William Henderson (architect)

William Henderson (February 26, 1837 – September 24, 1931) was a Scottish-born architect who mainly worked in Canada. He was the Resident Architect for the Department of Public Works in British Columbia.

William Henderson
Born	(1837-02-26)February 26, 1837 Aberdeenshire Scotland
Died	September 24, 1931(1931-09-24) (aged 94) British Columbia, Canada
Occupation	Architect
Notable work	Government House (Saskatchewan)
Family	Henderson family

Life and career

Henderson was born in Lonmay, Aberdeenshire, to a family of architects. He became a stone cutter at the age of 13, and in 1857, he emigrated to Canada. In 1861 he moved back to Scotland, where he married his first wife, Mary Jane Smith. They had three children together, including Stuart Alexander Henderson and Gordon Smith Henderson.

In 1872 he moved back to Ottawa as an overseer for the Federal department of public works in Canada. Henderson remained in government until 1887, when he started his own general construction business. During this time, he completed independent commissions for new buildings in Regina and Qu'Appelle. In 1896 he was appointed Resident Architect for the Territories and, in June 1897, became Resident Architect for the Dept. of Public Works for British Columbia. This position meant he was responsible as site supervisor for all federal buildings being built in the province. He held that position until he retired in 1925.

In public life, he was an alderman at Oak Bay from 1906–08 and later a reeve. He was the Grand Master of the Masonic Lodge British Columbia in 1913. He died in 1931.

Legacy

A biographer described Henderson as " highly respected and admired, and his record in public life, as well as his efforts in behalf of all movements tending towards the moral uplift of the community, places him in the foremost rank of Victoria's estimable citizens." Henderson Hall and Henderson road in Oak Bay were both named for him.

Structures

Independent

Government House, Regina, Saskatchewan

Location	Building	Date
Qu'Appelle Station	St Peters Anglican Church	1885
Regina	Government House	1889
Moose Jaw	Public School	1890
Qu'Appelle	Two storey commercial block for Alexander McKenzie	1893
New Westminster	Parish Hall for Holy Trinity Anglican Cathedral	1902
Lethbridge	Hotel Lethbridge	1903
Oak Bay	Residence for the Architect	1910
Oak Bay	St. Columba Presbyterian Church	1914

Government

Location	Building	Date
William Head	Quarantine Station	1905
Osoyoos	Customs house	1906-07
Victoria	Detention Building	1907-08
Revelstoke	Post Office and Government Offices	1911
Duncan	Post Office and Indian Affairs Building	1912-13
Union Bay	Dominion Public Building	1913
Port Alberni	Dominion Public Building	1914-1915

Descendants

William Henderson (26 February 1837 – 24 September 1931) m. Mary Jane Smith (1862–1904), Caroline D'Aguilar (1917–1931)

• • Stuart Alexander Henderson (19 September 1863 – 17 February 1945) m. Alice London (1890–), Mary Jane Losh (1904–)
  • Dr. Gordon Smith Henderson KC (10 July 1866 – 16 July 1938) m. Charlotte Stratton
    • Gordon F. Henderson CC QC (17 April 1912 – 17 August 1993) m. Joan Parkins (1942–1993)
      • Joanne Nelson (1946) m. Robert Nelson of the Nelson family
        • Meredith Nelson
        • Gregor Nelson
        • Gordon Nelson
      • Gordon Henderson
        • Stuart Henderson
        • Kate Henderson
        • Elizabeth Henderson
      • Robert Henderson
        • Ceilidh Henderson
        • Meghan Henderson
        • Quinn Henderson
  • Mary Jane Henderson (23 December 1870 – 13 August 1919) m. William Cruckshank, Claude Rogers