Ralph Benjamin Pratt Explained

Ralph Benjamin Pratt
Birth Date:	9 August 1872
Birth Place:	London, England
Death Place:	Saint Boniface, Winnipeg, Manitoba
Occupation:	Architect

Ralph Benjamin Pratt (9 August 1872 – 14 March 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.

Biography

Ralph Benjamin Pratt was born on 9 August 1872 in London, England to Joseph and Jane Pratt. He attended school at the South Kensington School of Art and moved to Canada in 1891 and then to Manitoba the following year.

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

In 1906, Pratt partnered with Donald Aynsley Ross to start the architectural partnership Pratt and Ross, which specialized in structural and civil engineering projects. Pratt was a Fellow of the Royal Architectural Institute of Canada, a member of the Railway Engineering Association, and was the president of the Manitoba Association of Architects from 1917 to 1919.^{[1] [2] [3]}

Pratt married Euphemia Maude Monnington (1874–1977) on 23 October 1900, at Winnipeg, and they had three children. His recreations included canoeing and skating. He was a member of the Anglican church.

He died at Saint Boniface, Winnipeg, 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^[4]
• Canadian Pacific station, Virden, Manitoba, 1900, Type 9 Canadian Pacific Railway Station design^{[5] [6] [7]}
• Canadian Northern station, St Boniface, Manitoba, 1901
• Broad Street station, Ottawa, 1901
• Theodore railway station, Theodore, Saskatchewan, 1902, Type 9 Canadian Pacific Railway Station design^[8]
• Canadian Pacific station, Kenton, Manitoba, 1902
• Canadian Northern station, Neepawa, Manitoba, 1902^[9]
• Canadian Pacific station, Carberry, Manitoba, 1904
• Canadian Pacific station, Portage la Prairie, Manitoba, 1904
• Canadian Northern station, Port Arthur, Ontario, 1905^{[10] [11]}
• Canadian Northern Station, Silver Mountain, Ontario, 1907
• Canadian Northern station, Kipling, Saskatchewan, 1909^[12]
• Winnipeg Amphitheater, Winnipeg, Manitoba, 1909^[13]
• Garry Block, Winnipeg, Manitoba, 1911
• Dauphin railway station, Dauphin, Manitoba, 1912^[14]
• Prince Edward Hotel, Brandon, Manitoba, 1912, a Canadian National Railway hotel
• Canadian Northern Station, Smiths Falls, Ontario, 1913, 1st Class CNR station (attributed to Pratt)
• 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^{[16] [17]}
• Pacific Central Station, Vancouver, British Columbia, 1918
• Sherbrook Pool, Winnipeg, Manitoba, 1930^[18]
• Osborne Stadium, Winnipeg, Manitoba, 1932
• Canadian Northern station, Edmonton, Alberta

