Robert Fulford explores the legacy of John M. Lyle

Citing Glenn McArthur's 'accomplished biography' of John M. Lyle, Robert Fulford discusses some of the many accomplishments of Canada's 'original starchitect' in an article for the National Post:

'In 1904, Lyle heard about plans for Union Station in Toronto and idly imagined that he would like to be part of it. But it was a historical disaster that brought him home, the first Toronto disaster of the 20th century and in property loss the most calamitous ever. A few days after hearing about Union Station, he read in the New York papers that a fire had destroyed a great swath of downtown Toronto -- 122 buildings, 86 of them large structures. The city would need new buildings, Lyle realized, and therefore new architects. By 1905, he was in Toronto, setting up his office at 14 Leader Lane, just east of downtown Yonge Street.

'Within a year he had his first major commission, the 1,525-seat Royal Alexandra, which he later recalled as "the prize job of that period."'

Read the complete article at http://www.nationalpost.com/story.html?id=1645109.