DORAN, Harold James (1907-1979) of Montreal, Que. was the son of William E. Doran, a well-known architect active in that city from 1882 until 1913. Harold D. was born in Montreal on 27 October 1907 and the career and work of his father undoubtedly had an influence on his decision to pursue a career in the architectural profession, and it is likely that Harold may have trained in his father's office. However, the unexpected death of W.E. Doran in 1923 prompted Harold to consider gaining a formal university education, and in 1926 he enrolled in the School of Architecture at McGill University, and he later graduated there in 1931. During his extended summer breaks between terms, he obtained further training in the offices of Ross & MacDonald (the largest architectural office in Canada), and with Robert & F.R. Findlay, and with J.E.C. Daoust.
After graduating in 1931, he joined the Montreal office of Nobbs & Hyde as an assistant, and it was Percy Nobbs who personally endorsed the application of Doran to join the Royal Institute of British Architects in London, England in 1932. Doran opened his own office in 1936, and much of his career was devoted to the design of private residences and low-rise apartment blocks located in the suburban communities of Outremont, Hampstead, Mount Royal, and in the western portions of the City of Montreal. One of his largest projects was the innovative Benny Farm Housing Project (1947-48) in Notre-Dame-de-Grace, developed by the Govt. of Canada and intended to house many returning WWII veterans. Doran retired in 1968 and moved to Arizona. He died at Scottsdale, Arizona on 4 February 1979 (obituary Arizona Republic [Phoenix], 7 Feb, 1979, B 11; obituary and port. Gazette [Montreal], 7 Feb. 1979, 64; inf. R.I.B.A. London, Application for Membership dated 25 Feb. 1932).
HAROLD J. DORAN (works in Montreal unless noted)
unidentified streets, plans for three hundred duplexes for the Authentic Type Homes Ltd., to cost $2,000,000, to be built 'at the rate of 100 per year', 1936 (C.R., vol. 50, 12 Aug. 1936, 38)
MERIDIAN ROAD, near Ponsard Avenue, pair of houses for A.J. Maron, 1936 (Montreal b.p. 1671, 1936)
VAN HORNE AVENUE, near Decelles Avenue, apartment house for Paul Craig, 1937 (C.R., vol. 50, 24 Feb. 1937, 142)
POINTE CLAIRE, QUE. Field of Honour Military Cemetery, Donegani Avenue near Beacon Hill Road, a large two storey medieval archway gate, with offices, waiting room and caretaker's apartment, located within the grounds of Lakeview Memorial Gardens, and set back nearly 1,800 ft. from Donegani Avenue, 1937 (Gazette [Montreal], 16 June 1937, 13, descrip.; and 7 Oct. 1937, 11, illus.; inf. Scott Edwards)
BALLANTYNE APARTMENTS, Western Avenue at Ballantyne Avenue South, for Darling Realties Ltd., 1937 (C.R., vol. 50, 30 June 1937, 43)
PONSARD AVENUE, residence for H. Raginsky, 1938; restored 2007-08 (La Presse [Montreal], 20 Oct. 2008, illus. & descrip.; inf. Yves Guillet, St. Lambert)
TOWN OF MOUNT ROYAL, The Graham Apartments, Graham Boulevard at Wicksteed Avenue, 1938 (Gazette [Montreal], 13 Aug. 1938, 17, illus.; inf. Scott Edwards)
OUTREMONT, residence for T. Hubbard, Champagneur Avenue, 1938-39 (Town of Outremont b.p. 3370, 2 Nov. 1938)
MONTREAL WEST, three detached duplex houses, Broughton Avenue at Strathern Avenue, 1939 (Montreal Daily Star, 4 Feb. 1939, 26, detailed descrip.; Gazette [Montreal], 11 Feb. 1939, 21, illus. & descrip.)
OUTREMONT, QUE., apartment house for Y. Fanaberia, Cote Ste. Catherine Road at Pagnuelo Avenue, 1939; altered (C.R., lii, 22 Feb. 1939, 134)
HAMPSTEAD, QUE., The Finchley Apartments, Cote St. Luc Road near Ellerdale Road, for Darling Realties, 1939 (Gazette [Montreal], 21 Jan. 1939, 23, illus. & descrip.; and 13 April 1940, 20, illus.)
HAMPSTEAD, QUE., The Stratford Apartments, Cote St. Luc Road near Ellerdale Road, for Darling Realties, 1939 (Gazette [Montreal], 21 Jan. 1939, 23, illus. & descrip. C.R., lii, 12 April 1939, 105)
NORTHMOUNT AVENUE, near Soissons Avenue, pair of duplex houses for James P Clarke, at 5751-5757 Northmount Avenue, 1938 (Gazette [Montreal], 10 Sept. 1938, 43, illus. and descrip. in advert.; inf. Scott Edwards)
NORTHMOUNT AVENUE, near Soissons Avenue, another pair of duplex houses for James P. Clarke, at 5761-5767 Northmount Avenue, 1938-39 (Gazette [Montreal], 24 Sept. 1938, 21; and 15 April 1939, 23, illus. & descrip.; inf. Scott Edwards)
CLARBRA APARTMENTS, Darlington Avenue near Cote Ste. Catherine Road, 1939 (Gazette [Montreal], 5 Aug. 1939, 4, illus. & descrip.)
