An engineer who developed broad interests in history, he became a patron of the arts and crafts and a force in historical preservation. In 1932 he and his wife founded the Guild of All Arts at Scarborough, Ontario, which supported artists and crafts people in difficult times. By the 1950s he was rescuing elements from Toronto architecture under demolition and re-erecting them at the Guild. He has also helped to save Sibbald Park on Lake Simcoe, the Musical Ride of the RCMP and the covered bridge in Hartland, New Brunswick.