Frank Darling and His Legacy

The early 20th-century Toronto architect Frank Darling (1850-1923) was arguably the province’s most gifted architect of his generation and practiced, with partner John Pearson, until his death in 1923 at age 73. Darling authored significant landmark buildings (with a series of associates) in Toronto and region, Winnipeg and Vancouver, but very little is known of his life, influences (and library), the organization and operation of the influential practice of Darling & Pearson and the eventual careers of those who trained under him. Given the sophistication and breadth of his designs, the impressive output of building designs, (especially small bank branches, arguably a defining aspect of Canadian urban form), and the lasting mark the firm made on the architectural character of Toronto, critical research into this figure and his professional progeny is long overdue. This paper will present new research on Darling, building on the author’s previous research on Darling- designed Edwardian skyscraper and bank forms in Toronto, and will share findings from the late William Dendy’s research on Frank Darling, archived at the University of Waterloo, as well as other new sources.