Ralph Benjamin Pratt

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.
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
Canadian Pacific station, Virden, Manitoba, 1900, Type 9 Canadian Pacific Railway Station design
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
Canadian Pacific station, Kenton, Manitoba, 1902
Canadian Northern station, Neepawa, Manitoba, 1902
Canadian Pacific station, Carberry, Manitoba, 1904
Canadian Pacific station, Portage la Prairie, Manitoba, 1904
Canadian Northern station, Port Arthur, Ontario, 1905
Canadian Northern Station, Silver Mountain, Ontario, 1907
Canadian Northern station, Kipling, Saskatchewan, 1909
Winnipeg Amphitheater, Winnipeg, Manitoba, 1909
Garry Block, Winnipeg, Manitoba, 1911
Dauphin railway station, Dauphin, Manitoba, 1912
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
Electric Railway Chambers, Winnipeg, Manitoba, 1912, Pratt and Ross supervising architects
Pacific Central Station, Vancouver, British Columbia, 1918
Sherbrook Pool, Winnipeg, Manitoba, 1930
Osborne Stadium, Winnipeg, Manitoba, 1932
Canadian Northern station, Edmonton, Alberta
Gallery
References
Canadian architects
Railway architects
Canadian Pacific Railway people
Canadian Northern Railway
1872 births
1950 deaths
British emigrants to Canada