Architect. The son of Irish immigrants, he graduated first in his class in 1874 from the Toronto Mechanics' Institute, which had been established in 1830. For the following five years, he did an architectural apprenticeship. Upon completion, he initially partnered with another architect. In 1881, Lennox opted instead to establish his own firm in Toronto. He quickly became successful, particularly when he won the contract to design the Toronto City Hall. Now referred to as Old City Hall and a National Historic Site of Canada, it has a distinctive clock tower. The landmark building, which was to be home to the Toronto city council, took more than a decade to construct, starting in 1889 and not finishing until 1899. Due to delays and cost overruns, the city councillors denied Lennox's request for a plaque naming him as the architect. He retaliated by having stonemasons "sign" his name around the entire perimeter of the upper portion of the building. Lennox designed Casa Loma in Toronto as a residence for financier Sir Henry Mill Pellatt. Constructed between 1911 and 1914, it has been a museum since 1937. In all, Lennox designed more than seventy buildings in Toronto, many of them in the Richardson Romanesque style. This was particularly the case in The Annex portion of Toronto. From 1923 to 1929, E J Lennox also served as head of the Toronto Transit Commission.
Architect. The son of Irish immigrants, he graduated first in his class in 1874 from the Toronto Mechanics' Institute, which had been established in 1830. For the following five years, he did an architectural apprenticeship. Upon completion, he initially partnered with another architect. In 1881, Lennox opted instead to establish his own firm in Toronto. He quickly became successful, particularly when he won the contract to design the Toronto City Hall. Now referred to as Old City Hall and a National Historic Site of Canada, it has a distinctive clock tower. The landmark building, which was to be home to the Toronto city council, took more than a decade to construct, starting in 1889 and not finishing until 1899. Due to delays and cost overruns, the city councillors denied Lennox's request for a plaque naming him as the architect. He retaliated by having stonemasons "sign" his name around the entire perimeter of the upper portion of the building. Lennox designed Casa Loma in Toronto as a residence for financier Sir Henry Mill Pellatt. Constructed between 1911 and 1914, it has been a museum since 1937. In all, Lennox designed more than seventy buildings in Toronto, many of them in the Richardson Romanesque style. This was particularly the case in The Annex portion of Toronto. From 1923 to 1929, E J Lennox also served as head of the Toronto Transit Commission.
Bio by: Anne Philbrick
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See more Lennox memorials in:
Records on Ancestry
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