McARRAVY, Thomas Black (1900-1979), an early modernist architect who spent almost his entire career living and working in Nanaimo, B.C. Born in Glagow, Scotland on 8 June 1900, he received his primary education there and was brought to Canada by his family after 1912. He worked for the Wallace Shipyards Ltd. in Vancouver as a draftsman, and later took correspondence courses in architecture and shipbuilding. In September 1921 he joined the Vancouver office of Gardiner & Mercer as an articling student, and qualified to join the Architectural Inst. of British Columbia in 1927. McArravy then moved to Nanaimo, B.C. where he completed a number of early and innovative designs for commercial and institutional works. His best-known project there was the design of the Nanaimo City Hall (1948-50), a two storey block executed in cast-in-place concrete with a simplified expression of civic function and a stark simplicity that was virtually stripped of any ornamentation. McArravy continued to practise in Nanaimo until he retired in December 1963. He died in Vancouver on 19 September 1979 (death notice Vancouver Sun, 20 Sept. 1979, C16; biog. Nanaimo Free Press, 27 Sept. 1947, 6; biog. D. Luxton, Building The West: The Early Architects of British Columbia, 2003, 474, 510; inf. Architectural Inst. of British Columbia).
Thomas B. McARRAVY (works in Nanaimo, B.C.)
GLOBE HOTEL, Front Street, major alterations including a new facade, for Henry Hope, 1936 (Nanaimo Free Press, 5 March 1936, 1, descrip.; 26 May 1936, 3, descrip.)
ISLAND MOTORS LTD., Front Street (later called Brown's Auto Body Ltd.), 1937 (Nanaimo Free Press, 16 Sept. 1937, 1, illus. & descrip.; 18 Sept. 1937, 3 to 5, descrip.; D. Luxton & V. Vidners, Nanaimo Heritage Gateways, 1986)
NANAIMO GENERAL HOSPITAL, a Laundry Building for the hospital, 1937 (Nanaimo Free Press, 30 Sept. 1937, 3, t.c.; 29 Oct. 1937, 1, descrip.)
NANAIMO-DUNCAN PUBLIC UTILITIES BUILDING, Commercial Street at Ravine Street, 1941 (Nanaimo Free Press, 9 June 1941, 1, descrip.; 11 Feb. 1942, 7, descrip.)
NANAIMO GENERAL HOSPITAL, a major addition to the Hospital, 1941-42 (C.R., liv, 24 Sept. 1941, 31; Nanaimo Free Press, 11 Dec. 1941, 1, descrip.)
ST. PETER'S ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH, a new Rectory residence for the church, Wallace Street, 1941 (Nanaimo Free Press, 15 Oct. 1941, 4, illus. & descrip.)
CIVIL CONTROL CENTRE, Kennedy Street, for Nanaimo Civilian Protection Committee and District A.R.P., 1942 (Nanaimo Free Press, 4 Aug. 1942, 1 & 6, descrip.)
TERMINAL AVENUE NORTH, residence for Mr. Wardill, 1945 (D. Luxton, Building The West, 2003, 510)
VIEW STREET PUBLIC SCHOOL, 1945 (Nanaimo Free Press, 9 Aug. 1945, 3, illus. & descrip.)
MIDDLE WARD PUBLIC SCHOOL, 1945 (Nanaimo Free Press, 9 Aug. 1945, 3, illus. & descrip.)
NORTH WARD PUBLIC SCHOOL, designed 1945; built 1948 (Nanaimo Free Press, 9 Aug. 1945, 3, illus. & descrip.; 30 Dec. 1947, 1, descrip.)
NANAIMO CITY HALL, Wallace Street, 1948-50 (C.R., lxi, Aug. 1948, 232; Vancouver News-Herald, 13 Oct. 1949, 5)
MALASPINA HOTEL, major addition, 1949-50 (C.R., lxii, Sept. 1949, 162)
DISTRICT SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL, 1949-50 (Nanaimo Free Press, 23 Nov. 1949, 7, illus. & descrip.; C.R., lxii, Nov. 1949, 122)
BALMORAL HOTEL, Haliburton Street, for John Tonzetich, 1949-50 (Nanaimo Free Press, 16 Feb. 1950, 7, illus. & descrip.)
PAULINE HAARER PUBLIC SCHOOL, Campbell Street, 1950 (Nanaimo Free Press, 9 March 1950, 1)
FAIRVIEW PUBLIC SCHOOL, Howard Avenue at Second Street, 1950 (Nanaimo Free Press, 9 March 1950, 1)
BRECHIN PUBLIC SCHOOL, Millstone Avenue at Townsite Road, 1950 (Nanaimo Free Press, 9 March 1950, 1)
WELLINGTON PUBLIC SCHOOL, 1950 (Nanaimo Free Press, 9 March 1950, 1)
STARLITE DRIVE-IN THEATRE, for Famous Players Corp., Island Highway at Departure Bay Road, in Wellington Municipality, 1950 (Nanaimo Free Press, 23 Aug. 1950, 4-5, descrip.)
CANADIAN LEGION MEMORIAL HALL, Wallace Street, for Legion Branch No. 10, 1950-51 (Nanaimo Free Press, 31 Jan. 1951, 8, illus. & descrip.)
TERMINAL HOTEL & TERMINAL COFFEE SHOP, Victoria Crescent opposite The Esplanade, for Merle Moseley, 1950-51 (Nanaimo Free Press, 29 March 1951, 7, descrip.)
VANCOUVER ISLAND REGIONAL LIBRARY DISTRIBUTION CENTRE, Strickland Street at Needham Street, offices and book storage building, 1954-55 (Nanaimo Free Press, 4 Feb. 1955, 13, illus. & descrip.)
Thomas B. McARRAVY (works elsewhere)
PORT ALBERNI, B.C., major addition to the West Coast General Hospital, 1934-35 (Nanaimo Free Press, 20 Dec. 1934, 4, descrip.)
VANCOUVER, B.C., Maxine's Beauty School, Bidwell Street, 1936 (dwgs. Vancouver City Archives)
VANCOUVER, B.C., St. George's United Church,, East 47th Avenue at Fraser Street, 1937-38 (The Province [Vancouver], 15 Jan. 1938, 19, illus. & descrip.; dwgs. Vancouver City Archives)
PORT ALBERNI, B.C., 8th Street Elementary School, 1941 (C.R., lix, 18 June 1941, 34)
NEW WESTMINSTER, B.C., Buchanan Memorial Sunset Lodge, for the Salvation Army, 1946 (Nanaimo Free Press, 26 Aug. 1946, 6)
PARKSVILLE, B.C., a movie theatre, 1947 (Nanaimo Free Press, 6 March 1947, 8)
CHEMAINUS, B.C., Willow Movie Theatre, 1948-49 (Nanaimo Free Press, 9 March 1949, 6, descrip.)
CHEMAINUS, B.C., Elementary & Junior High School, 1949 (Vancouver News-Herald, 25 Aug. 1949, 14)
LADYSMITH, B.C., Junior-Senior High School, 1949 (Vancouver News-Herald, 25 Aug. 1949, 14
LADYSMITH, B.C., public school for School District 67, 1950 (C.R., lxiii, Jan. 1950, 147)