Francis R. Heakes

Who was Francis R. Heakes?

Francis Ryley Heakes was a Canadian architect. He studied under Kivas Tully in the mid-1880s. He was at one time Chief Architect of the Public Works Department of the Province of Ontario. The Ontario Archives hold drawings for virtually all provincial buildings including courthouses, registry offices, goals & lockups, schools and colleges, hospitals and other works executed under his supervision fron 1896 until 1926.

Among his important commissions were the Whitney Block in downtown Toronto, the Mining Building at the University of Toronto, and the Superior Court of Justice in Thunder Bay. Perhaps his most famous commission was Government House in Toronto, designed in a style reminiscent of French châteaux. It was one of the most expensive residences ever constructed in Canada at the time, and was more impressive than even Rideau Hall in size and grandeur. The building was demolished in 1961.