Anthony Patrick Cawthra Adamson (October 7, 1906 – May 3, 2002) was a

Canadian Canadians () 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 of their being ''C ...

architect, author, teacher, and municipal politician. He was a descendant of Joseph Cawthra through his mother. Born in

Toronto, Ontario Toronto ( , locally pronounced or ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, most populous city in Canada. It is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. With a p ...

to Colonel Agar Adamson and Mabel Cawthra, he grew up in

Port Credit, Ontario Port Credit is a neighbourhood in the south-central part of the City of Mississauga, Ontario, Canada, located at the mouth of the Credit River on the north shore of Lake Ontario. Its main intersection is Hurontario Street and Lakeshore Road, ...

on the

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, before reading Architecture at the

University of Cambridge The University of Cambridge is a Public university, public collegiate university, collegiate research university in Cambridge, England. Founded in 1209, the University of Cambridge is the List of oldest universities in continuous operation, wo ...

and at the

University of London The University of London (UoL; abbreviated as Lond or more rarely Londin in Post-nominal letters, post-nominals) is a collegiate university, federal Public university, public research university located in London, England, United Kingdom. The ...

. Adamson was an architect, architectural planner, and an Associate Professor of Town Planning at the

University of Toronto The University of Toronto (UToronto or U of T) is a public university, public research university whose main campus is located on the grounds that surround Queen's Park (Toronto), Queen's Park in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It was founded by ...

from 1950 to 1967. From 1953 to 1954, he was the Reeve of Toronto Township (now called

Mississauga Mississauga is a Canadian city in the province of Ontario. Situated on the north-western shore of Lake Ontario in the Regional Municipality of Peel, it borders Toronto (Etobicoke) to the east, Brampton to the north, Milton to the northwest, ...

). He was the consultant and designer of

Upper Canada Village Upper Canada Village is a heritage park near Morrisburg, Ontario, which depicts a 19th-century village in Upper Canada. History Construction of Upper Canada Village began in 1958 as part of the St. Lawrence Seaway project, which required the p ...

, which opened in 1961. From 1969 to 1974, he was Chairman of the

Ontario Arts Council The Ontario Arts Council (OAC) is a publicly funded Canadian organization in the province of Ontario whose purpose is to foster the creation and production of art for the benefit of all Ontarians. Based in Toronto, OAC was founded in 1963 by O ...

. He wrote the introduction to Richard Bebout's 1972 book, "The Open Gate: Toronto Union Station," which was instrumental in helping to save the station from the wrecking ball. Early in his career he edited Catherine Bauer Wurster's ''Homes or Hovels: Some Authoritative Views on'' ''Canadian Housing'' (Toronto: Canadian Institute of International Affairs and Canadian Assoc. for Adult Education, 1943), and published ''A Guide to Medieval Style Buildings in Toronto'' (Toronto: School of Architecture, University of Toronto, 1948). Adamson also wrote several books with Marion MacRae, including ''The Ancestral Roof: Domestic Architecture of Upper Canada'' (Toronto : Clarke, Irwin & Company, 1963), ''The Gaiety of Gables'' (Toronto : McClelland & Stewart, 1974), ''Hallowed Walls: Church Architecture of Upper Canada'' (Toronto : Vancouver : Clarke, Irwin & Company, 1975), ''Cornerstones of Order: Courthouses and Town Halls of Ontario, 1784-1914'' (Toronto : Clarke, Irwin, 1983). His last book was a family history ''Wasps in the Attic'': ''Biographies prepared from the material found in the attic of Grove Farm House, Port Credit Ontario. Being the story of the direct Canadian ancestors of Augusta and Anthony Adamson'' (Toronto: privately published, 1987). Adamson was a

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of the

Royal Architectural Institute of Canada The Royal Architectural Institute of Canada (RAIC) is a not-for-profit, national organization that has represented architects and architecture for over 100 years, in existence since 1907. The RAIC is the leading voice for excellence in the built ...

, and in 1974, he was appointed an Officer of the

Order of Canada The Order of Canada () is a Canadian state order, national order and the second-highest Award, honour for merit in the system of orders, decorations, and medals of Canada, after the Order of Merit. To coincide with the Canadian Centennial, ce ...

. In 1931, he married Charlotte Augusta Bonnycastle (1906-1997). They had three sons: Adrian (1933-2007), Inigo (1935-1977), and Jeremy (born 1943).

References

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Adamson, Anthony 1906 births 2002 deaths Alumni of the University of Cambridge Alumni of the University of London Canadian Anglicans Canadian architects Canadian people of English descent 20th-century mayors of places in Ontario Officers of the Order of Canada Writers from Toronto Academic staff of the University of Toronto Governor General's Award–winning non-fiction writers Cawthra family