Augustus Laver facts for kids

Augustus Laver (born around September 1834 – died March 27, 1898) was a talented Canadian architect. He helped design many important buildings, including parts of the famous Parliament Hill buildings in Ottawa. He also designed the San Francisco City Hall and beautiful homes.

Augustus Laver: A Master Architect

Augustus Laver was a well-known architect from the 1800s. He designed many important buildings in Canada and the United States. His work helped shape the look of cities like Ottawa and San Francisco.

Early Life and Career Beginnings

Augustus Laver was born in Folkestone, England. His father, George Laver, was a leading lawyer. Augustus later moved to Canada. He started his career working for another architect named Thomas Stent. This early experience helped him learn a lot about designing buildings.

Designing Important Buildings

Laver worked on many big projects.

• He designed major changes and additions to the Russell Hotel in Ottawa.
• He also worked on the East Block and West Block buildings on Parliament Hill in Ottawa. These buildings are very important to Canada's government.
• In 1866, he entered a competition to design the New York State Capitol building. He won a prize for his ideas. He worked with other architects like Thomas Fuller on this project, but they did not finish it.
• In 1871, Laver and Thomas Stent won a competition to design the new city hall and law courts for San Francisco. This was a huge project. Sadly, the building was still unfinished when it was destroyed by fire after the 1906 earthquake, eight years after Laver's death.
• Laver also designed the James C. Flood Mansion in San Francisco. This was the city's first brownstone building, built in a classical style.
• In Oakland, not far from San Francisco, he designed the grand Victorian-style Ellen Kenna house.

A Legacy in Architecture

Augustus Laver was a respected member of the architecture community. He was involved with important groups like the Royal Institute of British Architects. He also served as president of the Pacific Coast Association of Architects and was a fellow of the American Institute of Architects. These roles show how important he was in his field.

Laver passed away on March 27, 1898, in Alameda, California. His designs left a lasting mark on the cities where he worked.