David Ewart
David Ewart, ISO (18 February 1841 – 6 June 1921) was a Canadian architect who served as Chief Dominion Architect from 1896 to 1914. He broke with the Neo-Gothic style adopted by his predecessors Thomas Seaton Scott and Thomas Fuller; rather, he embraced the Baronial style exemplified in several important buildings. In 1903, Ewart was awarded the Imperial Service Order.
David Ewart

William James Topley · Library and Archives Canada does not allow free use of its copyrighted works. See Category:Images from Library and Archives Canada. · Public domain
- Name
- David Ewart
- Born
- 18 February 1841
- Birthplace
- Penicuik, Scotland
- Died
- 6 June 1921
- Place of death
- Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
- Awards
- Imperial Service Order
- Nationality
- Canada
- Occupation
- architect
- Known for
- Connaught Building
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Documentary summary
David Ewart, ISO (18 February 1841 – 6 June 1921) was a Canadian architect who served as Chief Dominion Architect from 1896 to 1914. He broke with the Neo-Gothic style adopted by his predecessors Thomas Seaton Scott and Thomas Fuller; rather, he embraced the Baronial style exemplified in several important buildings. In 1903, Ewart was awarded the Imperial Service Order.
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David Ewart (1841–1921) was a Canadian architect. Born in Penicuik, the architect died in Ottawa. Works include Connaught Building.
Composed from admitted, traceable facts · 01 October 2026
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In this article
Key facts
Key facts
• Name — David Ewart • Born — 18 February 1841 • Birthplace — Penicuik, Scotland • Died — 6 June 1921 • Place of death — Ottawa, Ontario, Canada • Practice — Chief Dominion Architect • Significant Buildings — Connaught Building, Victoria Memorial Building, Royal Canadian Mint • Awards — Imperial Service Order
Personal
Personal
Ewart was married to Jeanne Marie Doyen until her death in 1885. He was then married to Annie Sigsworth Simpson from 1887 to his death in 1921. His son John Albert Ewart was an acclaimed Ottawa architect.
Works
Works
• Building — Year completed — Builder — Style — Location — Image • Rideau Cottage — 1905 — David Ewart - 1905 rear addition — Georgian Revival — Ottawa, Ontario • Connaught Building — 1913 — David Ewart — Tudor-Gothic — Ottawa, Ontario — • Victoria Memorial Building — 1912 — David Ewart — Baronial style — Ottawa, Ontario — • Royal Canadian Mint — 1908 — David Ewart — Tudor-Gothic — Ottawa, Ontario — • Mappin Wing (or front facade) of Rideau Hall — 1913 — David Ewart — Baronial style — Ottawa, Ontario — • Customs Examining Warehouse, Sinclair Centre — 1911-1913 — David Ewart — Scottish Baronial architecture — Vancouver, BC — • Moose Jaw City Hall — 1914 — David Ewart — Edwardian Classical — Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan — • Strathcona Public Building — 1913 — David Ewart — Baronial style — Edmonton, Alberta — • Post Office Building, Sinclair Centre (home to Postal Station A; clock by John Smith & Sons, 1909) — 1905-1910 — David Ewart — Edwardian Baroque architecture — Vancouver, British Columbia — • Prince Edward Building — 1906 — David Ewart — Baronial style — Regina, Saskatchewan — • Bowmanville Post Office — David Ewart — Baronial style — Bowmanville, Ontario • Humboldt Post Office — 1911 — David Ewart — Baronial style — Humboldt, Saskatchewan — • Royal Military College of Canada Fort Lasalle Dormitory Building R33 — 1912 — David Ewart — Baronial style — Kingston, Ontario * recognized Federal Heritage Building 1990 honours René-Robert Cavelier, Sieur de La Salle. The limestone carvings are of a crown, the initials GR (for George V), 'Dormitory', and 'RMC 1912'. — • Royal Military College of Canada Building 9 Rideout Row (1908) — 1908 — David Ewart — Baronial style — Kingston, Ontario *after renovations known as Rideout Square; *recognized Federal Heritage Building 1994 • Royal Military College of Canada Building 9a Rideout Row (1908) — 1908 — David Ewart — Baronial style — Kingston, Ontario *after renovations known as Rideout Square; *recognized Federal