References

1. Book: Who's who and why. 1 January 1913. International Press. en. 14 October 2020. 25 August 2022. https://web.archive.org/web/20220825162227/https://books.google.com/books?id=vkY-AQAAMAAJ&q=ralph%2520benjamin%2520pratt&pg=PA670. live.
2. Book: Who's who in Canada: An Illustrated Biographical Record of Men and Women of the Time. 1 January 1914. International Press Limited.. en. 31 July 2016. 11 January 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20200111024817/https://books.google.com/books?id=dy9if3Yix8UC. live.
3. Web site: Pratt, Ralph Benjamin (1878–1950) – Architects & Historical Figures – Archiseek – Irish Architecture. 15 January 2010. en-US. 30 July 2016. 7 August 2016. https://web.archive.org/web/20160807053304/http://archiseek.com/2010/pratt-ralph-benjamin-1878-1950/. live.
4. Web site: Pratt, Ralph Benjamin Biographical Dictionary of Architects in Canada. dictionaryofarchitectsincanada.org. 31 July 2016. 16 September 2016. https://web.archive.org/web/20160916110943/http://dictionaryofarchitectsincanada.org/node/1401. live.
5. Book: Butterfield, David. RAILWAY STATIONS OF MANITOBA: An Architectural History Theme Study. Historic Resources Branch of Manitoba Culture, Heritage and Tourism. 1987. Winnipeg, Manitoba. 18, 19, 28.
6. Web site: HistoricPlaces.ca - HistoricPlaces.ca. historicplaces.ca. 31 July 2016. 6 June 2016. https://web.archive.org/web/20160606211153/http://www.historicplaces.ca/en/rep-reg/place-lieu.aspx?id=6499. live.
7. Book: Bohi, Charles W., and Leslie S. Kozma. Canadian Pacific's Western Depots: The Country Stations in Western Canada. South Platte PRess. 1993. 978-0942035254. David City, Nebraska.
8. Web site: HistoricPlaces.ca – HistoricPlaces.ca. www.historicplaces.ca. 31 July 2016. 3 June 2016. https://web.archive.org/web/20160603222615/http://www.historicplaces.ca/en/rep-reg/place-lieu.aspx?id=2663. live.
9. Web site: HistoricPlaces.ca – HistoricPlaces.ca. www.historicplaces.ca. 31 July 2016. 14 October 2016. https://web.archive.org/web/20161014004722/http://www.historicplaces.ca/en/rep-reg/place-lieu.aspx?id=7886&pid=0. live.
10. Book: Brown, Ron. The Train Doesn't Stop Here Anymore: An Illustrated History of Railway Stations in Canada. 19 August 2014. Dundurn. 9781459727830. en. 31 July 2016. 25 August 2022. https://web.archive.org/web/20220825162227/https://books.google.com/books?id=DQnyAgAAQBAJ. live.
11. Book: Brown, Ron. Rails Across Ontario: Exploring Ontario's Railway Heritage. 7 October 2013. Dundurn. 9781459707542. en.
12. Web site: HistoricPlaces.ca – HistoricPlaces.ca. www.historicplaces.ca. 6 August 2016. 19 October 2016. https://web.archive.org/web/20161019172959/http://www.historicplaces.ca/en/rep-reg/place-lieu.aspx?id=3787&pid=0. live.
13. Web site: Memorable Manitobans: Ralph Benjamin Pratt (1872–1950). Goldsborough. Gordon. www.mhs.mb.ca. 30 July 2016. 20 September 2016. https://web.archive.org/web/20160920221626/http://www.mhs.mb.ca/docs/people/pratt_rb.shtml. live.
14. Book: Brown, Ron. Rails Across the Prairies: The Railway Heritage of Canada's Prairie Provinces. 30 June 2012. Dundurn. 9781459702172. en. 31 July 2016. 25 August 2022. https://web.archive.org/web/20220825162227/https://books.google.com/books?id=jLB2txP87gcC. live.
15. Web site: HistoricPlaces.ca – HistoricPlaces.ca. www.historicplaces.ca. 31 July 2016. 7 June 2016. https://web.archive.org/web/20160607204134/http://www.historicplaces.ca/en/rep-reg/place-lieu.aspx?id=8768. live.
16. Web site: HistoricPlaces.ca – HistoricPlaces.ca. www.historicplaces.ca. 31 July 2016. 19 October 2016. https://web.archive.org/web/20161019025327/http://www.historicplaces.ca/en/rep-reg/place-lieu.aspx?id=12052. live.
17. Web site: 213 NOTRE DAME AVENUE: ELECTRIC RAILWAY CHAMBERS. 20 April 1981. Winnipeg; Planning, Property and Development. HISTORICAL BUILDINGS COMMITTEE. 31 July 2016. 7 March 2016. https://web.archive.org/web/20160307091758/http://www.winnipeg.ca/ppd/historic/pdf-consv/Notre%20Dame%20213-long.pdf. live.
18. Web site: HistoricPlaces.ca – HistoricPlaces.ca. www.historicplaces.ca. 31 July 2016. 14 October 2016. https://web.archive.org/web/20161014004715/http://www.historicplaces.ca/en/rep-reg/place-lieu.aspx?id=8643&pid=0. live.