Henry Langley was a Canadian architect

Architect

An architect is a person trained in the planning, design and oversight of the construction of buildings. To practice architecture means to offer or render services in connection with the design and construction of a building, or group of buildings and the space within the site surrounding the...

 based in Toronto

Toronto

Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...

. He was active from 1854 to 1907. Among the first architects born and trained in Canada, he was a founding members of the Royal Canadian Academy of Arts

Royal Canadian Academy of Arts

The Royal Canadian Academy of Arts is a Canadian arts-related institution founded in 1880, under the patronage of the Governor General of Canada, Sir John Douglas Sutherland Campbell, the Marquess of Lorne. Canadian landscape painter Homer Watson was a member and president of the Academy...

 in 1880 and was instrumental in establishing the Ontario Association of Architects in 1889. A conservative in architectural design, he is primarily known for designing numerous churches in the Toronto area, although he designed many secular buildings as well including residential, commercial and public buildings. Langley designed 70 churches throughout Ontario. He was the first chair of the Department of Architecture at the University of Toronto

University of Toronto

The University of Toronto is a public research university in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, situated on the grounds that surround Queen's Park. It was founded by royal charter in 1827 as King's College, the first institution of higher learning in Upper Canada...

 where he taught during the 1880s and 1890s.

Life and career

Langley's parents, William Langley and Esther Anderson, emigrated to Canada from Ireland in 1832. Born in Toronto, Langley received his general education from the Toronto Academy where part of his training included studying the principles of drawing. In early 1854 he became apprenticed to Scottish architect William Hay

William Hay (architect)

William Hay was a Scottish architect who was actively working internationally from 1842 to 1887. A specialist in gothic architecture, he is primarily known for his work on several churches and cathedrals. His most famous structure is the Bermuda Cathedral in Hamilton, Bermuda which he designed in...

, who was a specialist in gothic architecture

Gothic architecture

Gothic architecture is a style of architecture that flourished during the high and late medieval period. It evolved from Romanesque architecture and was succeeded by Renaissance architecture....

. During his seven-year apprenticeship, he worked with Hay on some of the oldest buildings and structures in Toronto, including St. Basil's Church, Toronto

St. Basil's Church, Toronto

St Basil’s Church is a Canadian Roman Catholic church located in Toronto, Ontario. In addition to being a parish church, it is the collegiate church of the University of St. Michael's College which is a Federated college of the University of Toronto...

 (1855–1856), two of the original buildings at the University of St. Michael's College

University of St. Michael's College

The University of St. Michael's College is a college of the University of Toronto, founded in 1852 by the Congregation of St. Basil of Annonay, France. While mainly an undergraduate college for liberal arts and sciences, St. Michael's retains its Roman Catholic affiliation through its postgraduate...

 (1856), and the Oaklands at De La Salle College

De La Salle College

De La Salle College may refer to:* De La Salle College, Malvern in Malvern, Victoria, Australia* De La Salle College in Ashfield, New South Wales, Australia* De La Salle College Waterford in Waterford, County Waterford, Ireland...

(1860) among other structures.

After Hay's departure from Toronto in 1861, Langly was invited in 1862 by Hay's partner, Thomas Gundry, to become his new partner. He accepted and quickly became the firm's primary designer with Gundry shouldering most of the business side of the company. His most important project during these years was the Government House

Government House (Ontario)

Government House was the official residence of the Lieutenant Governor of Upper Canada and Ontario, Canada. Four buildings were used for this purpose, none of which exist today, making Ontario one of four provinces to not have an official vice-regal residence....

 (1857–1859). In 1869 Gundry died, after which Langley spent the next four years working alone. However, he was assisted during those years by two talented apprentices who later became well known architects in Toronto: Frank Darling

Frank Darling (architect)

Frank Darling was a Canadian architect and key player in buildings built in Toronto during the early 20th century and promoter of the Beaux-Arts style.-Life and career:...

 and his nephew Edmund Burke.

With the success of the firm, Langley brought in Burke and his brother, the builder Edward Langley, as partners in 1873. The company was in high demand and greatly increased its staff over the next several years. His brother left a decade later and Burke departed in 1894. His son, architect Charles Edward Langley, worked with him during the last 14 years of his life. Charles was the first person to graduate from the Department of Architecture at the University of Toronto

University of Toronto

The University of Toronto is a public research university in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, situated on the grounds that surround Queen's Park. It was founded by royal charter in 1827 as King's College, the first institution of higher learning in Upper Canada...

 on 3 May 1892.

