William George Storm
Introduction '''William George Storm''' (1826–1892) was a Canadian architect who designed a number of prominent monuments in Toronto, Ontario.He was born in England and immigrated to Canada while still a child and was raised in Cobourg, Ontario. His father was a contractor and introduced him to the building trade. He apprenticed first under William Thomas and then under Frederick William Cumberland. Storm and Cumberland eventually formed a partnership, and the firm became one of the most prominent in nineteenth century Toronto. The firm won many of the city's most important commissions, including expanding Osgoode Hall, the chapel of St. James-the-Less, the tower of St. James Cathedral, and University College.Storm and Cumberland's partnership dissolved in acrimony in 1871.Storm also encountered serious health problems that left him without work and confined to hospital. A friendship with Emerson Coatsworth gained Storm commission to design new elementary schools across the city. One of these buildings, today Inglenook Community High School, survives today. He then won a commission to build St. Andrew's Church. Perhaps his most noted building is the Richardsonian Romanesque main building for Victoria College.Storm was a leading Mason and was Master of St. Andrew's Lodge No. 16 in 1858 and 1859.He was also a founder of the local Commandery of Knights Templar. Masonic symbolism is incorporated into a number of his structures. He was also a founding member of the Ontario Association of Architects, and served as its first president. He was a founding member of the Royal Canadian Academy of Arts.He died suddenly of a stroke in 1892.
Works BuildingYear CompletedBuilderStyleSourceLocationImage Louis B. Stewart Observatory/Toronto Magnetic and Meteorological Observatory 1853–1857 Frederick William Cumberland and William George Storm Romanesque W, 15 12 Hart House Circle - University of Toronto - Kings College Circle 100px University College, University of Toronto 1856–1859 Frederick William Cumberland and William George Storm; David Dick (1892) Norman Romanesque 15 15 King's College Circle 100px University College, University of Toronto Croft House 1859 Frederick William Cumberland (Design) William George Storm;  Norman Romanesque 2 Kings College Circle, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario  100px Former Upper Canada College campus (1854); additions to Resident School House, 1856; new Porter's Lodge, Bursar's Office, gates, fences and outbuildings (1857)   1854-7 Frederick William Cumberland  and William George Storm Gothic Revival architecture King and Simcoe Streets in downtown Toronto100px  Chapel of St. James-the-Less, St. James Cemetery (Toronto) 1860 Frederick William Cumberland and William George Storm (Design) Romanesque 2 Parliament Street, Toronto, Ontario  100px St. Andrew's Church (Toronto) 1876 William George Storm Romanesque 73 Simcoe Street, Toronto, Ontario  100px Osgoode Hall wrought iron fence (1865–66); Examination Hall & Classrooms (1880–81); Law School (1890)  various William George Storm Romanesque Toronto, Ontario 100px Rotman's Men's Shops 1890 William George Storm Romanesque 350-358 Spadina Avenue, Toronto, Ontario  Victoria College 1892 William George Storm Romanesque University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario  100px Inglenook Community High School 1890s William George Storm Romanesque  Toronto, Ontario  Inglenook Community High School
References * Storm, William George Dictionary of Canadian Biography.