Memorable Manitobans: Edgar Prain (1881-1958)

Architect.

Born at Broughty Ferry, Scotland on 21 March 1881, he trained as a draftsman in Scotland before moving to England where he worked as an architect from 1902 to 1907. He emigrated to Winnipeg in 1908, working briefly for architect Hugh Gordon Holman then forming a partnership with him from 1909 to 1910. He designed apartment blocks, private residences, and educational buildings. His best known work is St. John’s Anglican Cathedral (1925-1926) done collaboratively with Gilbert C. Parfitt. After 1950, he was partner in the architectural firm of Prain & Ward, and later consultant to its successor, Ward & McDonald. On 30 September 1909, he married Elizabeth Jane Williamson (1879-1962) and they had a son, Frederick Kennedy Prain (1910-1910), who died at their apartment in Victoria Court. He retired in December 1957 and died at his Winnipeg home, 126 Mossdale Avenue, on 29 January 1958. He was buried in the Old Kildonan Cemetery.

Some of his architectural works in Manitoba:

Building	Location	Year	Status
Scott Residence	190 Kingsway Avenue, Winnipeg	1910
Acadia Apartments	590 Victor Street, Winnipeg	1911
Verona Apartments	730 Victor Street, Winnipeg	1911
Scott Apartments	426 Maryland Street, Winnipeg	1912	Demolished (2020)
Lanark Apartments	693 Maryland Street, Winnipeg	1912
Governor Semple School	Jefferson Avenue, Winnipeg	1913
Centennial School	Royal Avenue, Winnipeg	1913
Westholme Apartments	729 Wellington Avenue, Winnipeg	1913
Elvira Court	116 Emily Street, Winnipeg	1914	Demolished (?)
Salisbury School No. 2	795 Prince Rupert Avenue, Winnipeg	1920
Cathedral Church of St. John	135 Anderson Avenue, Winnipeg	1926
St. Patrick’s and St. Jude’s Anglican Church	612 Valour Road, Winnipeg	1926
St. John’s Presbyterian Church	251 Bannerman Avenue, Winnipeg	1928
Donald McLeod School No. 2221	270 Wallace Avenue, RM of East St. Paul	1930
Deer Lodge United Church	2093 Portage Avenue, Winnipeg	1947
Lord Kitchener School / John Pritchard School (expansion)	1490 Henderson Highway, Winnipeg	1947
Charleswood School (renovations)	Roblin Boulevard, RM of Charleswood	1947
West St. Paul School	3740 Main Street, RM of West St. Paul	1947
Centennial School (expansion)	240 Royal Avenue, Winnipeg	c1948
Rosedale United Church	525 Beresford Avenue, Winnipeg	1949
Salisbury School No. 1 (renovations)	795 Prince Rupert Avenue, Winnipeg	1949
Daerwood School	211 Main Street, Selkirk	1949
Governor Semple School	150 Hartford Avenue, Winnipeg	1950
Lord Wolseley School (four-classroom brick and concrete addition)	939 Henderson Highway, Winnipeg	1950
New Rosewell School	1455 Molson Street, Winnipeg	1950
Victory School (six-classroom expansion)	395 Jefferson Avenue, Winnipeg	1950
Memorial Hall Building	368 Jemima Street, Selkirk	1951
Dieppe School	530 Dieppe Road, Winnipeg	1952
Royal School	450 Laxdal Road, Winnipeg	1952
Libau School	Libau, RM of St. Clements	1952
Richard School District No. 1092 (renovations)	Somerset	1952
Viscount Alexander School (expansion)	810 Waterford Avenue, Winnipeg	1952
John Black School	McPhillips Street, Winnipeg	1952
Chalmers United Church (expansion)	Spruce Street at Barrett Avenue, Winnipeg	1953
West St. Paul School (expansion)	3740 Main Street, RM of West St. Paul	1953
East Kildonan School District No. 14 (two six-classroom frame, stucco, and concrete slab buildings)	Winnipeg	c1953
Fort Garry School District No. 2047 (10-classroom concrete, frame and brick veneer building)	Winnipeg	c1953
Riverview School (expansion)	Casey Street, Winnipeg	c1953
Transcona School (12-classroom concrete, frame, and brick veneer building)	Winnipeg	c1953
Westview School	600 Hoka Street, Winnipeg	1953
West Kildonan Collegiate	800 Salter Street, Winnipeg	1953
Fort Garry Municipal Building and Fire Hall	1350 Pembina Highway, Winnipeg	1954
Devonshire School (expansion)	Selkirk	1954
Great Falls School District No. 2011 (school building)	Great Falls	1954
Royal School (expansion)	450 Laxdal Road, Winnipeg	1954
West Kildonan Collegiate (expansion)	800 Salter Street, Winnipeg	1954
Crane School	888 Crane Avenue, Winnipeg	1955
Melrose Junior High School	Roch Street at Melrose Avenue, Winnipeg	1955
New Rosewell School (expansion)	1455 Molson Street, Winnipeg	1955
Miles MacDonell Collegiate (expansion)	Winnipeg	1956
Selkirk Collegiate Institute / Selkirk Junior High School	516 Stanley Avenue, Selkirk	1956
Viscount Alexander School (expansion)	810 Waterford Avenue, Winnipeg	1956
Rosedale United Church (expansion)	525 Beresford Avenue, Winnipeg	1957
St. Vital United Church	St. Vital	1957
Radisson School	1105 Winona Street, Winnipeg	1957
Westview School (expansion)	600 Hoka Street, Winnipeg	1957
West Kildonan Collegiate (expansion)	800 Salter Street, Winnipeg	1957
Red River School (expansion)	2400 Main Street, Winnipeg	1957
Crane School (expansion)	888 Crane Avenue, Winnipeg	1958
Templeton School	2536 McPhillips Street, Winnipeg	1958

