William Thomas (about 1799 to December 26, 1860) was an English-born architect and engineer who moved to Toronto in April 1843 and designed some of the city’s best-known mid-century buildings, among them St. Michael’s Cathedral, St. Lawrence Hall, and the Don Jail. The Canadian Encyclopedia calls him one of the founders of the Canadian architectural profession, and his practice, which grew into William Thomas and Sons, trained several later architects.
Life in brief
| Born | About 1799, Suffolk, England (Dictionary of Canadian Biography: c. 1799) |
|---|---|
| Died | December 26, 1860, Toronto |
| Role | Architect, engineer, surveyor, and water-colourist |
| Toronto connection | Lived and worked in the city from 1843 until his death; office at 55 King Street East |
| Buried | Family plot, St. James’ Cemetery, Toronto |
Training and work in England
Thomas was apprenticed from 1812 to 1819 to John Gardiner, a Gloucestershire carpenter and joiner. His father kept an inn at Chalford, Gloucestershire, and his three brothers also entered the building trades. One of them, John, became a noted sculptor and briefly studied under William in the early 1830s. On September 17, 1826, Thomas married Martha Tutin in Birmingham. The couple had 10 children, of whom six outlived their father.
In 1832 he moved to Leamington, Warwickshire, where he first worked for a developer and then built houses on speculation. His English work included Lansdowne Circus and Lansdowne Crescent (1835), a series of villas, and the Pump Room and Baths at Leamington, begun in 1837. He was acting surveyor for the town in 1838 and 1839. A local property slump left him bankrupt in 1840, and a branch office in Birmingham brought few commissions. In 1843 he published Designs for monuments and chimney pieces in London.
Arrival in Toronto
Thomas emigrated in April 1843 with his wife and children. The Dictionary of Canadian Biography gives no single reason for the choice of Toronto and points to his bankruptcy, the shortage of work at home, and his ambition as likely factors. He settled at 5 York Street and opened an office at 55 King Street East, according to the Dictionary of Canadian Biography.
Major works in Toronto
An early large commission was the Commercial Bank of the Midland District on Wellington Street, designed in 1844 and built in 1845. A review of the 1996 monograph by Glenn McArthur and Annie Szamosi adds that his first Canadian commission, won within a year of arrival, was St. Paul’s Anglican Church in London, Ontario. The Canadian Encyclopedia notes that its reconstructed facade is now part of BCE Place. In 1845 he also designed the palace for Bishop Michael Power, along with Fireman’s Hall and the Mechanics’ Institute.
St. Michael’s Cathedral, the Roman Catholic cathedral, was built from 1845 to 1848. He also designed Knox’s Church on Queen Street (1847 to 1848), the Unitarian Church on Jarvis Street (1854), Zion Church, a Congregational church (1855 to 1856), and a German Evangelical Lutheran church (1856 to 1857). More about the city’s churches is on the historic churches pages of this site.
The Dictionary of Canadian Biography dates St. Lawrence Hall, with its arcade and market, to 1849 to 1851; the Canadian Encyclopedia gives 1845 to 1850 for the hall and market. The market that grew around it is covered in the article on the St. Lawrence Market. He also designed his own residence, Oakham House (1848), the House of Industry (1848), and the Park and Louisa Street schools (1852 to 1853).
Work beyond Toronto
Thomas took commissions across the Province of Canada. He designed St. Paul’s Church in London, Ontario, the court-house, town hall, and market at Niagara, Christ’s Church in Hamilton (now the Anglican cathedral there), the town halls at Guelph and Stratford, and the custom-house at Quebec. In Halifax he worked on a county court-house and, after the fire of 1859, at least 12 four-storey buildings on Granville Street. At Queenston Heights he designed the Brock Monument, built from 1853 to 1856 according to the Dictionary, with gates and a lodge completed in 1859. The Canadian Encyclopedia gives 1852 to 1859 for the whole project. His entry in the competition for the Parliament Buildings at Ottawa in 1859 was unsuccessful.
