The Architects of our City

C. C. Stenhouse was born Charles Corner Stenhouse, February 1884 in Rangoon Burma. His father was head of the public works in Rangoon.  Charles moved back to England when he was four where he attended public school at Thames, Oxfordshire.  In Glasgow, Charles apprenticed with the firm John McNeil & Son where he worked in the shop and drawing room.  While in Glasgow, he also attended the Glasgow Technical School.  On April 30 1905, Charles arrived in Canada and settled first in Hamilton.  In July, he was joined by his brother Thomas J.  and his family and together they opened offices as architects and engineers in Fort Williams Ontario.  Seven years after arriving there, fire destroyed the building and the contents of their office and together they moved to Toronto to make a new start.

In Toronto, Charles worked as a secretary for the Brotherhood of St. Andrew for six years.  There he met and married Elizabeth Hume Wright on July 22, 1914 and together they had three children, E. Mary, Gertrude E. and Joan H.  In 1917, Charles moved to Oshawa and returned to his profession and established himself as architect and engineer.

Charles was involved in curling, bowling and the Rotary club.  He was the property supervisor of the Board of Education, having several million dollars of buildings under his care.  He was a mason and Charles became the Worthy Master of the Mason Temple.  In 1930 he was elected Grand Superintendent of the Ontario District No. 10.

One of the first buildings that Charles designed was the Alger Building on King Street East for the brothers Ewart and Stewart Alger.  After a fire in 1927 this building was replaced by the present day Alger building.

Charles designed a long list of commercial buildings and homes in Oshawa most notable; the Masonic Temple in 1928, the Albert Street United Church in 1929, the Children Shelter on Centre Street in 1929, the offices for the PUC in 1931.  In 1932 Charles received the Signal Honour from the Architectural Institute of Canada for his design of the Masonic Temple.  His design came second to the Montreal Masonic Temple.

Charles lived with his family at 152 Ritson, 58 Aberdeen, 64 Greta and 633 Carnegie Ave. His office was in the Royal Bank building at the corner of Simcoe and Bond St.  In 1930, Charles designed the Legion Hall on Centre Street South and the Church of Christian Scientist on Colborne Avenue in 1935.

In 1937, Charles moved to Toronto and opened his office there.  Unfortunately, we have no records of any buildings that were designed by him there.  In 1939, he represented the Pedlar Co. in Toronto.  In 1950, his family retired to a farm on Altona Road Pickering.  Charles died in 1956 and was buried in Union Cemetery.