EDMISTON, William Somerville (1857-1903), son of the Scottish builder and contractor William T. Edmiston, was born in the Hutchesontown neighbourhood of Glasgow, Scotland on 10 November 1857. He emigrated to Canada in 1883 and settled at Clover Bar, Edmonton District, then moved to the city and became Edmonton's first practising architect in 1892 (Edmonton Bulletin, 16 June 1892, 1, advert.). In June 1893 he formed a partnership with Nathan G. Flater and continued to work with him until early 1899 when their office was dissolved. Edmiston was elected Mayor of Edmonton in 1898 and again in 1899 and his political activity may have hastened the demise of their practise. In May 1899 he formed another partnership with Henry D. Johnson, but this too was shortlived, and by March 1901 Johnson decided to start his own practice. Edmiston died in Edmonton on 23 July 1903 (obituary in the Edmonton Bulletin, 25 July 1903, 1; obituary Daily Herald [Calgary], 29 July 1903, 4; inf. from Dennis Person, Edmonton; Peter Arends, Ottawa)
(works in Edmonton unless noted)
W.S. EDMISTON
METHODIST CHURCH, 1892 (Edmonton Bulletin, 22 Aug. 1892, 1; Calgary Daily Herald, 26 Aug. 1892, 4, but incorrectly credited to " W.S. Edmonton [sic], Architect")
JASPER AVENUE, store for John Cameron, 1892-93 (Edmonton Bulletin, 30 March 1893, 3, descrip.)
JASPER AVENUE, commercial block on Block B, River Lot 10, for an unnamed client, 1893 (Edmonton Bulletin, 16 March 1893, 1, t.c.)
EDMISTON & FLATER
POSTAL STATION & OFFICE, Jasper Avenue, 1893 (Edmonton Bulletin, 8 June 1893, 2, descrip.)
ROSS BROTHERS LTD., Jasper Avenue, addition and alterations to retail store, 1893 (Edmonton Bulletin, 8 June 1893, 1, t.c.)
HARDISTY AVENUE, at 6th Street, residence for Dr. H.C. Wilson, 1893 (Edmonton Bulletin, 22 June 1893, 1, descrip.)
TOWN HALL & FIRE STATION, Fraser Avenue, 1893 (Edmonton Bulletin, 13 July 1893, 1, t.c.; 4 Jan. 1894, 3, descrip.)
METHODIST PARSONAGE, adjacent to the Methodist Church, 1893 (Edmonton Bulletin, 16 Aug. 1893, 1, t.c.)
OLIVER BLOCK, Jasper Avenue, for Frank Oliver, 1893 (Edmonton Bulletin, 31 Aug. 1893, 1, t.c.)
TAYLOR BLOCK, Jasper Avenue, for S.S. Taylor, 1893-94 (Edmonton Bulletin, 31 Aug. 1893, 1, t.c.; 15 Feb. 1894, 3, descrip.)
FORT SASKATCHEWAN, ALTA., store dwelling for Lindow & Grindley, 1893 (Edmonton Bulletin, 21 Sept. 1893, 1, t.c.)
unnamed street, residence for Inspector A.E. Snyder, 1893 (Edmonton Bulletin, 23 Oct. 1893, 1, t.c.)
EDMONTON BULLETIN BLOCK, Jasper Avenue, 1894 (Edmonton Bulletin, 12 March 1894, 1, t.c.; 22 Oct. 1894, 2, descrip.)
JACQUES CARTIER BANK, Jasper Avenue, 1894 (Edmonton Bulletin, 20 Sept. 1894, 1, t.c.)
POPLAR LAKE, ALTA., school house, 1895 (Edmonton Bulletin, 7 March 1895, 1, t.c.)
BRACKMAN & KER MILLING CO., a large mill building and grain elevator, 1895 (South Edmonton News [South Edmonton], 23 May 1895, 1, t.c.)