The Don Jail and its dates
The Don Jail, one of his last major commissions, is dated differently by two sources. The Dictionary of Canadian Biography gives 1859 to 1864 for the Toronto jail, while the Canadian Encyclopedia gives 1857 to 1864. Both end in 1864, after his death, and both name him as the architect. A Lost Rivers of Toronto page, citing a Toronto Historical Board pamphlet, says construction began in October 1859, that a fire in 1862 nearly destroyed the almost finished building, and that his firm, William Thomas and Sons, rebuilt it to his original plans. It was occupied in January 1864. The 1859 start is consistent with the Dictionary’s dates; the Encyclopedia’s 1857 may reflect the design stage, though neither source says so.
Professional standing and family firm
Thomas probably founded the Toronto Society of Arts in 1847 and became its first president. In 1853 he acted as Toronto’s city engineer while John George Howard was in England. In January 1857 he took his sons William Tutin and Cyrus Pole into the business, and the firm became William Thomas and Sons. He also trained William George Storm. In 1860 the Dictionary says he was elected president of the Association of Architects, Civil Engineers and Provincial Land Surveyors of the Province of Canada. The Canadian Encyclopedia calls it Canada’s first professional association of architects, engineers, and surveyors and says he led it until his death; a plaque transcription describes him as its founding president.
Final years
Thomas traveled to England in 1858 because of prolonged illness. He died in Toronto on December 26, 1860. Cemetery records give diabetes as the cause. He was buried in the family plot at St. James’ Cemetery. The Globe obituary praised his kindly social qualities, and George P. Ure described him as a major contributor to the embellishment of Toronto. Other buildings of the period are listed on the historic buildings pages.
Frequently asked questions
What did William Thomas design in Toronto?
The Dictionary of Canadian Biography lists St. Michael’s Cathedral, St. Lawrence Hall, the Commercial Bank of the Midland District, Bishop Power’s palace, Knox’s Church, the Unitarian Church on Jarvis Street, the House of Industry, and the Don Jail, among many others.
When was William Thomas born?
The Dictionary of Canadian Biography gives about 1799, and the Canadian Encyclopedia gives 1799. Both say he was born in Suffolk, England.
Where is William Thomas buried?
He was buried in the family plot at St. James’ Cemetery in Toronto, under a Grecian tombstone.
Did William Thomas design the Brock Monument?
Yes. The Dictionary of Canadian Biography lists the monument at Queenston Heights, built from 1853 to 1856, among his works.
Related reading
- Frederic William Cumberland, another leading Toronto architect
- St. Lawrence Market and the hall beside it
- Historic churches of Toronto
- Historic buildings of Toronto
- People of Toronto history
Last verified: October 2026
Sources
- Dictionary of Canadian Biography, “Thomas, William,” vol. 8
- The Canadian Encyclopedia, “William Thomas”
- Canadian Book Review Annual Online, review of Glenn McArthur and Annie Szamosi, William Thomas, Architect, 1799-1860 (Carleton University Press, 1996)
- Lost Rivers project, “Don Jail” (citing a Toronto Historical Board pamphlet)
- Read the Plaque, “William Thomas 1799-1860” (family memorial transcription)
Cite this page
APA: History of Toronto. (2026, October 23). William Thomas, Architect of St. Michael’s Cathedral. https://historyoftoronto.ca/blog/william-thomas-architect
MLA: “William Thomas, Architect of St. Michael’s Cathedral.” History of Toronto, 23 Oct. 2026, https://historyoftoronto.ca/blog/william-thomas-architect. Accessed .
Chicago: History of Toronto. “William Thomas, Architect of St. Michael’s Cathedral.” Last modified October 23, 2026. https://historyoftoronto.ca/blog/william-thomas-architect.
The pages have no named author, so the site is given as the author. Add the date you read the page if your style asks for it.