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.
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.[3] 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.[citation needed]
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][4]
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.[citation needed]
^
abButterfield, 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.
^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.
ISBN978-0942035254.{{
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