Chapman and Oxley

The Royal Ontario Museum

Chapman and Oxley was a Toronto-based architectural firm that was responsible for designing a number of prominent buildings in the city during the 1920s and 1930s. Even with the departure of Chapman, the firm's last projects appeared to be in the late 1940s.

History

The firm was founded in 1919 by architects Alfred Hirschfelder Chapman (1875-1949) and James Morrow Oxley (1883-1957).

A.H. Chapman was born in Toronto to the Chapman family, owners of Grenadier Ice Company at Grenadier Pond (in what is now High Park) and Belle Ewart Ice Company (later as Chapmans Limited). Chapman apprenticed under architect Beaumont Jarvis (1864-1948). He then went to study architecture in Paris. From 1920 he was head of the family business, Chapmans Limited, which sold ice and fuel in Toronto. Chapman served as president of the Ontario Association of Architects for two consecutive periods, 1929 and 1930. Chapman retired in 1943 and died in 1949. He is buried at St. George's Church (Anglican) and Cemetery (Susan Sibbald Memorial Stone Church) in Sutton, Ontario.

Chapman's son Howard Dennison Chapman (1917-2014), also an architect, formed his own firm, Chapman and Hurst, and worked with Howard V. Walker on a number of buildings, such as the Riverdale Hospital, and on restoration projects in the 1980s (Koffler Student Centre, built by his father Alfred H. Chapman as Central Reference Library). Another son, Christopher Chapman (1927-2015), was a writer, director and cinematographer. His multi-award-winning documentary, "A Place to Stand", was nominated for two Oscars, winning one; Christopher's twin brother Francis Chapman (1927-2020) was also a noted filmmaker.

J.M. Oxley attended the University of Toronto as an engineering (applied sciences) student. He fought in World War I in the Canadian Expeditionary Force from 1915 to 1918. Oxley was also president of the Mississaugua Golf & Country Club from 1939 to 1940. He died in 1957.

Projects

A list of projects worked on by Chapman and Oxley:

Building	Year	Type	Notes
Toronto Harbour Commission Building	1919	Office building	Successor agency PortsToronto no longer is located in building
Sunnyside Bathing Pavilion	1922	Public pool	Still in operation
Palais Royale	1922	Dancehall	Built with Bishop; still in use as special events hall
330 Bay Street	1925	16 storey office tower	Now named as Northern Ontario Building
CNE Ontario Government Building	1925-1926	Exhibition Hall	Now houses Liberty Grand banquet and ballroom facility
Havergal College	1926	School	Still in operation
Maple Leaf Stadium	1926	Baseball stadium	Demolished 1968 and replaced with apartment buildings and gas station
National Building	1926	12 storey office building	Demolished in 2009 to make way for Bay Adelaide Centre
Crosse and Blackwell Building	1927	Television station	Later as CFMT Building and now simply as 545 Lakeshore Boulevard West
Princes' Gates, at Exhibition Place	1927	Arch gateway
Dominion Building (Toronto)	1927	12 storey office tower	Home to National Cash Register; later as City Hall Annex (City of Toronto government) and Ryerson Polytechnical Institute (now Toronto Metropolitan University); demolished 1977 after fire damaged the structure
Runnymede Theatre, Toronto	1927	Double screen atmospheric theatre	Closed 1998 and converted to Chapter's bookstore; bookstore closed in 2013 and became Shoppers Drug Mart in 2014.
Capitol Theatre, Cornwall, Ontario	1928	Single screen atmospheric theatre	Inner theatre designed by architect G.J. Mace; closed 1985 and demolished 1991
Old Toronto Star Building	1929	Office building	Demolished 1970 and now site of First Canadian Place
Sterling Tower	1929	21 storey office tower	Added to Toronto Heritage site in 1976
The Bay's Queen Street location	1929	9 storey department store addition	Houses the Arcadian Court and Robert Simpson Complex at the rear
Toronto Public Library Circulating Library	1930	Library	Now Koffler Student Centre, University of Toronto
Toronto Hydro Building (Carlton Street)	1931	Office building	With associate Albert E. Salisbury
Royal Ontario Museum	1933	Expansion wing	Mix of neo-Byzantine and Art Deco
Holy Blossom Temple	1938	Synagogue
O'Keefe Building	1938-1939	Office building	Built as head office for E. P. Taylor's Canadian Breweries Limited, then purchased by Ryerson Polytechnical Institute (now Toronto Metropolitan University) as a home for radio station CJRT and now home to the Chang School of Continuing Education
Bank of Montreal Building at King and Bay	1948	Bank building	Demolished 1972 (along with Old Toronto Star Building) for First Canadian Place

A list of work by Chapman or Oxley prior to the founding of their firm in 1919:

Building	Year	Type	Architects	Notes
Old Oakville Grammar School (291 Reynolds Street)	1908	School	Chapman	Later as Oakville Trafalgar High School (1946) and closed in 1993; 1942 and 1960s additions demolished after being acquired by Oakville-Trafalgar Memorial Hospital
Toronto Public Library Bloor-Gladstone Branch	1911-1913	library	Alfred H. Chapman & Robert B. McGiffin;	Renovated by Howard D Chapman 1975
Toronto Reference Library - St. George Street	1909	Library	Wickson & Gregg and A.H. Chapman	Now Koffler Student Centre, University of Toronto
Carnegie Library - Dundas, Ontario	1909	Library	Chapman and McGiffin	Now Carnegie Gallery
Rosedale Presbyterian Church, Toronto	1909	Church	Chapman and McGiffin	Christian Education building added 1955
Knox College (University of Toronto)	1912-15	University building	Chapman and McGiffin
Toronto Public Library Dovercourt Branch	1913	Library	Chapman and McGiffin
Carnegie Library - Barrie, Ontario	1915	Library	Chapman and McGiffin	Now MacLaren Arts Centre

See also

List of other Toronto architectural firms:

• Bregman + Hamann Architects
• Darling and Pearson
• WZMH Architects

References

• Christopher Chapman dies