Fred Cumberland

by Simmins, Geoffrey; Cumberland, Frederic William

• ISBN13: 9780802006790
• ISBN10: 0802006795
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 1997-07-01
• Publisher: Univ of Toronto Pr

Summary

In the first comprehensive study of Frederic William Cumberland (1820-1881), Geoffrey Simmins traces Cumberland's career as architect, railway manager, and politician, providing a richly detailed history and analysis of his contribution to Toronto's urban landscape. The architect of such prominent buildings as the University of Toronto's University College, Osgoode Hall, and St James's Cathedral, Cumberland was devoted to building the Victorian dream - optimistic and materialistic in its outlook, yet also spiritual in its basis. His diverse interests and accomplishments make him an important figure in Canadian architecture and in Victorian studies more generally. Of modest origins, but fuelled by ambition and talent, Cumberland emigrated from England seeking new opportunities. Favourable family connections provided him with an introduction to leading members of Toronto society, and he and his wife, Wilmot, formed long-lasting associations with such prominent families as the Ridouts and the Gzowskis. Drawing on letters and other archival materials, Simmins shows Cumberland to have been a witty, intelligent man, an acerbic social critic, a loving father and husband, and a respected businessman and politician who became a confidant of Sir John A. Macdonald. Through the mists of the Victorian past, a powerful and energetic figure emerges, a man of vision, tenacity, and commitment. The book is divided into three parts. Part One establishes the context of Cumberland's life and times. Part Two is devoted to examining his architectural career. Part Three consists of a catalogue raisonnT of all of Cumberland's architectural designs.

Table of Contents

PREFACE	ix	(2)
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS	xi	(2)
ABBREVIATIONS	xiii
PART ONE: LIFE AND TIMES	3	(56)
CHAPTER ONE Early Life in Ireland and England	3	(8)
CHAPTER TWO Constructing a Canadian Career: The First Years in Toronto	11	(6)
CHAPTER THREE Cumberland and the Canadian Interpretation of the Victorian Concept of Progress	17	(6)
CHAPTER FOUR Midcareer, Full Stride: The 1850s	23	(9)
CHAPTER FIVE Life on the Railway	32	(10)
CHAPTER SIX Political Career	42	(4)
CHAPTER SEVEN Later Personal Life	46	(13)
PART TWO: ARCHITECTURAL CASE STUDIES	59	(186)
CHAPTER EIGHT Assessing the English Heritage	59	(13)
CHAPTER NINE `The Beautiful Medium' and Other Topics: Reconstructing Cumberland's Architectural Theory and Practice	72	(6)
CHAPTER TEN A Selection of Schools	78	(14)
CHAPTER ELEVEN University College	92	(25)
CHAPTER TWELVE Steeples for the People: Church Designs	117	(32)
CHAPTER THIRTEEN Post Offices, Courthouses, and Other Public Buildings	149	(35)
CHAPTER FOURTEEN Private Commissions: Houses and Commercial Buildings	184	(41)
CHAPTER FIFTEEN Proposals for Building a National Capital	225	(17)
EPILOGUE Cumberland's Legacy	242	(3)
PART THREE: CATALOGUE RAISONNE OF CUMBERLAND'S WORKS	245	(48)
Introduction	245	(3)
CATALOGUE OF WORKS	248	(1)
1. Drawings Executed or Possibly Executed by Cumberland before 1847	248	(1)
2. Canadian Projects (Excluding Railway Projects and Non-Architectural Works)	249	(39)
3. Northern Railway Projects	288	(1)
4. Non-Architectural Works	289	(2)
5. Reference Drawings	291	(2)
APPENDIX A Cumberland's Principal Executed Works	293	(2)
APPENDIX B Cumberland's Architectural Library	295	(4)
NOTES	299	(24)
SELECTED BIBLIOGRAPHY	323	(12)
INDEX	335