Langley died in Toronto in 1907 and is interned at the Toronto Necropolis

Toronto Necropolis

Necropolis Cemetery is a historic cemetery in Toronto, located on the west side of the Don Valley near Riverdale Farm. Opened in 1850 to replace "Strangers' Burying Ground" , the cemetery is the resting place for many dead Torontonians including:* Joseph Bloor* William Lyon Mackenzie - Toronto's...

. He notably designed that cemetery's chapel.

Selected works

Building	Year Completed	Builder	Style	Source	Location	Image
St. Peter's Anglican Church, Toronto	1864–1866	Gundry and (Henry) Langley Henry Langley (architect) Henry Langley was a Canadian architect based in Toronto. He was active from 1854 to 1907. Among the first architects born and trained in Canada, he was a founding members of the Royal Canadian Academy of Arts in 1880 and was instrumental in establishing the Ontario Association of Architects in 1889...	Gothic Revival Gothic architecture Gothic architecture is a style of architecture that flourished during the high and late medieval period. It evolved from Romanesque architecture and was succeeded by Renaissance architecture....	15	188 Carlton Street at Sherborne Street, Toronto, Ontario
St. Michael's Cathedral (Toronto) spire	1865-66	Gundry and (Henry) Langley Henry Langley (architect) Henry Langley was a Canadian architect based in Toronto. He was active from 1854 to 1907. Among the first architects born and trained in Canada, he was a founding members of the Royal Canadian Academy of Arts in 1880 and was instrumental in establishing the Ontario Association of Architects in 1889...	Gothic Revival Gothic architecture Gothic architecture is a style of architecture that flourished during the high and late medieval period. It evolved from Romanesque architecture and was succeeded by Renaissance architecture....		Toronto, Ontario
St. Basil's Church, Toronto St. Basil's Church, Toronto St Basil’s Church is a Canadian Roman Catholic church located in Toronto, Ontario. In addition to being a parish church, it is the collegiate church of the University of St. Michael's College which is a Federated college of the University of Toronto...	1865-66	Gundry and (Henry) Langley Henry Langley (architect) Henry Langley was a Canadian architect based in Toronto. He was active from 1854 to 1907. Among the first architects born and trained in Canada, he was a founding members of the Royal Canadian Academy of Arts in 1880 and was instrumental in establishing the Ontario Association of Architects in 1889...	Gothic Revival Gothic architecture Gothic architecture is a style of architecture that flourished during the high and late medieval period. It evolved from Romanesque architecture and was succeeded by Renaissance architecture....		Toronto, Ontario
Government House (Ontario) Government House (Ontario) Government House was the official residence of the Lieutenant Governor of Upper Canada and Ontario, Canada. Four buildings were used for this purpose, none of which exist today, making Ontario one of four provinces to not have an official vice-regal residence....	1865-6s	Gundry and (Henry) Langley Henry Langley (architect) Henry Langley was a Canadian architect based in Toronto. He was active from 1854 to 1907. Among the first architects born and trained in Canada, he was a founding members of the Royal Canadian Academy of Arts in 1880 and was instrumental in establishing the Ontario Association of Architects in 1889...	Gothic Revival Gothic architecture Gothic architecture is a style of architecture that flourished during the high and late medieval period. It evolved from Romanesque architecture and was succeeded by Renaissance architecture....		Toronto, Ontario
St. Stephen-in-the-Fields Anglican Church, Parkdale Deanery Parkdale Deanery The Parkdale Deanery in the Anglican Diocese of Toronto is a group of seven Anglican Churches in downtown Toronto, Canada. They include the churches of St. Anne's, Epiphany and St. Mark, St. George the Martyr, St. Mary Magdalene, St. Matthias Bellwoods, St. Stephen-in-the-Fields, and St. Thomas's...	1865-6	Henry Langley Henry Langley (architect) Henry Langley was a Canadian architect based in Toronto. He was active from 1854 to 1907. Among the first architects born and trained in Canada, he was a founding members of the Royal Canadian Academy of Arts in 1880 and was instrumental in establishing the Ontario Association of Architects in 1889...	Gothic Revival Gothic architecture Gothic architecture is a style of architecture that flourished during the high and late medieval period. It evolved from Romanesque architecture and was succeeded by Renaissance architecture....	15	Bathurst Street and College Avenue, Toronto, Ontario
Metropolitan United Church Metropolitan United Church Metropolitan United Church is a large neo-Gothic church in downtown Toronto, Canada. It is one of the largest and most prominent churches of the United Church of Canada. It is located on Queen Street East at the corner of Church Street in Toronto's Garden District.-History:The congregation,...	1872	Henry Langley Henry Langley (architect) Henry Langley was a Canadian architect based in Toronto. He was active from 1854 to 1907. Among the first architects born and trained in Canada, he was a founding members of the Royal Canadian Academy of Arts in 1880 and was instrumental in establishing the Ontario Association of Architects in 1889...	French Gothic Revival Gothic architecture Gothic architecture is a style of architecture that flourished during the high and late medieval period. It evolved from Romanesque architecture and was succeeded by Renaissance architecture....	W	Church Street and Queen Street East, Toronto, Ontario
