| Notes |
- California death index has his birth date as 4/22/1860, which is clearly wrong since "He left New York in 1867 and came to Illinois to implement new ideas. From his arrival in Chicago he was a leader in Chicago business." Mather LifeWays- on the internet. Also see http://www.peacebridge.com/history.html
In 1881 he developed a stock car in which livestock could be shipped without being unloaded. Food and water could be provided while en route, causing the animals no suffering while being transported. This humane stock car caused the American Humane Society to award him a medal in 1883. He also designed a refrigerator car for the shipment of fresh meat and soon thousands of Mather railroad cars were being used in the United States and Canada.
Alonzo built the 42-story Mather Tower in Chicago and the 10-story Mather Building in Washington, DC. He planned a bridge spanning the Niagara River from Buffalo to Fort Erie, Ontario, but it was not possible to build a structure in international waters without an Act of Congress. However, his plans were used for the building of the International Peace Bridge, dedicated in 1927. The river frontage he owned at Fort Erie was donated to the Queen Victoria Park Commission and became known as Mather Park.
One of Fort Erie's most recognizable landmarks will be restored under a $500,000 (Canadian) plan announced Monday by the Niagara Parks Commission. Work on the 60-year-old limestone arch in Mather Park, just south of the Peace Bridge, will include resurrection of its fountain and more landscaping, including flowers, planters and hedges. Aesthetic and masonry repairs, improvements to hard surfaces and the addition of barrier-free washroom also are planned. The project is scheduled to be completed by summer. The art deco arch is named for Alonzo C. Mather, a wealthy Chicagoan who developed plans for a bridge crossing the U.S.-Canadian border near the site of the present span. Because he was unable to purchase land for a terminus on the American side, his bridge was never built. But his vision was realized when the Peace Bridge opened in 1927. Several years before his death in 1941, Mather gave the Niagara Parks Commission 75 acres of land and $35,000 toward the development of a memorial gateway. The arch was dedicated Aug. 31, 1940.
The only monument in Canada dedicated to an American, Mather Arch is dedicated to Alonzo C. Mather, one of the visionaries of the shared border and friendliness between the two nations. Mather Arch is located in Fort Erie, Ontario, Canada.
- California death index has his birth date as 4/22/1860, which is clearly wrong since "He left New York in 1867 and came to Illinois to implement new ideas. From his arrival in Chicago he was a leader in Chicago business." Mather LifeWays- on the internet. Also see http://www.peacebridge.com/history.html
In 1881 he developed a stock car in which livestock could be shipped without being unloaded. Food and water could be provided while en route, causing the animals no suffering while being transported. This humane stock car caused the American Humane Society to award him a medal in 1883. He also designed a refrigerator car for the shipment of fresh meat and soon thousands of Mather railroad cars were being used in the United States and Canada.
Alonzo built the 42-story Mather Tower in Chicago and the 10-story Mather Building in Washington, DC. He planned a bridge spanning the Niagara River from Buffalo to Fort Erie, Ontario, but it was not possible to build a structure in international waters without an Act of Congress. However, his plans were used for the building of the International Peace Bridge, dedicated in 1927. The river frontage he owned at Fort Erie was donated to the Queen Victoria Park Commission and became known as Mather Park.
One of Fort Erie's most recognizable landmarks will be restored under a $500,000 (Canadian) plan announced Monday by the Niagara Parks Commission. Work on the 60-year-old limestone arch in Mather Park, just south of the Peace Bridge, will include resurrection of its fountain and more landscaping, including flowers, planters and hedges. Aesthetic and masonry repairs, improvements to hard surfaces and the addition of barrier-free washroom also are planned. The project is scheduled to be completed by summer. The art deco arch is named for Alonzo C. Mather, a wealthy Chicagoan who developed plans for a bridge crossing the U.S.-Canadian border near the site of the present span. Because he was unable to purchase land for a terminus on the American side, his bridge was never built. But his vision was realized when the Peace Bridge opened in 1927. Several years before his death in 1941, Mather gave the Niagara Parks Commission 75 acres of land and $35,000 toward the development of a memorial gateway. The arch was dedicated Aug. 31, 1940.
The only monument in Canada dedicated to an American, Mather Arch is dedicated to Alonzo C. Mather, one of the visionaries of the shared border and friendliness between the two nations. Mather Arch is located in Fort Erie, Ontario, Canada.
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1848 - 1941 (92 years)
