He was the son of Charles Herdet Acton Bond and Sarha Bonnick, he was born on 20th Jun 1869 in Chelsea London England, and was the grandchild of William Robert Bond Elizabeth Pepper, William Bond and Sarah Acton were his 1st Great Grandparents.
Charles married Mary Louisa Newton on 17th Nov 1898 in York County, Ontario, Canada. Mary Louisa was the daughter of James Newton and Mary Louisa Matthews.
Children of Charles and Mary:
Mary C Acton Bond, 1899 - 1994.
Charles Herbert Acton Bond, 1901 - 1947, m Minnie Leota Gamble, had issue.
Dorothy Acton Bond, 1903 - 1905.
Children of Charles and Minnie:
Charles Acton Bond, 1933 - 1933.
Mary Acton Bond, 1935 - 2013, m Frederick T Harris.
Micheal George Acton Bond, 1937 - 2014. m Ruth Styles, had issue.
Charles Herbert Acton Bond, 1937 - 2007. m Karen Trant, had issue.
Tracey Bond, 1937 - 2014. m?
Charles's unexpected passing at the age of 54 on 29 April 1924 sent shockwaves through his community and beyond. He was receiving medical treatment at St. Michael’s Hospital in Toronto when tragedy struck. The news of his sudden death left his loved ones and colleagues reeling, as he was known for his kindness, dedication, and unwavering work ethic. Charles's legacy as a compassionate individual and a skilled professional will forever be remembered by those whose lives he touched. His untimely departure serves as a poignant reminder of the fragility of life and the importance of cherishing every moment we have with our loved ones.
Charles studied at the Department of Art & Science at the South Kensington School London; in 1896 he worked as an office assistant to architect William Hunt of London. In August 1896 Charles emigrated to Canada arriving in Toronto, where in September he entered into a 3-year Aprentership with the architectural firm Langley & Burke. He continued working with Langley & Burke for a further 2 years after completion of his 3 year apprenticeship term,
in 1891 Charles joined the firm Darling & Pearson Architects also of Toronto.
November 1891 saw Charles resign as secretary of the Toronto Architectural Sketch Club to take up employment with James Belfour of Hamilton, Ontario.
By early 1898 Charles was working as a draftsman in St John's Newfoundland with John Pearson (of Darling & Pearson), working on rebuilding the city of Hamilton after the great 1892 fire.
Not being satisfied with his training to date in Canada Charles set his attention on moving to New York City, in 1893 he commenced his study of architecture at the University of Columbia. He studied architecture in New York for the next 5 years while working for prominent New York architect Arnold W Brunner. He also assisted in the office of Francis H. Kimball, the designer of the first steel and iron-framed skyscraper in New York the Manhattan Life Building, 1893.
Now satisfied with his firm grounding in design from architects in Toronto, Hamilton and New York City, Charles returned to Toronto in 1897 and opened an office in a new partnership with Sansort Fleming Smith in June 1897. During the next 15 years, the firm of Bond & Smith was both successful and remarkably prolific, designing major institutional, ecclesiastical, commercial, industrial and residential projects in southern Ontario, New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island, and Nova Scotia.
Bond & Smith Architects:
Toronto, Ontario Canada
395 Brunswick Ave.
Historical Background:
Neighbourhood:
When the Town of York was established in 1793, the land north of present-day Bloor Street and west of
the Don River was divided into a series of Park Lots that Lieutenant-Governor John Graves Simcoe
awarded to government officials. Lot 25, located east of Bathurst Street, was granted to John McGill who
established a country estate named “Davenport” on the acreage. In 1821, the property was acquired by
Joseph Wells (1773-1853), a retired British officer divided the site into three allotments
distributed among his heirs. Beginning in 1862, the Wells lands were further subdivided. Building lots were
laid out around three north-south streets originally named for members of the Wells family but later renamed
Albany, Howland and Brunswick. The annexation of the area by the City of Toronto in 1888 coincided
with the extension of streetcar service along Bloor Street West. The neighbourhood is now identified as
the West Annex.
395 Brunswick Avenue:
With its proximity to the central core of the city, the West Annex neighbourhood attracted prominent
residents, including Robert Y. Eaton, president of the T. Eaton Company, who lived at 383 Brunswick
Avenue. Landowners commissioned the pre-eminent Toronto architects of the period to design their
residences.
William R. Thompson, the property owner at 395 Brunswick Avenue, engaged the Toronto
architectural firm of Bond and Smith to prepare plans for the site. This commission was among the earliest
accepted by Sanford Fleming Smith (1873-1943) and Charles Herbert Acton Bond (1869-924) following
the formation of their partnership in 1899. Smith apprenticed with Toronto architects Strickland and Symon
before receiving additional training in New York City. English architect Acton Bond immigrated to Canada
in 1888 and was associated with the Toronto firms of Langley and Burke and Darling and Pearson.
Relocating to New York City, Bond spent six years working and studying at Columbia University. Bond
and Smith designed numerous houses and commercial buildings and, as consulting architects for the Niagara
Power Company, supervised the construction of a powerhouse and office complex in Niagara Falls. The
Consumers’ Gas Company’s Station A at 296 Front Street East (1898) is among the firm’s Toronto
projects identified on the City of Toronto Inventory of Heritage Properties. The partnership was dissolved
in 1919.
In July 1900, the architects received a building permit to construct the house at 395 Brunswick Avenue.
Thompson, manager of the Toronto Brewing and Malting Company on Simcoe Street, resided on-site until
1915. In the mid-1940s, the property was acquired by the Church Army in Canada who operated a
training centre in the adjoining house at 397 Brunswick. The organization retained the property until 1998.
Charles Herbert Acton Bond 1869-1924
1st cousin 2x removed
Charles Herbert Acton Bond. 1839-1913 Father of Charles Herbert Acton Bond.
WILLIAM ROBERT BOND. 1801-1876 Father of Charles Herbert Acton Bond.
JAMES ROBERT BOND. 1831-1884 Son of WILLIAM ROBERT BOND.
HARRY BOND 1864-1950 Son of JAMES ROBERT BOND.
Cyril Leonard Bond 1904-1983 Son of HARRY BOND
Further reading:
Biographical Dictionary of Architects in Canada (Charles Herbert Acton Bond).
Copyright © Noel Bond. Researched and written by Noel Bond, No written part of this Blog may be reproduced in any form, by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author.
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