O'GARA, James Joseph (1876-1931), son of Martin O'Gara, a Police Magistrate for the City of Ottawa, and grandson of John Bowes, was born there 21 November 1876 and educated at public and separate schools in Ottawa and later attended St. Mary's College in Montreal. He served an architectural apprenticeship lasting five years with Moses C. Edey in Ottawa and moved to Montreal to work for the American Appraisal Company. He returned to Ottawa in 1902 and ws employed as a draftsman for J. Albert Ewart until the spring of 1904 when he moved to Calgary, Alta. It was there that he met Francis J. Lawson and both formed a partnership in March 1905 (see list of works under Lawson & O'Gara). The Catholic background and training of O'Gara enabled the firm to solicit many commissions for churches and institutions from the Roman Catholic diocese in Alberta. However, despite the success of their office their partnership was dissolved within two years and O'Gara continuted to practise under his own name in Calgary from 1908 until 1916. He was elected President of the Alberta Assocation of Architects in 1915 but left Canada in late 1916 and moved to Niagara Falls, N.Y., the hometown of his wife Anna Talbot whom he had married in 1908. O'Gara worked there as an instructor at Trott Vocational School and later as a draftsman and engineer at Hooker Electo-Chemical Co. He died at Niagara Falls, N.Y. on 3 November 1931 (obituary in the Niagara Falls Gazette (N.Y.], 5 Nov. 1931, 25; C.R., xlv, 11 Nov. 1931, 1374; biographies in Who's Who & Why, 1915-16, 488; A.O. MacRae, History of the Province of Alberta, 1912, ii, 958-9; biography & port. in the Morning Albertan, Commemoratvie Edition, 1914, 140).
CALGARY
(A list of many works by O'Gara executed between 1908 and 1912 can be found in the biography published in Archibald O. MacRae, History of the Province of Alberta, 1912, Vol. ii, 958-59)
ROMAN CATHOLIC MISSION, 13th Avenue West, between 14th Street and 15th Street, 1909 (Morning Albertan [Calgary], 5 Nov. 1909, 6)
7th STREET WEST, residence for Frederick H. Starr, c. 1910 (list of works in MacRae)
5th AVENUE WEST, residence for Maitland S. McCarthy, c. 1910 (list of works in MacRae)
20th AVENUE WEST, double house for mr. Raby and Mr. Rouleandeau, c. 1910 (list of works in MacRae)
20th AVENUE WEST, residence for Harry T. Whittimore, c. 1910 (list of works in MacRae)
COLBORNE CRESCENT, near 10A Street, residence for T. Alex Hornibrook, c. 1910 (list of works in MacRae)
1st STREET WEST, residence for Robert W. Mayhew, c. 1910 (list of works in MacRae)
20th AVENUE WEST, residence for James W. Davidson, c. 1910 (Morning Albertan[Calgary], 28 Feb. 1910, 69; list of works in MacRae)
ARGYLE COURT APARTMENTS, 6th Avenue West at 3rd Street, c. 1910 (list of works in MacRae)
SUNALTA BLOCK, 12th Avenue West at 14th Street, c. 1910 (list of works in MacRae)
7th STREET WEST, residence for Clement E. Robertson, c. 1910 (Calgary Herald, 15 Aug. 1912, 16, advert.)
COSTELLO BLOCK, 8th Avenue East, c. 1910 (Calgary Herald, 15 Aug. 1912, 16, advert.)
ST. MARY'S ROMAN CATHOLIC SCHOOL, 2nd Street West near 20th Avenue, 1909 (Morning Albertan[Calgary], 18 March 1909, 6, t.c.; and 28 Feb. 1910, 69)
146th AVENUE, at Midnapore, South Calgary, Lacombe Home, for the Sisters of Providence, 1910 (La Presse [Montreal], 30 March 1910, 5, illus. & descrip.)
HOLY CROSS HOSPITAL, 2nd Avenue West near the Elbow River, major addition, 1910 (Morning Albertan[Calgary], 28 Feb. 1910, 69)
MARLBOROUGH APARTMENTS, 4th Street West, c. 1910 (biography in Calgary Alberta: Merchants & Manufactures Record, c. 1912, 200)
CONNAUGHT APARTMENTS, 4th Avenue at 6th Street West, 1912-13 (Calgary Herald, 4 Jan. 1913, 25, illus. & descrip.)
ELSEWHERE
GLEICHEN, ALTA., The Palace Hotel, c. 1910 (list of works in MacRae)
GLEICHEN, ALTA., a theatre, c. 1910 (list of works in MacRae)
GLENCOE, ALTA., residence for J.J. O'Gara, architect, c. 1910 (list of works in MacRae)
BANKHEAD, ALTA., a church, c. 1910 (list of works in MacRae)
CRANBROOK, ALTA., manual training school and a public school, c. 1910 (Calgary Herald, 15 Aug. 1912, 16, advert.)
ACME, ALTA., public school, c. 1910 (Calgary Herald, 15 Aug. 1912, 16, advert.)
STETTLER, ALTA., National Hotel, c. 1910 (Calgary Herald, 15 Aug. 1912, 16, advert.)
GLEICHEN, ALTA., stables, cottages and sheds at the Blackfoot Reserve, 1911 (dwgs. at Indian & Northern Affairs Dept., Ottawa, File 246)
CRANBROOK, ALTA., major addition to St. Eugene Hospital, Briar Avenue West, and improvements to existing hospital, 1911-12 (Cranbrook Herald, 20 July 1911, 1, descrip.; 14 Feb. 1912, 1, descrip.; 1 Aug. 1912, 1, descrip.; C.R., xxv, 13 Sept. 1911, 59)
ELKO, B.C., Anglican Church, 1912 (Calgary Herald, 15 Aug. 1912, 16, advert.)