David Webster

David Webster (1885–1952) was a Scottish-Canadian architect best known for his designs of elementary schools in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada. His school designs were often in a Collegiate Gothic style emphasizing a central tower, locally referred to as a "castle style". Along with other local architects of his era, such as Walter LaChance and Storey and Van Egmond, Webster prospered during the province’s 1912 economic boom which sparked a frenzy of new construction. Biography Webster was born in Glasgow, Scotland in 1885. However, one reputable source gives 1886 as the year of birth. He articled with the Glasgow firm of Jarvis and McAlpin, and moved to Winnipeg in 1902. During his six years in Winnipeg, he had four different employers: G.W. Murray, J. McDiarmid and Co., the Winnipeg office of Sprote, Rolph and Chrysler, and lastly, Herbert B. Rugh. Webster moved to Saskatoon in 1908, forming the short-lived partnership of Webster and Noel (Joseph H. Noel). The two partners separated in 1909. Webster played a key role in founding the Saskatchewan Association of Architects in 1911, and held membership card #1. He served six terms as president of the association. When World War I began, Webster served in a Canadian unit from 1915 to 1919. He was wounded in June 1918 in the Battle of Messines.