COLLEGE AVENUE SCHOOL, MacDonald Drive, 1895 (Edmonton Bulletin, 30 May 1895, 1, t.c.; M. Kostek, Looking Back: A Century of Education in Edmonton Public Schools, 1982, 42-3, illus.)
5th STREET, residence for Hedley C. Taylor, 1895 (Edmonton Bulletin, 23 Sept. 1895, 1, t.c.)
FORT SASKATCHEWAN, ALTA., manse for the Presbyterian Church, 1895 (Edmonton Bulletin, 10 Oct. 1895, 1, t.c.)
TURNIP LAKE, ALTA., school house, 1895 (Edmonton Bulletin, 25 Nov. 1895, 1, t.c.)
ALL SAINTS ANGLICAN CHURCH, Third Street, 1895; Sunday School, 1899 (Edmonton Bulletin, 29 Aug. 1895, 4; 9 Jan. 1896, 1, descrip.; 13 Nov. 1899, 3, descrip.)
KINISTINO AVENUE, cottage for R. Hockley, 1897(Edmonton Bulletin, 10 May 1897, 1, t.c.)
6th STREET, residence for Kenneth W. MacKenzie, Mayor, 1897 (Edmonton Bulletin, 13 May 1897, 1, t.c.)
ALBERTA HOTEL, Jasper Avenue at Fraser Street, a three storey brick hotel for A.E. Jackson and E.D. Grierson, 1897 (Edmonton Bulletin, 27 Sept. 1897, 1, descrip.)
McDOUGALL & SECORD, Jasper Avenue at 1st Street West, retail store, 1897 (Edmonton Bulletin, 11 Oct. 1897, 1, descrip.)
HUDSON'S BAY CO. STORE, Jasper Avenue West, major addition and alterations, 1898 (Edmonton Bulletin, 17 Jan. 1898, 1, t.c.)
GLORY HILLS, ALTA., school house, 1898 (Edmonton Bulletin, 7 Feb. 1898, 1, t.c.)
JASPER AVENUE EAST, store for Kenneth W. MacKenzie, 1898 (Edmonton Bulletin, 24 Feb. 1898, 1, t.c.)
EDMISTON & JOHNSON
RED DEER, ALTA., retail store for Stephen Wilson, 1899 (Edmonton Bulletin, 26 June 1899, Supplement, 1)
RED DEER, ALTA., St. Luke's Anglican Church, Gaetz Avenue at 54th Street, begun by Edmiston & Johnson in 1899-1900; second phase by Henry D. Johnson, 1904; completed by Johnson in 1905-06 (Edmonton Bulletin, 13 July 1899, 1, descrip.; Alberta, Red Deer Historical Walking Tours, 1990, p. 19, illus. & descrip.)
STRATHCONA, commercial block for John Walters, to be occupied as a retail store by James Douglas, Whyte Avenue, 1899 (Edmonton Bulletin, 13 July 1899, 1)
RED DEER, ALTA., hotel for T.F. Ellis, 1899 (C.R., x, 26 July 1899, 2)
CITY HOSPITAL, Kinistino Avenue, 1899 (Edmonton Bulletin, 7 Sept. 1899, 4, descrip.)
ROBERTSON HALL, major alterations to theatre, 1899 (Edmonton Bulletin, 13 Nov. 1899, 3, descrip.)
2nd STREET, residence for George T. Bragg, 1899 (Edmonton Bulletin, 8 May 1899, 4; 6 Nov. 1899, 2)
ROSS BROTHERS LTD., Jasper Avenue, retail store, 1900 (Edmonton Bulletin, 23 April 1900, 1)
3rd STREET, mansion for John A. MacDougall, 1900; demol. 1974 (Edmonton Bulletin, 23 April 1900, 1)
PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH, Jasper Avenue at 3rd Street, 1900 (Edmonton Bulletin, 13 Aug. 1900, 1, t.c.)
QUEEN'S AVENUE SCHOOL, Queen's Avenue, 1901; demol. 1949 (C.R., xii, 27 March 1901, 2)