington County, 1906, 30)
HARRISTON
COLLISON'S HOTEL, Elora Street, 1876 (Guelph Daily Mercury, 31 March 1876, 1)
HARRISTON BUTTER & CHEESE CO., creamery building, 1892 (C.R., iii, 15 Oct. 1892, 2)
FROST & WOOD, implement warehouse, 1893 (C.R., iv, 2 March 1893, 2)
residence for John Scarff, 1893 (C.R., iv, 2 March 1893, 2)
residence for Rev. J.P. Doherty, 1893 (C.R., iv, 2 March 1893, 2)
residence for A.J. Stewart, 1894 (C.R., v, 15 March 1894, 1)
residence for R.G. Lambert, 1895 (C.R., vi, 2 May 1895, 4)
residence for George Fulton, 1895 (C.R., vi, 2 May 1895, 4)
residence for E. Johnston, 1895 (C.R., vi, 2 May 1895, 4)
residence for William Symon, 1895 (C.R., vi, 13 June 1895, 1)
I.O.O.F. HALL, for the International Order of Odd Fellows, Harriston Lodge, 1896 (C.R., vi, 9 Jan. 1896, 2)
ELORA STREET, commercial block for John Bradley, 1896 (C.R., vii, 5 March 1896, 2)
ELORA STREET, commercial block for the Joseph Meiklejohn estate, 1896 (C.R., vii, 5 March 1896, 2)
residence for F. Beck, 1896 (C.R., vii, 5 March 1896, 2)
leather warehouse for F. Beck, 1896 (C.R., vii, 5 March 1896, 2)
residence for James Symon, 1897 (C.R., viii, 9 Sept. 1897, 2)
residence for E. Atchison, reeve of Minto Township, 1897 (C.R., viii, 9 Sept. 1897, 2)
residence for George Fulton, 1897 (C.R., viii, 4 Nov. 1897, 3)
residence for R.F. Dale, 1898 (C.R., ix, 18 May 1898, 6)
(with W.R. Perrin) HARRISTON PORK PACKING CO., meat packing plant, 1899 (C.R., ix, 25 Jan. 1899, 4)
NORTHERN HOTEL, remodelling of hotel for a factory, 1900 (C.R., xi, 7 Feb. 1900, 2)
ELORA STREET, commercial block for Ald. R. Dale, 1900 (C.R., xi, 14 Feb. 1900, 2)
PUBLIC SCHOOL, major addition, 1900 (C.R., xi, 14 Feb. 1900, 2)
TOWN HALL, Elora Street, 1916 (Canada, Town Halls of Canada, 1987, 287)
ELSEWHERE
ELIZABETHTOWN TOWNSHIP, Township Hall at New Dublin, Ont., 1890 (Canada, Town Halls of Canada, 1987, 284)
WIARTON, ONT., St. Paul's Presbyterian Church, Gould Street at George Street, 1891-92; and manse, 1902; all still standing in 2022 (C.R., xiii, 9 April 1902, 2; Historical Sketch of St. Paul's Presbyterian Church, Wiarton 1879-1929, 6, illus.)
GUELPH, ONT., hospital in connection with the Wellington County Poor House, 1892 (C.R., xxx, 20 Feb. 1892, 1)
ROTHSAY, ONT., St. James Anglican Church, Head Street at James Street North, 1892; church closed October 1951, but building still standing in 2022 (C.R., iii, 28 May 1892, 1)
ARTHUR, ONT., Methodist Church [now United Church], Smith Street at Frederick Street East, 1892; still standing in 2022 (Enterprise-News [Arthur], 7 February 1979; inf. Mrs. W. Culp, Kenilworth)
HOWICK TOWNSHIP, school for Section No. 11, 1893 (C.R., iv, 2 March 1893, 2)
FERGUS, ONT., St. James Anglican Church, Queen Street East near St. David Street North, 1893; altered; still standing in 2022 (C.R., iv, 28 Sept. 1893, 1)
AYTON, ONT., flour mill and elevator for the Wenger Brothers, 1895 (C.R., vi, 25 April 1895, 2)
MINTO TOWNSHIP, residence for Robert Fallis, 1895 (C.R., vi, 2 May 1895, 4)
WEST LUTHER TOWNSHIP, residence for John McNab, 1895 (C.R., vi, 2 May 1895, 4)
WEST LUTHER TOWNSHIP, residence for N. Bechnele, 1895 (C.R., vi, 2 May 1895, 4)
ARTHUR, ONT., hotel for E.J. O'Callahan 'on the site of the old Ontario House Hotel', 1897 (C.R., xiii, 1 April 1897, 1)
LION'S HEAD, ONT., Eastnor Township Hall, Main Street, 1898 (C.R., ix, 18 May 1898, 6)
MARYBOROUGH TOWNSHIP, residence for John Noble, 1898 (C.R., ix, 18 May 1898, 6)
ABOYNE, ONT., power and electric light station on the Grand River, 1898 (C.R., ix, 18 May 1898, 2)
ABOYNE, ONT., linseed oil mill for John McGowan, 1899 (C.R., x, 15 Feb. 1899, 2)
FORDWICH, ONT., public school, 1900 (C.R., xi, 28 Feb. 1900, 4)
MARYBOROUGH TOWNSHIP, School for Section No. 4, 1900 (C.R., xi, 28 Feb. 1900, 4)
WALKERTON, ONT., residence for John Rowland, Jackson Street South, 1901 (Ruth Cathcart, The Architecture of a Provincial Society: Houses of Bruce County 1850-1900, 1999, 186-7, illus. & descrip., but incorrectly attributed to "the architect Rob Gray" [sic]; inf. from Dale E.A. Wilson, Walkerton)
DRAYTON, ONT., Town Hall, Wellington Street South at Spring Street, 1902; converted to Drayton Festival Theatre, still standing in 2022 (C.R., xiii, 26 March 1902, 4)
GRAND VALLEY, ONT., St. Alban's Anglican Church, tower and additions, 1902; destroyed by tornado 1985; rebuilt (C.R., xiii, 2 April 1902, 6)
WALKERTON, ONT., residence for Judge William Barrett, South Street, 1903; altered c. 1955 (C.R., xiv, 27 May 1903, 2, t.c.)
PALMERSTON, ONT., St. Mary's Roman Catholic Church, Main Street East at White's Road, 1909; still standing in 2022 (C.R., xxiii, 17 Feb. 1909, 20, t.c.)
GRAND VALLEY, ONT., Carnegie Library, 1911; destroyed by tornado 1985 (C.R., xxv, 15 March 1911, 53; M. Beckman, The Best Gift, 1984, 41, illus.)
MOUNT FOREST, ONT., Carnegie Library, Main Street North, near Wellington Street East, 1912; restored in 2021-22; still standing in 2022 (Memories of Mount Forest, 1927, 126-7, illus.; M. Beckman, The Best Gift, 1984, 123, 130, illus.)
WALKERTON, ONT., Carnegie Library, Durham Street East at Colborne Street South, 1912; still standing in 2022 (M. Beckman, The Best Gift, 1984, 185)
DRAYTON, ONT., St. Martin's Roman Catholic Church, Union Street at Spring Street, 1912; still standing in 2022 (C.R., xxvi, 13 March 1912, 66)