PRAIN, Edgar (1881-1958) was active in Winnipeg for over forty-five years, and lived and worked there for his entire professional career. Born in Broughty Ferry, Scotland on 21 March 1881 he articled with T.S. Robertson in Dundee (in 1896-1901), then spent two years as a draftsman with the Glasgow architect Hugh Barclay. In 1902 he moved to London and joined the Architect's Department of the London County Council, and participated in the design and construction of dozens of substantial housing projects then underway between 1902 and 1907. Prain emigrated to Canada in 1908, and settled at Winnipeg where he found a job with Hugh G. Holman, and formed a brief partnership with him (in 1909-10). From 1912 onward he practised under his own name, completing designs for small apartment blocks, private residences, and educational buildings.
His best known work in Winnipeg is the neo-Gothic design for St. John's Anglican Cathedral (1925-26) executed in collaboration with Gilbert Parfitt. After 1950 he was partner in the firm of Prain & Ward, and later worked as consultant to Ward & McDonald, Architects. He retired in December 1957 and died in Winnipeg on 29 January 1958 (obit. Winnipeg Free Press, 30 Jan. 1958, 16; Winnipeg Tribune, 30 Jan. 1958, 37; inf. Manitoba Assoc. of Architects)
(works in Winnipeg unless noted)
ST. JAMES STREET, residence for David A. Duff, 1911 (Manitoba Free Press [Winnipeg], 4 March 1911, 32, illus. & descrip.)
ACADIA APARTMENTS, Victor Street at Livinia Avenue, 1911 (Manitoba Free Press [Winnipeg], 24 May 1911, 16, illus.; Winnipeg b.p. 891, 28 April 1911)
VERONA APARTMENTS, Victor Street at Wellington Avenue, 1911 (Winnipeg b.p. 1920, 27 June 1911)
GREENWOOD PLACE, residence for J. Farquahar, 1911 (C.R., xxv, 9 Aug. 1911, 62)
WALNUT STREET, residence for the architect, 1911 (C.R., xxv, 9 Aug. 1911, 62)
JAMES B. BROWN CO., Notre Dame Avenue at Home Street, factory, 1912 (Manitoba Free Press [Winnipeg], 9 Nov. 1912, 13, illus. & descrip.; C.R., xxvi, 10 April 1912, 69)
RELIANCE BLOCK APARTMENTS, Young Street, 1912 (Winnipeg b.p. 966, 24 April 1912)
SCOTT APARTMENTS, Maryland Street, 1912 (inf. Neil Einarson, Winnipeg)
LANARK APARTMENTS, Maryland Street, 1912 (Winnipeg b.p. 2790, 24 July 1912)
WEST KILDONAN, Semple Public School, Jefferson Avenue at Radford Street, 1913 (Manitoba Free Press, 1 Feb. 1913, 11, illus.)
WEST KILDONAN, Centennial Public School, Main Street at Royal Avenue, 1913 (Manitoba Free Press, 1 Feb. 1913, 11, illus.; C.R., xxvii, 12 March 1913, 71)
MELVILLE, SASK., Lutheran Academy, 1913 (Historic Architecture of Saskatchewan, 1986, 147, illus.)
YOUNG STREET, apartment block for J. Johannesson, 1913 (Winnipeg b.p. 1975, 1913)
MARYLAND STREET, near Sargent Avenue, apartment block for J.J. Swanson, 1913 (Manitoba Free Press [Winnipeg], 2 Aug. 1913, 10)
WESTHOLM APARTMENTS, Wellington Avenue, 1913 (Winnipeg b.p. 3077, 5 Sept. 1913)
ELVIRA COURT APARTMENTS, Emily Street at McDermot Avenue, 1914 (Winnipeg b.p. 741, 16 April 1914)
WEST KILDONAN, public school for S.S. No. 8, 1920 (C.R., xxxiv, 9 June 1920, 151, t.c.)
EAST KILDONAN, major addition to public school, 1921 (C.R., xxxv, 15 June 1921, 56)
(with Gilbert Parfitt) ST. JOHN'S ANGLICAN CATHEDRAL, Church Street at Emslie Street, 1925-26 (Canadian Churchman [Toronto], 15 Jan. 1925, 42, illus. & descrip.; C.R., xxxix, 28 Jan. 1925, 53; Winnipeg Daily Tribune, 2 March 1926, 1)
OSBORNE STREET, at Wardlaw Avenue, two apartment blocks for an unnamed client, one block facing Osborne Street, and the other block facing Wardlaw Avenue, 1926-27 (Winnipeg Daily Tribune, 2 June 1926, 2, descrip.; Const., xx, May 1927, 156)
JOHN BLACK MEMORIAL UNITED CHURCH, Roberta Avenue at Henderson Highway, 1927 (Const., xix, Nov. 1926, 365; Winnipeg Tribune, 27 June 1927, 32; 1 October 1927, 9, descrip.; 50th Anniversary: John Black Memorial Church, 1964, 37, illus.)
(with Gilbert Parfitt) ST. PATRICK'S ANGLICAN CHURCH, Valour Road at Riddle Avenue, 1927 (Winnipeg Daily Tribune, 21 Oct. 1927, 9, descrip.)
ST. JOHN'S PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH, Bannerman Avenue, 1928 (C.R., xlii, 25 July 1928, 61, t.c.)
CHALMERS UNITED CHURCH, Spruce Street at Barrett Avenue, 1928 (N. Bingham, Study of Church Buildings in Manitoba, 1987, 238, illus.)
OSBORNE STREET, at Whitehall Avenue, apartment block for an unnamed client, 1929 (Winnipeg Daily Tribune, 21 May 1929, 1, descrip.)
MORDUE BROS. FUNERAL HOME, Broadway at Edmonton Street, 1936 (Winnipeg Tribune, 16 May 1936, 6, descrip.; and 13 June 1936, 12, descrip.)
PERTH DYE WORKS & CLEANERS, Portage Avenue at Good Street, 1936-38 (Winnipeg Tribune, 4 July 1936, 8; and 3 April 1937, 7, descrip.; Winnipeg Free Press, 23 May 1938, 7, illus. & descrip, but lacking attribution; inf. Robert Hamilton)
ISLE DE CHENE, MAN., public school for the Coquort School District, 1937 (Winnipeg Tribune, 2 Oct. 1937, 7, descrip.)
BROADWAY, at Donald Street, apartment block, 1938 (C.R., li, 22 June 1938, 50)
POWELL EQUIPMENT CO., Arlington Street, 1945 (C.R., lviii, Aug. 1945, 154)
DEER LODGE UNITED CHURCH, Portage Avenue at Belvedere Street, 1946; addition, 1956 (N. Bingham, Study of Church Buildings in Manitoba, 1987, 241, illus.)
SANFORD, MAN., United Church, 1948-53 (N. Bingham, Study of Church Buildings in Manitoba, 1987, 205, illus.)
SELKIRK, MAN., public school for Selkirk District No. 68, 1949 (C.R., lxii, Jan. 1949, 188, t.c.)
(with John Martland) EDMONTON, ALTA., MacLeod's Ltd., 101 Street, 1949 (C.R., lxii, July 1949, 135)
WEST KILDONAN, public school for District No. 8, 1950 (C.R., lxiii, May 1950, 142)