Toronto Necropolis Toronto Necropolis Necropolis Cemetery is a historic cemetery in Toronto, located on the west side of the Don Valley near Riverdale Farm. Opened in 1850 to replace "Strangers' Burying Ground" , the cemetery is the resting place for many dead Torontonians including:* Joseph Bloor* William Lyon Mackenzie - Toronto's...  Chapel	1874	Henry Langley Henry Langley (architect) Henry Langley was a Canadian architect based in Toronto. He was active from 1854 to 1907. Among the first architects born and trained in Canada, he was a founding members of the Royal Canadian Academy of Arts in 1880 and was instrumental in establishing the Ontario Association of Architects in 1889...	Gothic Revival Gothic architecture Gothic architecture is a style of architecture that flourished during the high and late medieval period. It evolved from Romanesque architecture and was succeeded by Renaissance architecture....	15	Winchester Street and Sumach Street, Toronto, Ontario
St. Luke's United Church	1874	Henry Langley Henry Langley (architect) Henry Langley was a Canadian architect based in Toronto. He was active from 1854 to 1907. Among the first architects born and trained in Canada, he was a founding members of the Royal Canadian Academy of Arts in 1880 and was instrumental in establishing the Ontario Association of Architects in 1889...  and Edmund Burke	Gothic Revival Gothic architecture Gothic architecture is a style of architecture that flourished during the high and late medieval period. It evolved from Romanesque architecture and was succeeded by Renaissance architecture....	15	Sherborne Street and Carlton Street, Toronto, Ontario
St. Andrew's Evangelical Lutheran Church St. Andrew's Evangelical Lutheran Church (Toronto) St. Andrew's Evangelical Lutheran Church is an Evangelical Lutheran church in downtown Toronto serving the Latvian and Estonian population of Toronto. It is home to two congregations: St. Andrew's Evangelical Lutheran Estonian and St. Andrew's Evangelical Lutheran Latvian.The church was originally...	1878	Henry Langley Henry Langley (architect) Henry Langley was a Canadian architect based in Toronto. He was active from 1854 to 1907. Among the first architects born and trained in Canada, he was a founding members of the Royal Canadian Academy of Arts in 1880 and was instrumental in establishing the Ontario Association of Architects in 1889...  & Edmund Burke	Gothic Revival Gothic architecture Gothic architecture is a style of architecture that flourished during the high and late medieval period. It evolved from Romanesque architecture and was succeeded by Renaissance architecture....	15	383 Jarvis Street, Toronto, Ontario
Jarvis Street Baptist Church Jarvis Street Baptist Church The Jarvis Street Baptist Church is a Baptist church located at the intersection of Gerrard Street and Jarvis Street in downtown Toronto, Ontario. One of the oldest churches in the city, its congregation was founded in 1818, and the present church constructed in 1875.-History:Early records indicate...	1878	Henry Langley Henry Langley (architect) Henry Langley was a Canadian architect based in Toronto. He was active from 1854 to 1907. Among the first architects born and trained in Canada, he was a founding members of the Royal Canadian Academy of Arts in 1880 and was instrumental in establishing the Ontario Association of Architects in 1889...  & Edmund Burke	Gothic Revival Gothic architecture Gothic architecture is a style of architecture that flourished during the high and late medieval period. It evolved from Romanesque architecture and was succeeded by Renaissance architecture....		Jarvis Street, Toronto, Ontario
McMaster Hall	1881	Henry Langley Henry Langley (architect) Henry Langley was a Canadian architect based in Toronto. He was active from 1854 to 1907. Among the first architects born and trained in Canada, he was a founding members of the Royal Canadian Academy of Arts in 1880 and was instrumental in establishing the Ontario Association of Architects in 1889... , Henry Langley Henry Langley (architect) Henry Langley was a Canadian architect based in Toronto. He was active from 1854 to 1907. Among the first architects born and trained in Canada, he was a founding members of the Royal Canadian Academy of Arts in 1880 and was instrumental in establishing the Ontario Association of Architects in 1889...  and Edmund Burke (Design)	Gothic Revival Gothic architecture Gothic architecture is a style of architecture that flourished during the high and late medieval period. It evolved from Romanesque architecture and was succeeded by Renaissance architecture....	2	273 Bloor Street West, Toronto, Ontario
Beverley Street Baptist Church Toronto Chinese Baptist Church The Toronto Chinese Baptist Church is a Baptist church serving the Chinese-Canadian community of Toronto, Canada. It was originally built as Beverley Street Baptist Church in 1886 by William McMaster and is a designated historic building...	1886	Henry Langley Henry Langley (architect) Henry Langley was a Canadian architect based in Toronto. He was active from 1854 to 1907. Among the first architects born and trained in Canada, he was a founding members of the Royal Canadian Academy of Arts in 1880 and was instrumental in establishing the Ontario Association of Architects in 1889...  & Edmund Burke	Gothic Revival Gothic architecture Gothic architecture is a style of architecture that flourished during the high and late medieval period. It evolved from Romanesque architecture and was succeeded by Renaissance architecture....	6	72 Beverley Street, Toronto, Ontario
Trinity-St. Paul's United Church Trinity-St. Paul's United Church Trinity-St. Paul's United Church is a church belonging to the United Church of Canada in Toronto, Ontario. It is located at 427 Bloor Street West, just west of Spadina Avenue. The church is formed of a mix of three different former congregations and houses a fourth.Today, Trinity-St. Paul's has a...	1887–1889	Henry Langley Henry Langley (architect) Henry Langley was a Canadian architect based in Toronto. He was active from 1854 to 1907. Among the first architects born and trained in Canada, he was a founding members of the Royal Canadian Academy of Arts in 1880 and was instrumental in establishing the Ontario Association of Architects in 1889...  and Edmund Burke	Gothic Revival Gothic architecture Gothic architecture is a style of architecture that flourished during the high and late medieval period. It evolved from Romanesque architecture and was succeeded by Renaissance architecture....	15	Bloor Street west of Spadina Avenue, Toronto, Ontario