Sources:

Marriage registration, Manitoba Vital Statistics.

Obituary [Fredrick Kennedy Prain], Winnipeg Tribune, 27 December 1910, page 5.

“Deer Lodge United to dedicate church,” Winnipeg Free Press, 25 January 1947, page 10.

“Tenders,” Winnipeg Free Press, 31 January 1947, page 16.

“Tenders [Lord Kitchener School],” Winnipeg Free Press, 4 April 1947, page 2.

“Tenders [Charleswood School],” Winnipeg Free Press, 27 June 1947, page 22.

“Tenders [Libau School],” Winnipeg Free Press, 26 September 1947, page 24.

“School District of West Kildonan No. 8,” Winnipeg Free Press, 7 August 1948, page 19.

“Tenders [Selkirk School District No. 69],” Winnipeg Free Press, 17 January 1949, page 17.

“Old and new churches filled at Rosedale United dedication,” Winnipeg Free Press, 7 March 1949, page 7.

“Tenders [Victory School],” Winnipeg Free Press, 6 October 1949, page 6.

“Tenders [Salisbury School No. 1],” Winnipeg Free Press, 27 October 1949, page 52.

“Tenders [Lord Wolseley School],” Winnipeg Free Press, 30 January 1950, page 27.

“Tenders [North Kildonan School District No. 2116],” Winnipeg Free Press, 8 March 1950, page 29.

“Tenders [Memorial Hall],” Winnipeg Free Press, 5 June 1951, page 26.

“Tenders [Charleswood schools],” Winnipeg Free Press, 23 June 1951, page 25.

“Tenders [... Richard School District],” Winnipeg Free Press, 6 June 1952, page 30.

“Tenders for addition to school building,” Winnipeg Free Press, 16 August 1952, page 33.

“Chalmers’ United plans enlargement,” Winnipeg Free Press, 24 January 1953, page 34.

“Tenders,” Winnipeg Free Press, 21 March 1953, page 37.

“Tenders [East Kildonan Schools],” Winnipeg Free Press, 6 April 1953, page 29.

“Tenders [School, Fort Garry],” Winnipeg Free Press, 25 April 1953, page 40.

“Municipal Hall of Fort Garry soon started,” Winnipeg Free Press, 14 May 1953, page 8.

“Tenders [Royal School],” Winnipeg Free Press, 20 March 1954, page 39.

“Tenders [Devonshire School],” Winnipeg Free Press, 28 April 1954, page 43.

“E. Kildonan lets contract for school,” Winnipeg Free Press, 20 May 1954, page 3.

“Tenders [Great Falls School],” Winnipeg Free Press, 16 June 1954, page 43.

“Tenders [New Rosewell School],” Winnipeg Free Press, 19 March 1955, page 41.

“Tenders [Miles MacDonell Collegiate],” Winnipeg Free Press, 11 April 1955, page 29.

“Tenders [High School, Selkirk],” Winnipeg Free Press, 17 March 1956, page 22.

“Tenders,” Winnipeg Free Press, 2 April 1957, page 15.

“Tenders [Transcona School District No. 69],” Winnipeg Free Press, 20 April 1957, page 26.

“New St. Vital United Church to be ready for Christmas,” Winnipeg Free Press, 29 June 1957, page 33.

“A record of growth since 1910,” Winnipeg Free Press, 23 November 1957, page 35.

“Veteran architect Edgar Prain dies,” Winnipeg Free Press, 30 January 1958, page 16.

Winnipeg Building Index.

Biographical Dictionary of Architects in Canada, 1800-1950 by Robert G. Hill, Toronto.

Obituaries and burial transcriptions, Manitoba Genealogical Society.

This page was prepared by Gordon Goldsborough and Nathan Kramer.

Page revised: 24 November 2020

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