Heritage Building 1994 • Royal Military College of Canada Gymnasium, Old Building R25 — 1903 — David Ewart — Baronial style — Kingston, Ontario * recognized Federal Heritage Building 1989 — • Illustration — Royal Military College of Canada Old gymnasium • Royal Military College of Canada Headquarters, Former RMC Riding Establishment, Building R5 — 1908 — David Ewart — Baronial style — Kingston, Ontario * recognized Federal Heritage Building 1994 — • Illustration — Royal Military College of Canada building 5 former riding academy.jpg • Royal Military College of Canada Panet House, Building R27 — 1903 — David Ewart — Baronial style — Kingston, Ontario * recognized Federal Heritage Building 1994 honours Lt Col. Charles-Eugène Panet — • Royal Military College of Canada Tailor Shop, former Gun Shed, Building R24 — 1914 — David Ewart — Baronial style — Kingston, Ontario * recognized Federal Heritage Building 1994 — • Dominion Observatory, Carling Avenue — 1902 — David Ewart — Baronial style — Central Experimental Farm, Ottawa, Ontario — • Chief Astronomer's Residence — 1909 — David Ewart — Baronial style — Central Experimental Farm, Ottawa, Ontario • Geodetic Survey Building — 1914 — David Ewart — Baronial style — Central Experimental Farm, Ottawa, Ontario As federal architect he oversaw the design and construction of several buildings at the Central Experimental Farm including the Dominion Observatory, Carling Avenue in 1902; Chief Astronomer's Residence, 1909; and the Geodetic Survey Building, 1914. He also oversaw the design and construction of numerous post offices (such as the Humboldt Post Office). He oversaw the design and construction of numerous armouries across Canada.
Alphabetical listing (by community) of Canadian Army Reserve Armouries
Alphabetical listing (by community) of Canadian Army Reserve Armouries
• Site — Date(s) & architect — Designated — Location — Description — Image • Amherst Armoury, Acadia Street — 1914-1915 David Ewart — Canada's Register of Historic Places; Recognized - 1990 Register of the Government of Canada Heritage Buildings — Amherst, Nova Scotia — large centrally located stone and brick Baronial style building featuring two sturdy towers, a triple-arched entrance way and a large drill hall • Brigadier Angle Armoury 720 Lawrence Avenue — 1904 David Ewart — Canada's Register of Historic Places; Recognized - 1997 Register of the Government of Canada Heritage Buildings — Kelowna, British Columbia — one-storey, T-shaped Baronial style structure with a hipped-roof, clad in aluminum siding. • Baddeck Armoury — 1901 David Ewart — Baddeck, Nova Scotia — * centrally located Baronial style building with a hipped-roof • Barrie Armoury 37 Parkside Dr, High Street — 1913-14 David Ewart — 1997 Recognized - Register of the Government of Canada Heritage Buildings — Barrie, Ontario — * Housing The Grey and Simcoe Foresters, this large, mansard roofed Edwardian Baroque structure with sturdy projecting towers and a three-arched entrance is in a residential area near the centre of the city. — • Illustration — Cap Badge of the Grey & Simcoe Foresters • Beatty Street Drill Hall 620 Beatty Street at Dunsmuir Street — 1899-1900 David Ewart — Canada's Register of Historic Places; Vancouver landmark and class-A heritage building — Vancouver, British Columbia — massive, low-massed symmetrically composed Baronial style structure with two large castle-like turrets complete with battlements, whose main entrance is a central troop door — • Illustration — Beatty Street Drill Hall 1901 • Beauport Armoury or Building 1 — 1913-4 David Ewart — Canada's Register of Historic Places; Recognized - 1991 Register of the Government of Canada Heritage Buildings; — Beauport, Quebec — Centrally located two-storey, red brick Baronial style drill hall with a low-pitched, gable-roof • Belleville Armoury, Bridge Street East at 187 Pinnacle Road — 1907-8 David Ewart — Canada's Register of Historic Places;1992 Recognized - Register of the Government of Canada Heritage Buildings — Belleville, Ontario — * Housing The Hastings and Prince Edward Regiment, this centrally located, low-pitched gambrel-roofed, stone and brick Baronial style building