DICK, Norman Bethune (1860-1895), son of Capt. James Dick of Toronto, was born there in April 1860 and served an apprenticeship with Smith & Gemmell. He worked in Cleveland, Ohio and then moved to Saint John, N.B. shortly after the Great Fire in June 1877 where he was employed as a draftsman. In May 1879 he returned to Toronto to commence his own practice and succeeded in obtaining important commissions for prestigious private clubs as well as for commercial buildings and schools in Toronto and in smaller towns nearby. In early 1889 he invited A. Frank Wickson to join him in a partnership. Wickson's impact was immediate. They took a progressive stance to introducing an eclectic range of fashionable styles in their Toronto commissions, including the Chateau style and Shingle Style for residences, and often made use of Jacobean or Dutch elements in ornate commercial facades such as the Alphonso Block (1891). Their most notable design (which was never built) was submitted in competition in 1892 for the Parliament Buildings in Victoria, B.C., and drew heavily on French Renaissance and medieval precedent (C.A.B., vi, July 1893, illus.). Their successful practice ended suddenly on 8 March 1895 when Dick died from the effects of consumption at the young age of 35, leaving Wickson to carry on the work of their office under his own name (obituary in C.A.B., viii, March 1895, 41; obituary in the Mail & Empire [Toronto], 12 March 1895, 10; Globe [Toronto], 11 March 1895, 8)
N.B. DICK
(works in Toronto unless noted)
GRANITE SKATING RINK, Church Street at Wellesley Street, 1880; Curling Rink, 1886; demol. (Mail [Toronto], 25 Nov. 1880, 8, descrip.; Globe [Toronto], 27 Nov. 1880, 8, descrip.; 7 Sept. 1886, 2, t.c.)
WOODSTOCK, ONT., commercial block of seven stores at Dundas Street and Finkle Street, 1880 (Globe [Toronto], 21 April 1880, 7, t.c.)
WOODSTOCK, ONT., a large hotel for James O'Neil, Simcoe Street at Finkle Street, 1880 (Globe [Toronto], 24 April 1880, 1, t.c.)
NIAGARA-ON-THE-LAKE, ONT., rebuilding of the Masonic Hall, 1880 (Globe [Toronto], 30 June 1880, 5, t.c.)
KING STREET EAST, at George Street, commercial block of four stores, 1880 (Globe [Toronto], 4 March 1881, 7, t.c.)
COBOURG, ONT., commercial block of twelve stores, King Street, 1881 (Globe [Toronto], 11 April 1881, 7, t.c.)
TORONTO ISLAND, outdoor swimming baths at the west side of the island, 1883; demol. (Globe [Toronto], 6 June 1883, 3, t.c.; 24 April 1884, 3, t.c.)
PARKDALE, boathouse at the foot of Jameson Avenue, 1883; demol. (Telegram [Toronto], 30 June 1883, 2, t.c.)
VICTORIA STREET SCHOOL, major additions and remodelling, 1883; demol. (Annual Report of the Inspector of the Public Schools of the City of Toronto, 1884, Appendix, 3)
DUKE STREET SCHOOL, Adelaide Street East near Sherbourne Street, 1887; demol. (Globe [Toronto], 15 Aug. 1887, 5, t.c.)
VICTORIA CLUB & SKATING RINK, Huron Street near Russell Street, 1888; demol. 1962 (Toronto World, 26 Sept. 1888, 4, descrip.)
DICK & WICKSON
OLIVET CONGREGATIONAL CHURCH, Hazelton Avenue at Scollard Street, 1890; still standing in 2022 (Globe [Toronto], 22 Feb. 1890, 11, illus. & descrip.; C.A.B., iii, Sept. 1890, illus.; J.R. Robertson, Landmarks of Toronto, iv, 1904, 486-8, illus.)
ELGIN BLOCK, Yonge Street near Richmond Street West, for J.L. Thompson, 1891; demol. (World [Toronto], 13 Jan. 1892, 3; C.A.B., vi, Jan. 1893, illus.; dwgs at OA, Horwood Coll., 407a)
ALFONSO BLOCK, Victoria Street near King Street East, 1891; demol. (C.A.B., iv, Nov. 1891, illus.)
ODDFELLOW'S HALL, Yonge Street at College Street, 1891-92; still standing in 2022 (C.R., ii, 31 Oct. 1891, 2)
QUEEN STREET WEST, near Lansdowne Avenue, commercial block of six stores, 1892 (Toronto, Land Titles Office, Plan 1047, Lots 1-6, Instrument 4897, record of Lien by the architects for unaid fees of $765.00, dated 26 Feb. 1892)
HOWARD STREET, near Sherbourne Street, residence for Joseph L. Thompson, 1892 (American Architect & Building News, xxxviii, 19 Nov. 1892, illus.)
CHURCH STREET, near The Esplanade, additions and alterations to warehouse for John Leckie, 1893 (C.R., iv, 16 March 1893, 2)
BROADVIEW CONGREGATIONAL CHURCH, Broadview Avenue near Kintyre Avenue, 1893 (C.A.B., vi, April 1893, illus.; ix, Aug. 1896, illus.)
AVENUE ROAD, near Balmoral Avenue, residence for Alfred J. Parker, 1893 (American Architect & Building News, xli, 2 Sept. 1893, illus.)
SCOLLARD STREET, row of three houses for an unnamed client, 1894 (C.A.B., x, May 1897, illus.)
HURON STREET, near Sussex Avenue, residence for Mrs. John H. Clarke, 1895 (Toronto b.p. 1849, 22 March 1895)
WELLINGTON STREET WEST, near Yonge Street, warehouse for Mary I. Gray, 1895 (Toronto b.p. 1857, 2 April 1895)
MARMADUKE RAWLINSON CO., St. Joseph Street at St. Nicholas Street, warehouses, 1895 (Toronto b.p. 1941, 17 June 1895)
SOUTH DRIVE, residence for James McLenaghen, 1896 (Toronto b.p. 3239, 18 July 1896; C.A.B., x, Jan. 1897, illus.)
ROYAL CANADIAN YACHT CLUB, on the lakefront at the foot of Lorne Street, clubhouse, 1894; burned 1896 and rebuilt; demol. c. 1950 (Toronto Daily Mail, 24 March 1894, 15, illus. & descrip.; C.A.B., ix, Aug. 1896, illus.; W. Dendy, Lost Toronto, 1978, 20-1, illus.)
ELORA, ONT., residence for James Archibald, 1896 (C.A.B., ix, Sept. 1896, illus.)
OAKVILLE, ONT., stable and coachman's house at the residence of Allan Chisholm, 1896 (C.A.B., ix, Dec. 1896, illus.)
AVENUE ROAD, at Bernard Avenue, residence for Henry Wickson, 1896 (C.A.B., x, June 1897, illus.)