Thomas Fuller (March 8, 1823 – September 28, 1898) was an English-born

Canadian Canadians (french: Canadiens) are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source o ...

architect An architect is a person who plans, designs and oversees the construction of buildings. To practice architecture means to provide services in connection with the design of buildings and the space within the site surrounding the buildings that h ...

. From 1881 to 1896, he was Chief Dominion Architect for the Government of Canada, during which time he played a role in the design and construction of every major federal building. Fuller was born in

Bath, Somerset Bath () is a city in the Bath and North East Somerset unitary area in the county of Somerset, England, known for and named after its Roman-built baths. At the 2021 Census, the population was 101,557. Bath is in the valley of the River Avon, ...

, England, where he trained as an architect. While living in Bath and London, he did a number of projects. In 1845, he left for

Antigua Antigua ( ), also known as Waladli or Wadadli by the native population, is an island in the Lesser Antilles. It is one of the Leeward Islands in the Caribbean region and the main island of the country of Antigua and Barbuda. Antigua and Barb ...

, where he spent two years working on the new St John's Cathedral, before emigrating to Canada in 1857. Settling in Toronto, he formed a partnership with

Chilion Jones Chilion Jones (October 10, 1835– April 1, 1912) was the business partner of architect Thomas Fuller in nineteenth-century Canada. Chilion Jones, the sixth son of Mr. Justice Jonas Jones, of Toronto, Ontario, was born in Brockville, Upper Cana ...

with Fuller responsible for design work. The company first won the contract to design the Church of St. Stephen-in-the-Fields. In 1859, The Legislative Assembly in Ottawa voted the sum of £75,000 for the erection of a "Parliament House" and offered a premium of $1000 for the best design within that budget. The winning bid was made by Fuller and Jones for a

Neo-Gothic Gothic Revival (also referred to as Victorian Gothic, neo-Gothic, or Gothick) is an architectural movement that began in the late 1740s in England. The movement gained momentum and expanded in the first half of the 19th century, as increasingly ...

design. The principal architects until its completion in 1866 were Thomas Fuller and Charles Baillairge. In ''Hand Book to the Parliamentary and Departmental Buildings, Canada'' (1867), Joseph Bureau wrote, "The corner stone was laid with great ceremony by His Royal Highness the Prince of Wales in September, 1860, on which occasion the rejoicings partook of the nature of the place, the lumber arches and men being a novelty to most of its visitors, bullocks and sheep were roasted whole upon the government ground and all comers were feasted." In 1867 he won the contract to build the

New York State Capitol The New York State Capitol, the seat of the New York state government, is located in Albany, the capital city of the U.S. state of New York. The capitol building is part of the Empire State Plaza complex on State Street in Capitol Park. Hous ...

building in

Albany, New York Albany ( ) is the capital of the U.S. state of New York, also the seat and largest city of Albany County. Albany is on the west bank of the Hudson River, about south of its confluence with the Mohawk River, and about north of New York City. ...

, and spent the next several years in the United States. The project ran into severe cost overruns and an inquiry blamed Fuller. Fuller thus returned to Canada and, unable to work in the more lucrative private sector, in 1881 became Chief Dominion Architect, replacing

Thomas Seaton Scott Thomas Seaton Scott (16 August 1826 – 15 or 16 June 1895) was an English-born Canadian architect. Born in Birkenhead, England he immigrated to Canada as a young man first settling in Montreal. He was hired by the Grand Trunk Railway and worke ...

. The Department of Public Works erected a number of small urban post offices in smaller urban centres during Thomas Fuller's term as Chief Architect.

Family

Thomas Fuller's son,

Thomas W. Fuller Thomas William Fuller (May 3, 1865 – November 4, 1951), the son of Thomas Fuller, was a Canadian architect. Before his selection as Dominion Architect, Fuller designed a number of federal buildings in Dawson City, Yukon, some of which are ...

, was also appointed Chief Architect in 1927. Thomas W. Fuller's son, Thomas G. Fuller spent more than 50 years in the building industry. In 2002, Thomas Fuller Construction Co. Limited (established 1958) was awarded the contract for the

Library of Parliament The Library of Parliament (french: Bibliothèque du Parlement) is the main information repository and research resource for the Parliament of Canada. The main branch of the library sits at the rear of the Centre Block on Parliament Hill in Ottawa ...

building rehabilitation

Legacy

A 35 cent, 3 colour postage stamp featured an image of the Parliament Buildings and the text '

Royal Canadian Academy of Arts The Royal Canadian Academy of Arts (RCA) is a Canadian arts-related organization that was founded in 1880. History 1880 to 1890 The title of Royal Canadian Academy of Arts was received from Queen Victoria on 16 July 1880. The Governor Gener ...

, 1880–1980, Thomas Fuller'

Works

On his death in 1898, Thomas Fuller was interred in the

Beechwood Cemetery Beechwood Cemetery, located in the former city of Vanier in Ottawa, Ontario, is the National Cemetery of Canada. It is the final resting place for over 82,000 Canadians from all walks of life, such as important politicians like Governor Genera ...

in Ottawa. His son Thomas Fuller II also became an architect. Several of his buildings in Bath have been threatened with demolition and other works, such as his

Bradford-on-Avon Bradford-on-Avon (sometimes Bradford on Avon or Bradford upon Avon) is a town and civil parish in west Wiltshire, England, near the border with Somerset, which had a population of 9,402 at the 2011 census. The town's canal, historic buildings, s ...

Town Hall, have been converted into other uses (the Town Hall is now the

St Thomas More Roman Catholic Church, Bradford-on-Avon The St Thomas More Roman Catholic Church is in Market Street, Bradford-on-Avon, Wiltshire, England. The structure, which originally served as Bradford-on-Avon Town Hall, was designed by Thomas Fuller and is a Grade II listed building. History ...

). In 2002, the Thomas Fuller Construction Company, founded by Fuller's grandson Thomas G. Fuller and now operated by his great grandsons, was awarded a contract to renovate the

in Ottawa which he originally designed. File:Napanee ON 3.JPG, Napanee, Ontario Post Office

References

Canada by Design: Parliament Hill, Ottawa
at Library and Archives Canada

External links

Biography at the ''Dictionary of Canadian Biography Online''Thomas Fuller (architect), Chief Dominion Architect 1881–1896Canada`s Historic PlacesFamily: When Simon Fuller designed and built his house at Britannia on the Bay, he drew on family traditions and on his own passion for the river to create a unique and wonderful setting for family life By Janet Uren Photography by Gordon King
{{DEFAULTSORT:Fuller, Thomas 1823 births 1898 deaths Architects from Bath, Somerset British expatriates in Canada Canadian architects 19th-century English architects Persons of National Historic Significance (Canada) Burials at Beechwood Cemetery (Ottawa)