features a pair of tall towers • Brampton Armoury 2 Chapel Street — 1914-15 David Ewart — 1991 Recognized - Register of the Government of Canada Heritage Buildings — Brampton, Ontario — * Housing "B" Company, 32 Canadian Brigade Group this centrally located, mid-size, rectangular Baronial style building has a low-pitched gable roof — • Brandon Armoury 1116 Victoria Avenue — 1907-8 David Ewart — Canada's Register of Historic Places; Recognized - 1994 Register of the Government of Canada Heritage Buildings — Brandon, Manitoba — * a solid looking Baronial style structure constructed of brick and stone featuring a three-storey midsection located in a mixed commercial and residential area • Brantford Armoury 18 Brant Avenue — 1893 David Ewart — 1992 Recognized - Register of the Government of Canada Heritage Buildings — Brantford, Ontario — centrally located near the War Memoria; the Baronial style drill hall with a low-pitched gable roof is fronted by a monumental, fortress-like façade of brick and stone • Burford Armoury, King Street — 1905 David Ewart — Burford, Ontario — * This centrally located, large, low-massed, structure in the Baronial style features a low-pitched gable roof. • Cambridge Armoury Ainslie Street South — 1914-5 David Ewart — 1987 Recognized - Register of the Government of Canada Heritage Buildings — Cambridge, Ontario — * Housing The Royal Highland Fusiliers of Canada, this centrally located, brick and stone Baronial style structure features a façade, flanking towers and a low-pitched gable roof; it projects a solid, fortified appearance. • Chatham Armoury, Colborne Street — 1905 David Ewart — Chatham, Ontario — * This Baronial style building has a low-pitched gable roof. • Coaticook Armoury — 1914 David Ewart — Coaticook, Quebec — * This Baronial style building has a low-pitched gable roof. • Cobourg Armoury, King Street — 1904 David Ewart — Cobourg, Ontario — * This Baronial style building has a low-pitched gable roof. • Connaught Armoury 85th Avenue — 1911 David Ewart — Canada's Register of Historic Places — Edmonton, Alberta, Canada — * The oldest armoury in Alberta, this two-storey, rectangular brick Baronial style building with a low-pitched gable roof, was built in the historic district to house 19th Alberta Dragoons. — • Colonel D. V. Currie VC Armoury, 1215 Main Street North — 1913-14 David Ewart — 1998 Register of the Government of Canada Heritage Buildings — Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan — * large, low-massed Baronial style brick structure is located in a mixed commercial, recreational and residential neighbourhood. * Currently the home of the Saskatchewan Dragoons; it has housed 95th Saskatchewan Rifles, the 60th Rifles, the King’s Own Rifles of Canada, the 77th Battery, Royal Canadian Artillery, the 19th Medical Company, Royal Canadian Army Medical Corps, and the 142nd Transport Company, Royal Canadian Army Service Corps • Dundas Armoury King Street at Market Street — 1900 David Ewart — Dundas, Ontario — * large centrally located Baronial style building with a low-pitched gable roof • Durham Armoury, Garafraxa Street — 1908 David Ewart — Durham, Ontario — * large centrally located Baronial style building with a low-pitched gable roof • Enderby Drill Hall George Street — 1914 David Ewart — Enderby, British Columbia — Built for $15,000 of Enderby bricks on donated land, the 42' x 92' Baronial style building has a birch floor and a single front door • Fraserville Armoury — 1910 David Ewart — Fraserville, Quebec — * Designed in a Baronial style, this centrally located massive, fortress-like building is centrally located. • Manège Henri-Julien, 3721 Henri Julien Street — 1911 David Ewart — Canada's Register of Historic Places; Recognized - 1992 Register of the Government of Canada Heritage Buildings — Montreal, Quebec — * Housing Les Fusiliers Mont-Royal, this centrally located Baronial style armoury is on a corner site, in a densely packed, mixed neighbourhood — • Galt Armoury, Mill Street — 1914 David Ewart — Galt, Ontario — * large centrally located Baronial style building with a low-pitched gable roof • Guelph Armoury Farquahar Street at Huskinsson Street — 1906-7 David