DEMAR, Edward (1864 - 1922) of Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan, USA teamed up with Robert Murdoch of Sault Ste. Marie, Ont. to form a cross-border partnership in 1907 and they designed the Carnegie Library, Queen Street, Sault Ste. Marie. The library building was actually a complete reconstruction of the former City Hall, originally designed in 1902 by H.R. Halton and gutted by fire in 1907. Demar was born at Rouses Point, N.Y. on 10 July 1864 and was brought to Toronto by his family in 1870. He was educated and trained there before moving to Winnipeg in 1883. He worked for himself in Brandon, Man. and Regina, Sask. in 1884, then moved to Marquette, Mich. in 1886 and in 1891 he opened an office there in partnership with Andrew W. Lovejoy (as Lovejoy & Demar, Architects). In 1898 he was invited to join the partnership of Charlton & Gilbert, architects of Marquette, and the new firm of Charlton, Gilbert & Demar maintained offices in Hancock, Mich., Marquette, Mich., Sault Ste. Marie, Mich, and Demar moved to Milwaukee to operate their branch office there from 1899 to 1901.
In late 1901 Demar commenced practise in Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan where he designed the Masonic Temple, the Newton Block, the Presbyterian Church, Loretto Academy and the Adams Block (1903). In c. 1907 he joined Robert Murdoch of Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario in a partnership which remained active until at least 1913. In 1909 Demar & Murdoch prepared the plans for the public school at Thessalon, Ontario, a work likely designed by Robert Murdoch. A biography of Demar can be found in A.L. Sawyer, History of the Northern Peninsula of Michigan and Its People, 1911, Vol. iii, 1267-68. Demar died at Berkeley, Calif. on 27 April 1922.
DEMAR & MURDOCH
SAULT STE. MARIE, ONT., Carnegie Library, Queen Street, 1908; demol. 1975 (M. Beckman, The Best Gift, 1984, 185)
THESSALON, ONT., public school, 1909 (C.R., xxiii, 9 June 1909, 22)
SAULT STE. MARIE, ONT., public school on Bruce Hill, 1910 (Sault Star, 21 July 1910, 4, t.c.)
KORAH, ONT., public school for S.S. No. 4, 1910 (Sault Star, 28 July 1910, 4, t.c.)
KING EDWARD PUBLIC SCHOOL, major addition, 1912, a commission won in a competition (Sault Star, 18 April 1912, 6)
ALEXANDER MUIR PUBLIC SCHOOL, major addition of a new second floor, 1912 (Sault Star, 18 April 1912, 6; and 3 July 1912, 6)
COMPETITIONS
SAULT STE. MARIE, ONT., a new ten room school, on the site of the existing Central School, 1912 (Sault Star, 23 May 1912, 2). Demar & Murdoch were one of five local firms who submitted designs for this project, but it is unclear who the winner was.