Frederick gullett

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Frederick Gullett 1842 - 1902

 

From the “County of York History” 1885 Vol. 1 page 496

 

THE COUNTY OF YORK MARBLE WORKS

 

Frederick B. Gullett.  Granite and marble works, 100 and 102 Church Street, was born in Devonshire England in 1842 and came to America in 1857.  He remained in New York until 1868 and removed in that year to Toronto and commenced business at the above location.

He executes monuments, sculpture and carved work of all descriptions in marble, granite and stone.  He first introduced the celebrated Bay of Fundy red granite for monumental and building purposes and is also wholesale dealer in all kinds of granite and foreign marble.

He employs from fifteen to twenty men and distributes hs work over Ontario and various pats of the United States.  The carved work of the New Post Office, Queen City Insurance Company’s office, McMaster’s Warehouse and numerous Public Buildings of the city was executed by Mr. Gullett.

(end of quote)

 

From the City of Toronto Archives in a letter to his grandson I extracted the following:  “Such records would only concern Mr. Gullett’s involvement with civic projects in the case of the Old city Hall for example.  The Annual Financial Reports show Mr. Gullett’s Company to have received $28.725.00 between 1898 and 1901 on a marble work contract and $3,097.00 in 1900 for making granite entrance steps..”

( letter dated, April 4, 1974 - end of letter )

 

Extract from a letter from a relative about the works of F. B. Gullett …”his period would be 1869 to 1902.  He commenced business at 100 - 102 Church Street and later F. B. Gullett and Sons Monumental Sculptures Granite and Marble Works at 740 - 742 Yonge Street.  He has a factory on Balmuto Street for monumental and building purposes.  He did carbed work for numerous buildings in Toronto, eg. “Queen city Insurance Co, McMaster Warehouse, Old City Hall, Osgoode Hall, The Grange, University College, Eighth Post Office (1871 - 73) on Adelaide Street.  (now destroyed)

 

Old City Hall 1898 & 1901

Adelaide Post Office 1871-73

McMaster Warehouse 1871 ( Yonge & Front )

The Grange 1875 ( structural changes )

Osgoode Hall

University College 1890 ( after the big fire )

Gooderham Building 1892 ( Front & Wellington )

Queen City Ins Bldg 1876 Dec 7

Stone cutting & carving $1,230.00 R.C.      Windeyer Arch

Queen’s Hotel ( now The Royal York Hotel )

 

Fred had two sons, Fred Gullett Jr. and Robert Moffat born 1872 and died in 1952.  His Wife Annie M. Moran died at age 95.  It was from one of his daughters Eleanor that I learned so much about the family back in 1973 while doing research.  They used to live on Walker Ave near Walter S. Allward, another famous Canadian Sculpture.  Their children used to play with his sons.  The stone work for the “Boer War Memorial” done by Walter Allward was that of Gullett.  The base pedestal for the Queen Victoria that now sits in Queen’s Park Toronto was his work too.  In Mount Pleasant Cemetery in Toronto the memorial to Liet. Fitch was executed by Gullett.  Even the bust in bronze is his work.

The Grandson Fred E.R> Gullett has sent me much information about the family under:  THE GULLETTS IN CANADA

Frederick Balkwill ( a name he adopted ) Gullett, born April 16, 1842 at Ridgeway ( Plympton Devon England, the youngest son of James born 1790 and married Sarah Lister died July 6th 1902 at sea on the S.S. St. Paul on the way home to Toronto after visiting his relative in England. ( Interred at Sea )

 

 

THE EVENING TELEGRAM 

Sat July 1887

TRIBUTE TO DEAD HERO

 

Memorial to Liet. Fitch

The Noble Granite Column that marks his last resting place in Mount Pleasant.  Description of the Monument:  One of the most stately monuments ever erected in this province is that designed be Fred. B. Gullett, Sculptor as a memorial of one of the heroes of Batoche Leit. Fitch who rests in the beautiful Mount Pleasant Cemetery.  It is constructed of almost indestructible Quincy granite of a rich dark gray tint and with lines specially adapted by the designer to the material.  The grace of proportion and delicacy of a double stepped base and molded.  From this rises a die four feet square having polished faces for the inscriptions and raised pediment tablets.  This is surmounted by a richly molded cornice of bold projection in which is a medallion bearing the family crest and motto consisting of a leopard’s head impaled and the words “Pes Juvas” executed in real bronze.  Above the cornice is a die of polished granite having at its corners polished columns and spiritedly carved foliated caps.  This pleasingly varies the line of the composition.  To  avoid joints, the bases of the columns form part of the cornice of the lower part and the cps form part of the cornice of the upper die.  In the tympanum of the cornice is the regimental crest and motto of the Royal Grenadiers.  These form appropriate surroundings for the portrait bust of Liet. Fitch of life size and executed in bronze.  The cornice is surmounted at four angles by finials in the form of polished granite cannon balls, the remainder of the work being fine hammered.

Fitch Monument in Mount Pleasant

H. Langley Arch in Stone Carver   

L. Hayward Photo

Bust of Egerton Ryerson