Ewart — 1991 Recognized on the Register of the Government of Canada Heritage Buildings; Canada's Register of Historic Places — Guelph, Ontario — Designed in a late Baronial style, this centrally located massive, fortress-like brick building is heavily ornamented and centrally located on a sloped site • JR Vicars Armoury, 1221 Mcgill Rd — 1902 David Ewart — Kamloops, British Columbia — * Housing The Rocky Mountain Rangers, this Baronial style structure is centrally located • Joliette Armoury, Park Street — 1909 David Ewart — Joliette, Quebec — * This Baronial style structure is centrally located. • Kingston Drill Hall or 100 Montreal Street — 1899-1899 David Ewart — 1989 Classified on the Register of the Government of Canada Heritage Buildings — Kingston, Ontario — * Housing The Princess of Wales' Own Regiment, this two-storey, heavy stone Baronial style structure is located in a residential and commercial district in the former Royal Artillery Park. • Lévis Armoury, 10 de l'Arsenal Street; St. David Street at St. Antoine Street — 1911-4 David Ewart — Canada's Register of Historic Places; Recognized - 1991 Register of the Government of Canada Heritage Buildings — Lévis, Quebec — * Housing Le Régiment de la Chaudière, this centrally located two-storey Baronial style stone structure has a copper hipped roof. • London Armoury Dundas, Richmond, Wellington and King Street — 1902-3 David Ewart — Canada's Register of Historic Places — London, Ontario — * Housing 4th Battalion The Royal Canadian Regiment, this large centrally located Baronial style building has a low-pitched gable roof. — • Matane Armoury 374, St. Jerome Street — 1913 David Ewart — Canada's Register of Historic Places; Recognized - 1991 Register of the Government of Canada Heritage Buildings — Matane, Quebec — Centrally located two-storey, red brick Baronial style building with a green-painted, metal clad hipped roof • Colonel R. S. McLaughlin Armoury 53 Simcoe Street North — 1914 David Ewart — Recognized - 1991 Register of the Government of Canada Heritage Buildings — Oshawa, Ontario — centrally located, large Baronial style brick structure with a low-pitched gable roof on a compact site • Middleton Armoury 150 Commercial Street — 1902 David Ewart — Canada's Register of Historic Places; Recognized - 1993 Register of the Government of Canada Heritage Buildings — Middleton, Nova Scotia — Centrally located, Baronial style building with wooden construction and classical detailing. • Minto Armoury St. Matthew's Avenue at Minto Street — 1914-15 David Ewart — Canada's Register of Historic Places; Recognized - 1991 Register of the Government of Canada Heritage Buildings — Winnipeg, Manitoba — centrally located large, red brick Baronial style structure, exemplified by sturdy, crenellated corner towers and low arched roof • Brigadier Murphy Armoury 29th & 21st Avenue, Canadian Forces Base Chilliwack — 1913 David Ewart — Canada's Register of Historic Places; Recognized - 1997 Register of the Government of Canada Heritage Buildings — Chilliwack, British Columbia — Designed from a standard plan, this two-storey Baronial style drill hall has simple horizontal massing and modest but strong detailing. • Napanee Armoury, Centre Street — 1914 David Ewart — Napanee, Ontario — large centrally located Baronial style building with a low-pitched gable roof • Niagara Falls Armoury 5049 Victoria Avenue at South Street — 1907-10 David Ewart — Canada's Register of Historic Places — Niagara Falls, Ontario — * centrally located two-storey red brick and stone structure with a limestone foundation, featuring a triple Baronial style gothic arch and is surrounded by lawn, with flat, open grounds to the rear. — • Hudson's Bay Company Stables Ortona Armoury 9722 - 102 Street — 1914 David Ewart — Canada's Register of Historic Places — Edmonton, Alberta — restored two-storey, U-shaped Baronial style building with load bearing brick walls and stone detailing • Pembroke Armoury 177 Victoria Street — 1913-14 David Ewart — Recognized - 1992 Register of the Government of Canada Heritage Buildings — Pembroke, Ontario — large centrally located Baronial style building with a low-pitched gable roof • Portage