The Architects of our City

Alger Building, 35-37 King St. E., Oshawa
Norman Alexander Armstrong

Norman Alexander Armstrong was born September 2, 1882 in Queenston on a Niagara River farm which was a Crown grant to his great-grandfather James Durham, an United Empire Loyalist.  Son of William Armstrong and Catherine Durham, his early education was in Queenston and Niagara Falls before coming to Toronto to complete his study at the Technical School. He worked as a draftsman in the office of J. W. Siddall for three years. Then worked under leading architects in New York, San Francisco and Pittsburgh before moving back to Toronto in 1918 to establish his own practice.

While working in Pittsburgh he married Imilda Jane Gould on Feburary 25th, 1909 and they had two sons William Gould, born January 5, 1911 and Norman Alexandra Jr., born May 6, 1917.  Norman Jr. became an engineer and William was an architect.  Both sons worked with the family firm N. A. Armstrong, Architect and Industrial Engineer in Toronto, with offices at 19 Melinda St.

In 37 years of practice Norman Armstrong designed and built many homes and buildings in Toronto and the surrounding area.  Norman was on the forefront of the latest designs and was known as an architect who was not timid in using new materials.  The Aluminum Company of Canada used his designs of the Canadian Pad & Paper Co. offices in there advertising for their aluminum windows and building materials.  This building and the International Harvesters building on Bathurst were designed by Norman in the Art Moderne style.

Other notable buildings of his design were the Bloor Building at Bay and Bloor, the Hooper Drug store on the corner of Bloor and Sherbourne in 1928, the Savarin Tavern on Bay St. in 1929, the Silver Rail Restaurant in the Ryrie building at Youge and Shuter in 1934 and the Swansea Town Hall in 1957. 

Norman designed a number of homes using a classical revival style with a modern influence.  Many homes in the Kingsway-Humber residential area developed by Homes Smith were designed by Norman and his sons. 3 May St. in Toronto was designed in 1937 for Fred A. Fielder.  The grand staircase in an Art Moderne style is made of aluminum, the fireplace built of a modern limestone block.

When the Alger building on King St. E. was destroyed by fire in 1927, Norman was hired as the firm to design the new building.  The four story building was described as a modern adaptation of an Italian design.  The ground floor and basement were designed for the Traymore Savarin Restaurant and furnished with the latest equipment.  The upper stories were designed for offices.  There were serviced by automatic high speed elevators and had the latest in lighting, heating and plumbing.

In 1950 when Malleable Iron needed to modernize the foundry building Norman was the architect for the new foundry.

Norman Armstrong lived for many years in his home at the corner of  Willard and Colbeck Ave. and later at 6 Brule Terrace, Toronto.  He died May 3 1957 and was buried in Parklawn Cemetery.