John MacIntosh Lyle (13 November 1872 – 20 December 1945) was an
Irish-Canadian architect, designer, urban planner, and teacher active in the late 19th century and into the first half of the 20th century. He was a leading Canadian architect in the
Beaux Arts style and was involved in the
City Beautiful movement in several Canadian cities. In the 1920s, he worked to develop his vision of a uniquely Canadian style of architecture.
Biography
Lyle was born in
Connor, County Antrim, Ireland on 13 November 1872.
He came to Canada as a young child in 1878 and grew up in
Hamilton, Ontario
Hamilton is a port city in the Canadian Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Ontario. Hamilton has a 2021 Canadian census, population of 569,353 (2021), and its Census Metropolitan Area, census metropolitan area, which encompasses ...
, where his father, Rev. Dr. Samuel Lyle, was minister of
Central Presbyterian Church. Lyle attended the Hamilton School of Art. He trained as an architect at
Yale University
Yale University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701, Yale is the List of Colonial Colleges, third-oldest institution of higher education in the United Stat ...
, enrolling in the
École des Beaux-Arts
; ) refers to a number of influential art schools in France. The term is associated with the Beaux-Arts architecture, Beaux-Arts style in architecture and city planning that thrived in France and other countries during the late nineteenth centu ...
, in Paris, France, in 1894. Following his graduation, he found work in 1896 with the New York architectural partnership of Howard & Cauldwell. Lyle subsequently became an associate with the New York firm of
Carrère and Hastings—with which he was involved in the design of the
New York Public Library Main Branch (Fifth Avenue at 42nd St., 1897)—and became a member of the Society of Beaux-arts Architects.
In 1904, John Lyle designed and supervised the construction of the main building (now named Rogers House) at
Pickering College at 16945 Bayview Avenue in
Newmarket, Ontario
Newmarket (Canada 2021 Census, 2021 population: 87,942) is a town and regional seat of the Regional Municipality of York in the Canadian Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Ontario. It is part of Greater Toronto Area, Greater Toron ...
.
Lyle returned to Canada in 1905 to begin work on the
Royal Alexandra Theatre 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 ...
. In 1906, he established his own company, Atelier Lyle, in Toronto.
During the 1920s, Lyle strove to develop a uniquely Canadian architectural style, incorporating traditional designs from the English and French colonial periods and stone, metal, plaster, fresco, glass and mosaic floral and faunal motifs inspired by the Canadian
Post-Impressionist painters known as the
Group of Seven
The Group of Seven (G7) is an Intergovernmentalism, intergovernmental political and economic forum consisting of Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom and the United States; additionally, the European Union (EU) is a "non- ...
.
In 1926, the
Ontario Association of Architects awarded Lyle its Gold Medal of Honour for his design of
the Thornton-Smith Building (1922) on
Yonge Street
Yonge Street ( ') is a major arterial route in the Canadian province of Ontario connecting the shores of Lake Ontario in Toronto to Lake Simcoe, a gateway to the Great Lakes#Geography, Upper Great Lakes. Ontario's first colonial administrator, ...
in Toronto. Two years later, he was elected a Fellow of the
Royal Institute of British Architects
The Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) is a professional body for architects primarily in the United Kingdom, but also internationally, founded for the advancement of architecture under its royal charter granted in 1837, three suppl ...
. From 1941 to 1944, he served as president of the
Art Gallery of Ontario
The Art Gallery of Ontario (AGO; ) is an art museum in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Located on Dundas Street, Dundas Street West in the Grange Park (neighbourhood), Grange Park neighbourhood of downtown Toronto, the museum complex takes up of phys ...
.
Most of Lyle's projects were in Toronto and other parts of Ontario (and mostly for banks, especially
Dominion Bank), but completed projects in
New Brunswick
New Brunswick is a Provinces and Territories of Canada, province of Canada, bordering Quebec to the north, Nova Scotia to the east, the Gulf of Saint Lawrence to the northeast, the Bay of Fundy to the southeast, and the U.S. state of Maine to ...
,
Alberta
Alberta is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province in Canada. It is a part of Western Canada and is one of the three Canadian Prairies, prairie provinces. Alberta is bordered by British Columbia to its west, Saskatchewan to its east, t ...
,
Nova Scotia
Nova Scotia is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada, located on its east coast. It is one of the three Maritime Canada, Maritime provinces and Population of Canada by province and territory, most populous province in Atlan ...
. He submitted proposals for competition for two buildings in United States (1 in Providence, RI and another Chicago), but he did not win either one.
John M. Lyle died in Toronto on 20 December 1945.
Lyle's best-known contribution is
Royal Alexandra Theatre, completed in 1907 in the Beaux-Arts style. It was renovated in 1963 and remains one of the city's valued arts venues.
Lyle designed the granite and Indiana limestone Memorial Arch at the
Royal Military College of Canada, whose two large bronze tablets bear the names of the ex-cadets who gave their lives for their country in World War I. The stone was laid by Governor-General of Canada, Viscount Byng, of Vimy, CGB KCMG MVO 25 June 1923; Nominal rolls of Cadets and Staff, pamphlets concerning the Arch, the RMCC Review of May 1923, Canadian coins and stamps and the Roll of Honour of the College are in a sealed copper box.
Works
References
* Martin Eli Weil Award essay: Beaux-Arts on the Banks of Lake Ontario: John M. Lyle and the Royal Military College of Canada's Memorial Arch. Dec. 1994 (19:4), p. 88-99.
External links
Biographical Dictionary of Architects in Canada 1800–1950
Historic Places in CanadaJohn M. Lyle fonds Archives of Ontario
{{DEFAULTSORT:Lyle, John M.
1872 births
1945 deaths
Canadian architects
Artists from Hamilton, Ontario
Architects from County Antrim
Beaux-Arts architecture in Canada
Canadian alumni of the École des Beaux-Arts
Irish emigrants to Canada
Yale University alumni