la Prairie Armoury 143 Second Street — 1912-13 David Ewart — Canada's Register of Historic Places; Recognized - 1998 on the Register of the Government of Canada Heritage Buildings — Portage la Prairie Manitoba — * Centrally located in a newer residential area, the two-storey, flat-roofed, red brick Baronial style building has a stone basement and trim. • Rossland Armoury — 1904 David Ewart — Rossland, British Columbia — * Centrally located, the Baronial style building has a gable roof. • Sussex Armoury — 1902 David Ewart — Sussex, New Brunswick — * Centrally located, the Baronial style building has a low-pitched gable roof • Port Arthur Armoury, Park Street at Second Street — 1913-14 David Ewart — Port Arthur, Ontario — * A large brick Baronial style building with a low-pitched gable roof is centrally located. • Prince Albert Armoury 10th Street East and 8th Avenue East — 1914 David Ewart — Recognized - 1988 on the Register of the Government of Canada Heritage Buildings — Prince Albert, Saskatchewan — A large brick Baronial style building with a low-pitched gable roof is centrally located on open terrain adjacent to exhibition grounds. • Prince Edward Island Regiment Armoury, 33 Summer Street — 1910-1911 David Ewart — Canada's Register of Historic Places — Summerside, Prince Edward Island — * Centrally located stone and brick Baronial style building replaced an earlier military Drill Shed • Rimouski Armoury 65 Saint-Jean-Baptiste Street East — 1910-11 David Ewart — Canada's Register of Historic Places; Recognized - 1991 Register of the Government of Canada Heritage Buildings — Rimouski, Quebec — * Housing Les Fusiliers du S t -Laurent, this centrally located red brick Baronial style structure's compact, solid volume creates a strong visual presence • Rivière du Loup Armoury Joly Street — 1904 David Ewart — Canada's Register of Historic Places — Rivière-du-Loup, Quebec — centrally located, symmetrical Baronial style building whose two two-storey wings flank the dominant centre pavilion • Sherbrooke Armoury, 64 Belvedere Road South — 1907-8 David Ewart — Canada's Register of Historic Places; Recognized - 1991 Register of the Government of Canada Heritage Buildings — Sherbrooke, Quebec — * Housing Les Fusiliers de Sherbrooke, this large centrally located Baronial style building with a low-pitched gable roof, has a large, unobstructed drill hall space — • St. Catharines Armoury 81 Lake Street at Elizabeth Street — 1905 David Ewart — Recognized 1991 Register of the Government of Canada Heritage Buildings — St. Catharines, Ontario — * Housing The Lincoln and Welland Regiment, this centrally located large, brick Baronial style structure with a low-pitched gable roof, has a sturdy, military appearance. • Saint-Hyacinthe Armoury 2155 Laframboise Blvd. — 1905-6 David Ewart — Canada's Register of Historic Places;Recognized - 2005 Register of the Government of Canada Heritage Buildings — Saint-Hyacinthe, Quebec — * Housing 6th Battalion of Royal 22 e Régiment, this centrally located brick and stone Baronial style building is composed of a drill hall, a simple rectangular block with a gable roof, and the north block. — • St. Thomas Armoury Chester and Wilson Streets — 1901-2 David Ewart — Recognized - 1992 Register of the Government of Canada Heritage Buildings — St. Thomas, Ontario — centrally located rectangular, gable-roofed Baronial style building of solid, compact appearance • Strathcona Armoury — 1911-12 David Ewart — Strathcona, Alberta — centrally located rectangular, gable-roofed Baronial style building of solid, compact appearance • Strathroy Armoury Frank Street at James Street — 1907 David Ewart — Strathroy, Ontario — centrally located rectangular, gable-roofed Baronial style building of solid, compact appearance • Thunder Bay Armoury 317 Park Avenue — 1913 David Ewart — Canada's Register of Historic Places — Thunder Bay, Ontario — * Housing The Lake Superior Scottish Regiment, this two-storey, gable-roofed Baronial style drill hall is centrally located. • Truro Armoury Wilson Street — 1907 David Ewart — Truro, Nova Scotia — * Housing The Nova Scotia Highlanders, this centrally located box-like Baronial style building with