Francis Mawson Rattenbury (1867-1935) was an architect born in England, although most of his career was spent in British Columbia, Canada. He was responsible for many well-known buildings in Vancouver and Victoria, including the Empress Hotel, the British Columbia Legislative Buildings, and many banks, government buildings and residences. 1867 was a common year starting on Tuesday (see link for calendar). ... 1935 was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will take you to calendar). ... Royal motto: Dieu et mon droit (French: God and my right) Englands location within the UK Official language English de facto Capital London de facto Largest city London Area  - Total Ranked 1st UK 130,395 km² Population  - Total (2001)  - Density Ranked 1st UK 49,138,831 377/km² Religion... Motto: Splendor Sine Occasu (Splendour without diminishment) Other Canadian provinces and territories Capital Victoria Largest city Vancouver Lieutenant Governor Iona Campagnolo Premier Gordon Campbell ( BC Liberal) Area 944,735 km² (5th)  - Land 925,186 km²  - Water 19,549 km² (2. ... Canada is a sovereign state in northern North America, the northern-most country in the world, and the second largest in total area. ... This article refers to the city in British Columbia, Canada. ... Victorias Inner Harbour with the Provincial Legislature in the background. ...

Architectural Career

Rattenbury was born in 1867 in Leeds, England. He began his architectural career with an apprenticeship in 1884 to the Lockwood and Mawson Company in England, where he worked until he left for Canada. In 1891, he arrived in Vancouver, in the new Canadian province of British Columbia. 1867 was a common year starting on Tuesday (see link for calendar). ... Leeds is a city in the county of West Yorkshire, in the north of England. ... 1884 is a leap year starting on Tuesday (click on link to calendar). ... 1891 was a common year starting on Thursday (see link for calendar). ...

The province, anxious to show its growing economic, social and political status, was engaged in an architectural competition to build a new legislative building in Victoria. The new immigrant entered, signing his drawings with the pseudonym "A B.C. Architect," and won the competition. Despite many problems, including going over-budget by $400,000, the British Columbia Legislative Building was officially opened in 1898. The grand scale of its 500-ft long facade, central dome and two end pavilions, the richness of its white marble, and its use of the currently-popular Romanesque style contributed to its being seen as an impressive monument for the new province. Rattenbury's success in the competition garnered him many commissions in Victoria and other parts of the province, including additions to the Legislative Buildings in 1913-1915. 1898 was a common year starting on Saturday (see link for calendar). ... Romanesque St. ... 1913 is a common year starting on Wednesday. ... 1915 was a common year starting on Friday (see link for calendar). ...

Rattenbury also worked for the Canadian Pacific Railway as their Western Division Architect. His most well-known work for the CPR was the Empress, a Chateau-style hotel built in 1904-1908 in Victoria, with two wings added in 1909-1914. The architect, however, fell out with the CPR and went to work for their competition, the Grand Trunk Pacific Railroad. He designed many hotels and stations for the GTP, but they were never completed due to the death of the owner, Charles Melville Hays, in the sinking of the RMS Titanic and the company's subsequent bankruptcy. The CPR allowed him to return, however, and he built the second CPR Steamship Terminal in Victoria in 1923-1924 in association with another architect, Percy James. Rattenbury and James also collaborated in the design of the Crystal Garden at the same time, although they later had a public conflict over Rattenbury's refusal to give James credit and payment for his work on the Garden. The Canadian Pacific Railway (CPR; AAR reporting marks CP, CPAA, CPI), known as CP Rail between 1968 and 1996, is a Canadian Class I railway operated by Canadian Pacific Railway Limited. ... 1904 is a leap year starting on a Friday (link will take you to calendar). ... 1908 is a leap year starting on Wednesday (link will take you to calendar). ... 1909 was a common year starting on Friday (see link for calendar). ... 1914 is a common year starting on Thursday. ... The New York Herald reports the disaster. ... 1923 was a common year starting on Monday (link will take you to calendar). ... 1924 was a leap year starting on Tuesday (link will take you to calendar). ...

Just as quickly as he became popular, Rattenbury and his architecture was out of favour. Perhaps a symptom of his waning popularity, he lost the competition to build the Saskatchewan Legislative Buildings, built 1908-1912 in Regina, to E. and W.S. Maxwell, two Montreal architects trained at the Ecole des Beaux Arts in Paris. In contrast to the Maxwells, Rattenbury had no formal training in architecture and, with the increasing professionalism of the field, was soon outpaced by better-trained and better-educated architects. 1908 is a leap year starting on Wednesday (link will take you to calendar). ... 1912 is a leap year starting on Monday. ... École des Beaux Arts refers to several art schools in France. ... A profession is a specialized work function within society, generally performed by a professional. ...

