Susanna McLeod
Special to Ontario Construction News
Considered one of the first professional architects in Ontario, John Howard arrived in Upper Canada with the name John Corby. He brought a wealth of talents to his new homeland. Designing all types of buildings in eastern Ontario, Howard’s greatest accomplishment was the massive Provincial Lunatic Asylum at Toronto.
One in the family of seven children, John Corby was born on July 27, 1803, at Bengeo, Hertfordshire, England. Attending boarding school, he then delved into several years of career exploration. Taking to the sea for two years, Corby next took up carpentry and joinery. “In 1824 he was articled for three years to a London architect, William Ford,” said Edith G. Firth in Dictionary of Canadian Biography, Vol. 11 (University of Toronto/Université Laval, 1982). Adding civil engineering to his resume, Corby was “resident engineer on the Cromford Canal in Derbyshire.” In 1827, the busy engineer married Jemima Meikle (1802-1877).
In 1832, the architect and his wife sailed for Canada, and settled in Toronto, then called York. Corby discovered that he was a member of the 4th Duke of Norfolk’s family, later “claiming direct descent from Thomas Howard,” according to Firth. Changing his name, he was now John George Howard.
Teaching technical drawing at Upper Canada College from 1833 to 1856, Howard “did some professional work at the college so that the students could view of practical side,” Firth said. Commissioned to prepare plans for a small church, Howard’s drawings were copied and shared throughout the vast Diocese of Quebec, including eastern Ontario.
Receiving commissions through to the 1940s, Howard designed churches, homes, commercial, industrial buildings, and a bank, in Toronto. His drawings came to life in churches at Dundas, Port Hope, Tyendinaga Township, and several more in Ontario. Brockville’s Johnstown District Court House and Jail, Perth’s Court House and Jail, and banks at Hamilton bear his stamp, as did a home and college in Quebec. Working in Georgian to Victorian style, Howard leaned toward neoclassical architectural design.
Entering provincial competitions, the architect won prizes and commissions. (Prizes ranged from £50 for first runner-up, to £15 for third place.) While most were not built, one winning commission in Toronto was constructed; the expansive Provincial Lunatic Asylum became his momentous major work.
Construction of the facility “began in 1846 and the asylum officially received its first patients on January 26, 1850. The building was regarded as a modern facility, equipped with central heating, mechanical ventilation, and indoor plumbing,” according to Agatha Barc in “The History of Toronto Lunatic Asylum,” BlogTO, October 15, 2022. “The main cupola over the front entrance contained a water tank. The landscape was also carefully laid out.” Wings were added between 1866 and 1870, designed by architect Kivas Tully.
Adding another element, Howard was appointed city surveyor, holding the post from 1843 to 1855. “In that capacity,” noted The Cultural Landscape Foundation (TCLF), he “laid out sidewalks, streets, and bridges, as well as the Esplanade along the waterfront.” Moving into landscape architecture, Howard planned the charming and tranquil park-like setting at St. James Cemetery in Toronto. The architect “also designed the paths and carriageway fronting Osgoode Hall.”
Purchasing a 165-acre parcel of land that reached from Lakeshore Road to Bloor Street for their country estate in 1836, Howard and his wife Jemima built a small villa. The style was “popularized in Britain at the beginning of the 19th century,” mentioned Firth. The home was also used as residence for Howard’s architectural students, paying £100 for four years of training. Other duties were included. Apprentice William Boultby’s wife “was required to see to his (Howard’s) clothing and laundry,” as recorded in the agreement.
In 1873, the couple deeded 120 acres of land to the city of Toronto as public park space, known as High Park. In return, the couple received $1,200 annually and could continue to live there for the rest of their lives. “The park must be kept in a natural state,” according to the deed, and “drinking alcohol must not be allowed in the park,” wrote Kathleen Keefe in High Park Nature. The city later expanded the park space.
Howard and his wife were both watercolour artists. In 1847, he “was a founding member, vice-president, and treasurer of the Toronto Society of Arts,” said Firth. The couple painted scenes of the city and nature. The architect also kept journals which he published as a book in 1885, Incidents in the life of John G. Howard, esq., of Colborne Lodge. As well, over 700 architectural drawings by the prolific Howard have survived the test of time.
Remembered for his enthusiasm and leadership, John Howard died on February 3, 1890. He was buried alongside his wife in a special section of the grounds. Restored, the Howard residence is now a museum reflecting the history of Toronto’s thriving High Park.
Susanna McLeod is a Kingston-based writer specializing in Canadian history.
