BOSTROM, Robert Ernst (1883-1963), a native of Newnan, Georgia, USA, was born on 25 August 1883 and studied architecture in 1902-04 at the University of the South at Sewanee, Tennessee. He trained in nearby Atlanta in the office of W.F. Denny (in 1903), then moved to New York City to work for Clinton & Russell (in 1905-06), and in Chicago for Holabird & Roche (in 1907-09). In 1910 he returned to New York to attend classes at Columbia University and to work as an assistant to the talented New York architect Donn Barber. He moved to Montreal in 1911 and worked briefly for R.M. Rodden before opening his own office in 1912. His speciality was industrial architecture, and he published an essay on the subject (R.A.I.C. Journal, xix, Aug. 1942, 160-61). His most important work, however, was a major commercial office block called The McGill Building, a ten storey steel frame landmark clad entirely in white matte glazed terra cotta. This building was among the first 'Chicago style' skyscrapers to be built in Montreal, and Bostrom used his knowledge which he had gained with Holabird & Roche to complete the building in 1913. Few references can be found to his work after 1930; he was elected President of the Prov. of Quebec Assoc. of Architects in 1943 and after 1945 acted as advisor to the City of Montreal to revise and update the city building code. He died in Montreal on 12 December 1963 (obit. Gazette [Montreal], 14 Dec. 1963, 47; R.A.I.C. Journal, xli, Feb. 1964, 12; biog. & port. National Reference Book, iii, 1929-30, 45)
(works in Montreal unless noted)
McGILL BUILDING, McGill Street at Notre Dame Street, 1912-13 (C.R., xxvi, 3 July 1912, 45-6, illus. & descrip.; Gazette [Montreal], 12 April 1912, 7, descrip.; and 19 Sept. 1912, 7, descrip., but incorrectly credited to "R.E. Rostrom" [sic], Architect; Const., viii, July 1915, 306-11, 320, illus. & descrip.; Montreal, Les Hotels Les Immeubles de Bureaux, 1983, 75-8, illus.)
WESTMOUNT, residence for E.E. Belcourt, Sydenham Avenue, south of The Boulevard, 1913 (C.R., xxvii, 9 July 1913, 71; inf. Scott Edwards)
WESTMOUNT, residence for Norris P. Bryant, Edgehill Road, 1913 (C.R., xxvii, 22 Oct. 1913, 74)
CARLTON AVENUE, residence for J.E. Dalrymple, 1913-14 (C.R., xxvii, 19 Nov. 1913, 74)
OUTREMONT, residence for R.B. Hayes, Beloeil Avenue, 1921 (Outremont b.p. 1393, 4 Aug. 1921)
ST. JOHN'S, QUE., factory for Franco-Canadian Dyer Co., 1922 (C.R., xxxvi, 24 May 1922, 55)
CHARLES S. FROSST LTD., interior design for offices, 1926 (Gazette [Montreal], 14 Oct. 1926, 11, illus. in advert.)
WESTMOUNT, residence for Elliot S. Frosst, Sunnyside Avenue, 1927 (Daily Journal of Commerce, 9 June 1927, 5; C.H.G., xv, March 1938, 7, illus.)
INTERNATIONAL HARVESTER CO., St. Lawrence Boulevard, showroom, garage and service centre, 1927-28 (C.R., xli, 19 Oct. 1927, 49; xlii, 11 July 1928, 737-8, illus. & descrip.)
WESTMOUNT, residence for A.C. Cordner, Upper Lansdowne Avenue, 1929 (C.R., xliii, 31 July 1929, 66; C.H.G., viii, April 1931, 82)
ST. MAURICE GARAGE, St. Maurice Street at St. Henry Street, for D. Charles Brown Ltd., 1929 (C.R., xliii, 24 April 1929, 65)
MOUNT ROYAL, QUE., new factory and plant for George R. Prowse Range Co., 1947 (Financial Post [Toronto], 27 Sept. 1947, 13)