TOWN OF MOUNT ROYAL, apartment block, Sheridan Crescent, 1939 (Montreal Daily Star, 23 Sept. 1939, 24, descrip.)
DARLINGTON MANOR APARTMENTS, Darlington Avenue near Cote Ste. Catherine Road, for James P. Clarke, 1939-40 (Montreal Daily Star, 30 Sept. 1939, 28, descrip.; C.R., liii, 21 Feb. 1940, 97)
ROBINDALE APARTMENTS, Darlington Avenue, between Cote Ste. Catherine Road and Soissons Avenue, 1940 (Gazette [Montreal], 10 Oct. 1940, 19; inf. from Gordon Fulton, Ottawa)
CIRCLE ROAD, near Ponsard Avenue, two duplex houses, in the Monklands area, 1939 (Gazette [Montreal], 26 Aug. 1939, 19, illus. & descrip.; and 18 Nov. 1939, 23, illus. & descrip.; Montreal Daily Star, 23 Sept. 1939, 24, descrip.; inf. Scott Edwards)
PONSARD AVENUE, a residence "...in the Dutch Colonial style", for an unnamed client, in the Monklands area, south of Queen Mary Road, 1940 (Gazette [Montreal], 31 Aug. 1940, 19, illus. and descrip.)
LAIRD BOULEVARD, apartment house for an unnamed client, 1940 (C.R., liii, 6 Nov. 1940, 23)
OUTREMONT., residence for Mrs. S.D.Garneroff, Wilder Avenue, 1940-41 (Town of Outremont b.p. 3522, 13 Nov. 1940)
(with Eliasoph & Greenspoon) UPPER PEEL STREET, near Pine Avenue, a five storey apartment block for Arthur M. Maron, 1941 (Gazette [Montreal], 18 Jan. 1941, 20, illus. & descrip.; C.R., liv, 25 Feb. 1941, 118)
BARAKETT BROS. DRESS MFG. CO., Park Avenue at Beaumont Street, a four storey factory block, 1944-45 (Gazette [Montreal], 23 Nov. 1944,18, descrip.)
MATERIAL PROCESSING CO., Decarie Boulevard at Centre Avenue, factory, 1944-45 (C.R., lvii, 6 Dec. 1944, 24-5)
RIDGEWOOD HOUSING PROJECT, on Ridgewood Avenue, off Cote des Neiges Road, a group of 25 low-rise housing blocks for the Ridgewood Housing Development Co., 1944-46, in collaboration Prof. John Bland, Town Planner, McGill University (Financial Post [Toronto], 29 July 1944, 5; Gazette (Montreal), 11 Aug. 1944, 19, descrip.; 15 Sept. 1944, 19, descrip.)
ABBOTT LABORATORIES INC., Cote de Liesse Road, 1946 (C.R., lix, March 1946, 132; Architecture Batiment Construction, iii, Jan. 1948, 21-22, illus.)
BREMNER BUILDING, Bleury Street, office and warehouse for Alex Bremner, 1946 (C.R., lix, May 1946, 124; Architecture Batiment Construction, iii, Jan. 1948, 28, illus.)
VILLERAY TERRACE, De Lanaudiere Street at Villeray Street, a 150 unit public housing project of several apartment blocks for Housing Enterprises Montreal Ltd., 1946 (C.R., lix, June 1946, 136)
BENNY FARM HOUSING PROJECT, Monkland Avenue at Benny Avenue, on the site of the former Mount Royal Racetrack, 1947-48 (Montreal Daily Star, 21 March 1947, 3, illus. & descrip.; Financial Post [Toronto], 26 April 1947, 11, descrip.; Architecture Batiment Construction, ii, July 1947, 19-25, illus.; iii, Feb. 1948, 22-3, illus.; and iv, Feb. 1949, 16, illus.)
GOOSE BAY, LABRADOR, a tract of 50 pre-fabricated houses for the Royal Canadian Air Force, 1948-49 (Financial Post [Toronto], 13 Nov. 1948, 16, descrip.)
NOMININGUE, QUE., Domestic Science School for the Soeurs Ste. Croix, 1949 (C.R., lxii, Aug. 1949, 223)
DAVAAR AVENUE, at Van Horne Avenue, two apartments buildings for James P. Clark and Robert Herskovich, 1950 (C.R., lxiii, January 1950, 156)
DAVID & FRERE BISCUIT MFRS., Champlain Street, factory, 1950 (C.R., lxiii, July 1950, 128; Architecture Batiment Construction, vi, Nov. 1951, 21-5, illus.)
OUTREMONT, residence for Mrs. H Mazer, Hartland Avenuie, 1951 (Town of Outremont b.p. 4867, 10 April 1951)