a flat roof was designed with classical inspiration. • North Vancouver Armoury 15th Street at Forbes Avenue — 1914 David Ewart — North Vancouver, British Columbia — * centrally located box-like Baronial style building with a flat roof with classical inspiration. • Virden Armoury — 1913 David Ewart — Virden, Manitoba — * this gable-roofed Baronial style drill hall is centrally located. • Walkerton Armoury — 1907 David Ewart — Walkerton, Ontario — * this gable-roofed Baronial style drill hall is centrally located. • Maj FA Tilson VC Armoury 353, Freedom Way — 1899-02 David Ewart — |Canada's Register of Historic Places — Windsor, Ontario — * Housing The Essex and Kent Scottish, this two-storey, red-brick Richardson Baronial style structure with a three-storey tower is centrally located. • Woodstock Armoury Chapel Street — 1904-5 David Ewart — Canada's Register of Historic Places; Recognized - 1991 Register of the Government of Canada Heritage Buildings — Woodstock, New Brunswick — * Centrally localled, symmetrical Baronial style building with two two-storey wings flanking a central pavilion
Origins
Origins
David Ewart was born on 18 February 1841 in Penicuik.
Places
Named by the record
Places
Only places the record itself states, plotted where the house gazetteer settles their coordinates. Nothing is inferred from a name or a nationality.
Penicuik.
Birth place
Ottawa.
Death place
Works documented in more than one form
Catalogued output
Works documented in more than one form
Where a title is documented in several forms the evidence behind it is correspondingly wider, and the article treats those forms as separate records of the same work rather than as separate works.
Works, 1904–1915
Catalogued output
Works, 1904–1915
These are texts written by the subject, distinct both from writings about the subject and from printed editions of other people's work. They belong to a run of 16 titles in all, from 1904 to 1915.
The run opens with Former Archives Building and closes with Minto Armoury
Former Archives Building
1904
Old Post Office Building
1905
Prince Edward Building
1907
Royal Canadian Mint Building
1908
Federal Building
1908
Humboldt Post Office
1911
Government of Canada Building, Tignish
1911
Victoria Memorial Museum Building
1911
Strathcona Public Building
1913
Moose Jaw City Hall
1914
Minto Armoury
1915
Works without a settled date
Catalogued output
Works without a settled date
Marie Museum. Hôtel des Postes
Midland Public Library
Catalogued output
Books and published writings
Memoir of the late Mahendra Lál Basák
1846
A scriptural view of the moral relations of African slavery
1859
Scottish ceilidh dancing
1997
A Scriptural View
2018
Primary material
Documents and archives
institutional register
- Wikidata, structured authority record Q5233476: David Ewart
General reference · Wikimedia Foundation
reference work
- “David Ewart”, English Wikipedia, consulted as further reading
Reputable secondary · Wikipedia
Notes from the source article
Cited by Wikipedia
Notes from the source article
These works are cited by the source article, in its own numbering. They are recorded as its citations, not as sources VALÉORINE has verified.
- 1.DictCanbio 8127
- 2.CRHP 4812 Fort Lasalle Dormitory Building
- 3.CRHP 11197 Headquarters, Former RMC Riding Establishment
- 4.CRHP 11113 Panet House
- 5.CRHP 11184 Tailor Shop, former Gun Shed
References
Citations
References
Each reference names the institution holding it, so a reader may go to the document itself.
institutional register
Wikidata, structured authority record Q5233476: David EwartWikimedia Foundation
Secondary witnessreference work
Secondary witness
The Encyclopedia exists whether or not anything is for sale. Corrections are recorded rather than overwritten, and every version of this record is kept. Published 17 August 2026.
Elsewhere in Design
11,558 published records in this field, each with its sources named.
- David CousinDesigner
- David Cunningham of RobertlandDesigner
- David EllisDesigner
- David Evelyn NyeDesigner
- David Forbes SmithDesigner
- David Frederick WallaceDesigner
- David GillyDesigner
- David GreeneDesigner
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