Personal Life and Tragedy

Soon after winning the competition for the Legislative Buildings in Victoria, Rattenbury was involved in a series of risky financial ventures. Most notably, he planned to supply meat and cattle to prospectors during the Klondike Gold Rush and he ordered three steam trains to serve the Yukon Territory. These investments eventually became profitable. After World War I, however, his luck turned sour with the failure of some financial speculations, leading to conflicts with his business partners. A typical gold mining operation, on Bonanza Creek The Klondike Gold Rush was a frenzy of immigration to and gold prospecting in the Klondike near Dawson City in the Yukon Territory, Canada, after gold was discovered in the late 19th century. ... Motto: none Other Canadian provinces and territories Capital Whitehorse Largest city Whitehorse Commissioner Jack Cable Premier Dennis Fentie (Yukon Party) Area 482,443 km² (9th)  - Land 474,391 km²  - Water 8,052 km² (1. ...

His personal life also begin to show strains at this time. In 1923, he left his wife Florence Nunn, whom he had married in 1898, and his children Frank and Mary for a 27-year-old two-time divorcee named Alma Pakenham. His maltreatment of his wife, including having the heat and lights turned off in their home after he moved out, and his public flaunting of his affair led his former clients and associates to shun him, forcing him to leave Victoria after divorcing his wife in 1925. He returned in 1927 with Alma, having married her, and they had a son before deciding to move to Bournemouth, England in 1929, the same year that Florence died. 1923 was a common year starting on Monday (link will take you to calendar). ... 1898 was a common year starting on Saturday (see link for calendar). ... Events January-May January 3 - Benito Mussolini announces he is taking dictatorial powers over Italy. ... Events January 7 - First transatlantic telephone call - New York City to London January 9 - Military rebellion crushed in Lisbon January 14 - Paul Doumer elected president of France January 19 - Britain sends troops to China February 12 - First British troops lad on Shanghai February 14 - Earthquake in Yugoslavia - 700 dead February... Bournemouth is a seaside resort in the county of Dorset on the south coast of England. ... 1929 was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will take you to calendar). ...

In England, his financial problems continued, causing his relationship with Alma to disintegrate. She began an affair with George Percy Stoner, her chauffeur. In 1935, Rattenbury was murdered in his sitting room by blows to the head. His wife and Stoner were soon charged. Stoner was convicted and sentenced to death, although it was later commuted to a life sentence. The charges against Mrs. Rattenbury were dropped; she committed suicide a few days later. 1935 was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will take you to calendar). ...

Selected Work

• British Columbia Legislative Buildings, Victoria (1891-1898, additions 1913-1915)
• Roedde House, Vancouver (1893)
• Bank of Montreal, Victoria (1896)
• Lieutenant Governor's Residence, Victoria (1901, destroyed by fire in 1957)
• Victoria High School, Victoria (1901)
• Court House, Vancouver (1905-1913, remodeled in 1983 as the Vancouver Art Gallery)
• Merchant's Bank, Victoria (1907)
• Court House, Nelson (1909)
• Empress Hotel, Victoria (1904-1908, additions in 1909 and 1914)
• CPR Steamship Terminal, Victoria (1923-1924)
• Crystal Garden, Victoria (1925)

1891 was a common year starting on Thursday (see link for calendar). ... 1898 was a common year starting on Saturday (see link for calendar). ... 1913 is a common year starting on Wednesday. ... 1915 was a common year starting on Friday (see link for calendar). ... 1893 was a common year starting on Sunday (see link for calendar). ... 1896 was a leap year starting on Wednesday (see link for calendar). ... 1901 was a common year starting on Tuesday (see link for calendar). ... 1957 was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will take you to calendar). ... 1901 was a common year starting on Tuesday (see link for calendar). ... 1905 was a common year starting on Sunday (see link for calendar). ... 1913 is a common year starting on Wednesday. ... 1983 is an integer and composite number that represents a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The Vancouver Art Gallery, the fifth-largest art gallery in Canada, is located at 750 Hornby Street in Vancouver, British Columbia. ... 1907 was a common year starting on Tuesday (see link for calendar). ... 1909 was a common year starting on Friday (see link for calendar). ... 1904 is a leap year starting on a Friday (link will take you to calendar). ... 1908 is a leap year starting on Wednesday (link will take you to calendar). ... 1909 was a common year starting on Friday (see link for calendar). ... 1914 is a common year starting on Thursday. ... 1923 was a common year starting on Monday (link will take you to calendar). ... 1924 was a leap year starting on Tuesday (link will take you to calendar). ... Events January-May January 3 - Benito Mussolini announces he is taking dictatorial powers over Italy. ...

External links

• Crysal Garden (http://collections.ic.gc.ca/crystalgarden/) (includes biography of Rattenbury)
• British Columbia Legislative Buildings (http://www.legis.gov.bc.ca/#)
• The Empress Hotel (http://www.valemountbc.com/attractions/?id=40)