Document Record

Creator

Alexander, Frederick John, 1849-1930.

Title

Frederick John Alexander fonds

Identifier

lac_mikan_103879
MG 29 B 33
R7326-0-8-E
Papers
Architecture and design
oocihm.lac_mikan_103879

Document source

Library and Archives Canada / Bibliothèque et Archives Canada

Description

Frederick John Alexander (1849 -1930) was educated in London, England, before coming to Canada in 1870. He worked for Messrs. Langley, Langley & Burks from 1870 to 1872, leaving to join the Department of Public Works in Ottawa. In 1877, he immigrated to South Africa where he conducted business prior to and during the Zulu and Boer wars. He returned to private architectural practice in Ottawa in 1885 and resumed working for the federal government. He designed a number of residential, commercial and public buildings in Ottawa. Some of his most notable works include the interior of the Library of Parliament and the Parliamentary Fence, which surrounds the Parliament buildings. He also worked on the Union Bank on Ottawa’s Wellington Street. An evangelical and imperial federationist, Alexander believed in public ownership and government paid commission rather than election.
This collection consists of diaries written between 1868 to 1887, spanning the architect’s early years, and largely describe Alexander's personal life and career. There is also a certificate of the Architectural Institute of Canada, a transcript of court hearing in Ottawa, a notebook, and passes.

URL

https://heritage.canadiana.ca/view/oocihm.lac_mikan_103879