Ralph Benjamin Pratt

Ralph Benjamin Pratt (1872-1950) was a Canadian architect known for his work as a staff architect for the Canadian Pacific Railway and the Canadian Northern Railway, and for his work as a member of the firm Pratt and Ross with partner architect Donald Aynsley Ross.

Pratt was born at London, England on 9 August 1872, the son of Joseph and Jane Pratt. He was educated at London at the South Kensington School of Art before emigrating to Canada in 1891 and to Manitoba the next year.^[1][2]

He worked as an architectural and engineering draftsman for the Canadian Pacific Railway at Winnipeg from 1895 to 1901, during which he created a standard plan for a station which was used at Virden and other locations. Pratt then worked for the Canadian Northern Railway from 1901 to 1906. He created the first standard design 3rd Class station for the Canadian Northern in 1901, and other standard plans.^[3] Although Pratt left the Canadian Pacific in 1901, and the Canadian Northern in 1906, he continued to receive commissions for other work, and both railroads continued to used the standard plans he had created, so the design of later stations is often attributed to him.

Pratt formed the architectural partnership Pratt and Ross with Donald Aynsley Ross in 1906, specializing in structural and civil engineering projects. Pratt was a Fellow of the Royal Architectural Institute of Canada, served as President of the Manitoba Association of Architects from 1917 to 1919, and was a member of the Railway Engineering Association.^[1][2][4]

Pratt married Euphemia Maude Monnington (1874-1977) on October 23, 1900, at Winnipeg. They had three children: George Ralph Monnington Pratt (1901-1983), Olive Maude Grace Pratt (1904-2004, wife of Herbert Carey), and Camden James Charles Pratt (1915-1984). In 1911, the family lived at 261 Carlton Street, Winnipeg. His recreations included canoeing and skating. He was a member of the Anglican church.

He died at St. Boniface on 14 March 1950 and was buried in the St. John’s Cemetery.

Works

Some of Pratt's works include:

• Canadian Pacific station, Kenora, Ontario, 1899^[5]
• Canadian Pacific station, Virden, Manitoba, 1900, Type 9 Canadian Pacific Railway Station design^[3][5][6][7]
• Canadian Northern station, St Boniface, Manitoba, 1901^[5]
• Broad Street station, Ottawa, 1901^[8]
• Theodore railway station, Theodore, Saskatchewan, 1902, Type 9 Canadian Pacific Railway Station design^[9][10]
• Canadian Pacific station, Kenton, Manitoba, 1902
• Canadian Northern station, Neepawa, Manitoba, 1902^[11]
• Canadian Pacific station, Carberry, Manitoba, 1904^[5]
• Canadian Pacific station, Portage la Prairie, Manitoba, 1904^[5]
• Canadian Northern station, Port Arthur, Ontario, 1905^[8][12]
• Canadian Northern station, Kipling, Saskatchewan, 1909^[13]
• Winnipeg Amphitheater, Winnipeg, Manitoba, 1909^[14]
• Garry Block, Winnipeg, Manitoba, 1911^[14]
• Dauphin railway station, Dauphin, Manitoba, 1912^[5][9]
• Prince Edward Hotel, Brandon, Manitoba, 1912, a Canadian National Railway hotel^[14]
• Canadian Northern Station, Smiths Falls, Ontario, 1913, 1st Class CNR station (attributed to Pratt)^[12]
• Radville railway station, Radville, Saskatchewan, 1912, Plan 100-39, 2nd Class CNR railway station
• Canadian Northern Station, Meeting Creek, Alberta, 1912, Plan 100-29, 3rd Class CNR railway station^[15]
• Electric Railway Chambers, Winnipeg, Manitoba, 1912, Pratt and Ross supervising architects^[5][16][17]
• Pacific Central Station, Vancouver, British Columbia, 1918^[5][8]
• Sherbrook Pool, Winnipeg, Manitoba, 1930^[18]
• Osborne Stadium, Winnipeg, Manitoba, 1932^[5]
• Canadian Northern station, Edmonton, Alberta^[9]

Gallery

• 

  Canadian Pacific station, Kenora

• 

  Broad Street Station, Ottawa

• 

  Theodore station

• 

  Canadian Pacific station, Portage la Prairie

• 

  Canadian Northern station, Smiths Falls

• 

  Electric Railway Chambers, Winnipeg

• 

  Pacific Central Station, Vancouver

• 

  Sherbrook Pool, Winnipeg

References

1. Who's who and why. International Press. 1913-01-01.
2. Who's who in Canada: An Illustrated Biographical Record of Men and Women of the Time. International Press Limited. 1914-01-01.
3. Butterfield, David (1987). RAILWAY STATIONS OF MANITOBA: An Architectural History Theme Study. Winnipeg, Manitoba: Historic Resources Branch of Manitoba Culture, Heritage and Tourism. pp. 18, 19, 28.
4. "Pratt, Ralph Benjamin (1878-1950) - Architects & Historical Figures - Archiseek - Irish Architecture". 2010-01-15. Retrieved 2016-07-30.
5. "Pratt, Ralph Benjamin | Biographical Dictionary of Architects in Canada". dictionaryofarchitectsincanada.org. Retrieved 2016-07-31.
6. "HistoricPlaces.ca - HistoricPlaces.ca". historicplaces.ca. Retrieved 2016-07-31.
7. Bohi, Charles W., and Leslie S. Kozma (1993). Canadian Pacific's Western Depots: The Country Stations in Western Canada. David City, Nebraska: South Platte PRess. ISBN 978-0942035254.
8. Brown, Ron (2014-08-19). The Train Doesn't Stop Here Anymore: An Illustrated History of Railway Stations in Canada. Dundurn. ISBN 9781459727830.
9. Brown, Ron (2012-06-30). Rails Across the Prairies: The Railway Heritage of Canada’s Prairie Provinces. Dundurn. ISBN 9781459702172.
10. "HistoricPlaces.ca - HistoricPlaces.ca". www.historicplaces.ca. Retrieved 2016-07-31.
11. "HistoricPlaces.ca - HistoricPlaces.ca". www.historicplaces.ca. Retrieved 2016-07-31.
12. Brown, Ron (2013-10-07). Rails Across Ontario: Exploring Ontario's Railway Heritage. Dundurn. ISBN 9781459707542.
13. "HistoricPlaces.ca - HistoricPlaces.ca". www.historicplaces.ca. Retrieved 2016-08-06.
14. Goldsborough, Gordon. "Memorable Manitobans: Ralph Benjamin Pratt (1872-1950)". www.mhs.mb.ca. Retrieved 2016-07-30.
15. "HistoricPlaces.ca - HistoricPlaces.ca". www.historicplaces.ca. Retrieved 2016-07-31.
16. "HistoricPlaces.ca - HistoricPlaces.ca". www.historicplaces.ca. Retrieved 2016-07-31.
17. "213 NOTRE DAME AVENUE: ELECTRIC RAILWAY CHAMBERS" (PDF). Winnipeg; Planning, Property and Development. HISTORICAL BUILDINGS COMMITTEE. April 20, 1981. Retrieved July 31, 2016.
18. "HistoricPlaces.ca - HistoricPlaces.ca". www.historicplaces.ca. Retrieved 2016-07-31.