Gundry & Langley (1862-1869)

• St. Peter’s Anglican Church, 1864–65
• Alexander Street Baptist Church, 1866, Demolished
• St. Patrick’s Roman Catholic Church, 1869–70, now Our Lady of Mount Carmel Catholic Church

Langley (1869-1874)

• McGill Square Church, 1870–72, now Metropolitan United Church
• Parliament Street Methodist Church, 1871, Demolished
• Toronto Necropolis Chapel, 1872

Langley, Langley & Burke (1874-1884)

Henry Langley, Edward Langley & Edmund Burke

• Jarvis Street Baptist Church
  Jarvis Street Baptist Church
  The Jarvis Street Baptist Church is a Baptist church located at the intersection of Gerrard Street and Jarvis Street in downtown Toronto, Ontario. One of the oldest churches in the city, its congregation was founded in 1818, and the present church constructed in 1875.-History:Early records indicate...
  
  , 1874–75
• The Cathedral Church of St. James, spire, 1874
• Sherbourne Street Methodist Church, 1876, now St. Luke’s United Church
• St. Andrew’s Presbyterian Church, 1877–78, now St. Andrew’s Evangelical Lutheran Church
• Elm Street Methodist Church, 1877, Demolished
• Little Trinity Anglican Church, addition, 1878
• St. Mark’s Anglican Church, 1881

Langley & Burke (1884-1894)

Henry Langley & Edmund Burke

• Beverley Street Baptist Church, 1886, now Chinese Baptist Church
• Trinity Methodist Church, 1887–89, now Trinity St. Paul’s United Church
• College Street Baptist Church, 1888, now Portuguese Seventh-Day Adventist Church
• Dunn Avenue Methodist Church, 1889, Demolished
• Walmer Road Baptist Church, 1889–92

Langley & Langley (1894-1907)

Henry Langley & Charles Edward Langley

• Memorial Baptist Church, 1897