John W. Bowser (1892–1956) was a Canadian construction engineer, most notably the project construction superintendent for the Empire State Building. Bowser was born in Whitchurch township,

Ontario Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central C ...

, Canada, present-day

Aurora An aurora (plural: auroras or aurorae), also commonly known as the polar lights, is a natural light display in Earth's sky, predominantly seen in high-latitude regions (around the Arctic and Antarctic). Auroras display dynamic patterns of bri ...

in 1892. He left home at age 11, returning to the

Toronto Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the anch ...

area at age 15, then working on several construction jobs including a tunnel to connect Eaton's store with the

Annex Annex or Annexe refers to a building joined to or associated with a main building, providing additional space or accommodations. It may also refer to: Places * The Annex, a neighbourhood in downtown Toronto, Ontario, Canada * The Annex (New H ...

, the Royal Ontario Museum, and the Bank of Toronto building. Hired by an American firm, he was sent to Tokyo. Later, he was responsible for the demolition of old

Madison Square Gardens Madison Square Garden, colloquially known as The Garden or by its initials MSG, is a multi-purpose indoor arena in New York City. It is located in Midtown Manhattan between Seventh and Eighth avenues from 31st to 33rd Street, above Pennsylva ...

, and the

Waldorf-Astoria Hotel The Waldorf Astoria New York is a luxury hotel and condominium residence in Midtown Manhattan in New York City. The structure, at 301 Park Avenue between 49th and 50th Streets, is a 47-story Art Deco landmark designed by architects Schult ...

. Bowser returned to Canada after completing the Empire State Building ahead of schedule, thereafter remaining active in construction, and overseeing ship building during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

. The construction of Eaton Hall, today part of

Seneca College Seneca College of Applied Arts and Technology is a multiple-campus public college in the Greater Toronto Area, and Peterborough, Ontario, Canada regions. It offers full-time and part-time programs at the baccalaureate, diploma, certificate an ...

was one project. He also built much of the Canadian Army camp in Newmarket during World War II. The camp was pulled down at war's end but the PMQs (married quarters), drill hall and the officers mess still stand. The PMQs are private homes on Arthur St. and surrounding streets, the drill hall is the Newmarket Curling Club and the officers mess is the Royal Canadian Legion on Srigley St. 'Jack' had a construction company in Aurora called ABC, Aurora Building Corp. which he ran until his death in 1956. Buried in

Aurora, Ontario Aurora ( 2021 population: 62,057) is a town in central York Region in the Greater Toronto Area, within the Golden Horseshoe of Southern Ontario, Canada. It is located north of the City of Richmond Hill and is partially situated on the Oak Ridg ...

his grave notably has a replica of the Empire State Building as a marker. John Bowser Crescent in

Newmarket, Ontario Newmarket ( 2021 population: 87,942) is a town and regional seat of the Regional Municipality of York in the Canadian province of Ontario. It is part of Greater Toronto in the Golden Horseshoe region of Southern Ontario. The name stems from th ...

is named for him.

References

External links

Eaton Hall

Google map

Google Books extract, Toronto Sketches: The Way We Were
By Mike Filey {{DEFAULTSORT:Bowser, John W. 1892 births 1956 deaths People from Whitchurch-Stouffville People from Aurora, Ontario