JONES, Bernal Ambrose (1890-1959) was a native of Toronto and was born there on 18 March 1890, the son of George B. and Mary D. Jones. He attended the Toronto Technical School for three years, but did not receive any formal university education. Instead, his knowledge of architecture and design was cultivated by Frank Darling, the master of Canadian Beaux-Arts classicism, who hired him as a draftsman in 1908. Jones remained with the Toronto firm of Darling & Pearson for fifteen years until 1922 when he moved to Kitchener, Ont. and assisted a local architect W.H.E. Schmalz with his design for the Kitchener City Hall. The firm of Schmalz & Jones maintained an office until 1926 and in that year Jones commenced practise under his own name and was active until his retirement in 1952.
Jones was a skillful and fastidious designer whose impressive monumental works are directly influenced by much of the bank architecture he assisted with while in the office of Darling & Pearson. His design for the Public Utilities Building in Kitchener (1932) is a vigorous Beaux-Arts composition with sophisticated details that give the work a dignity and presence rarely attained in Ontario, and the plan for the Church of the Good Shepherd (1936-37) is an important transitional work in a modernized Gothic style which was to influence other architects in south-western Ontario during the following decade. Jones also had other private business interests, and was vice-president of the Merchants Printing Company in Kitchener. He died there on 8 February 1959 (obituary in the Kitchener-Waterloo Record, 9 Feb. 1959, 5; inf. Ontario Assoc. of Architects). A biography and list of works by B.A. Jones up to 1929 was published in the Kitchener Daily Record, 2 April 1929, p. 6.
(works in Kitchener)
(with W.H.E. Schmalz) CITY HALL, King Street East at Frederick Street, 1922-23; demol. 1973 (Daily Record [Kitchener], 7 Feb. 1922, 11; dwgs. at Kitchener Public Library, Schmalz Coll.). A lengthy historical article on the City Hall, with description, was published in The Nugget [North Bay], 12 Oct. 1938, 16.
ONTARIO STREET, furniture exhibition building for H. Bullas, 1926; addition 1928 (C.R., xl, 24 March 1926, 54, t.c.; and xlii, 25 Jan. 1928, 61)
SACRED HEART ROMAN CATHOLIC SCHOOL, major addition, 1927 (Kitchener Daily Record, 11 March 1927, 1, and 2 April 1929, 6, list of works)
ST. MARY’S ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH, Duke Street West at Young Street, a new Parish Hall for the Church, 1927 (Kitchener Daily Record, 18 March 1927, 1)
ST. JOHN’S ANGLICAN CHURCH, Water Street North at Duke Street West, a new Parish Hall, 1927 (Kitchener Daily Record, 18 March 1927, 1; and 2 April 1929, 6, list of works)
KITCHENER IRON WORKS, Guelph Street, new factory, 1928 (C.R., xlii, 2 May 1928, 57)
NEWS-RECORD PRINTING PLANT, Queen Street North at Duke Street, 1928 (C.R., xlii, 1 Aug. 1928, 55; Kitchener Daily Record, 2 April 1929, 6, list of works)
COURTLAND AVENUE PUBLIC SCHOOL, additions and alterations, c. 1928 (Kitchener Daily Record, 2 April 1929, 6, list of works)
GRANITE CURLING CLUB, c. 1928 (Kitchener Daily Record, 2 April 1929, 6, list of works)
KITCHENER AUTOMOBILE EXCHANGE, c. 1928 (Kitchener Daily Record, 2 April 1929, 6, list of works)
DUNKER BUILDING, King Street West near Water Street, 1929 (Kitchener The Industrial City, 1929, 4, illus.; C.R., xliii, 16 Oct. 1929, 62)
ELLIS & HOWARD LTD., Ontario Street South, office and warehouse, 1929 (C.R., xliii, 28 Aug. 1929, 56)
ST. MARY'S HOSPITAL, Queensmount Crescent, Nurses Home, 1931 (Canadian Hotel Review, viii, Nov. 1930, 33)
ST. MATTHEW'S LUTHERAN CHURCH, Benton Street at Church Street, chapel and parish hall, 1932 (C.R., xlvi, 4 May 1932, 46)
PUBLIC UTILITIES BUILDING, King Street West at Gaukel Street, 1932-33 (Kitchener Daily Record, 2 March 1932, 11, descrip.; and 23 June 1932, 1, illus.; C.R., xlvii, 1 March 1933, 35; and 15 Nov. 1933, 1051-54, illus. & descrip.)
OLIVET EVANGELICAL UNITED BRETHERN CHURCH [now called Rockway Mennonite Church], Onward Avenue at Crescent Street, 1935 (dwgs. in the possession of the church; inf. Karl Kessler, Kitchener)
CHURCH OF THE GOOD SHEPHERD, Margaret Avenue at Queen Street North, 1936-37 (Building In Canada, xvii, Sept. 1937, 17, illus.)
ST. JOHN’S ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH, Strange Street at Raddatz Line, 1937 (Kitchener Daily Record, 28 May 1937, 3; and 17 June 1937, 2)
ST. MARK'S LUTHERAN CHURCH, King Street West at Green Street, 1938 (Kitchener Daily Record, 24 March 1938, 3; C.R., li, 29 June 1938, 28)
(works elsewhere)
COPPER CLIFF, ONT., Clubhouse for Canadian Copper Co., Creighton Road, 1916 (Sudbury Star, 10 May 1916, 4, illus. & descrip.)
WATERLOO, ONT., motor garage for P. Buddell, King Street North, 1927 (C.R., xli, 12 Jan. 1927, 52)
WATERLOO, ONT., new Rectory for St. Louis Roman Catholic Church, Allen Street East at Herbert Street, 1928 (C.R., xlii, 25 Jan. 1928, 62,; Kitchener Daily Record, 2 April 1929, 6, list of works)
GUELPH, ONT., residence for Hugh Guthrie, c. 1928 (Kitchener Daily Record, 2 April 1929, 6, list of works)
WATERLOO, ONT., Knox Presbyterian Church, c. 1928 (Kitchener Daily Record, 2 April 1929, 6, list of works)
WATERLOO, ONT., residence for S.C. Tweed, c. 1928 (Kitchener Daily Record, 2 April 1929, 6, list of works)
GALT, ONT., offices for Goldie-McCulloch, c. 1928 (Kitchener Daily Record, 2 April 1929, 6, list of works)
GALT, ONT., residence for Alexander R. Goldie, Brant Road North at Salisbury Avenue, 1929 (C.R., xliii, 24 April 1929, 69)
WOODSTOCK, ONT., office and factory for LaFrance Textile Co., Dundas Street at Beale Street, 1929 (Kitchener Daily Record, 2 April 1929, 6, list of works; C.R., xliii, 8 May 1929, 60)
NORTH BAY, ONT., Scollard Hall, a 4 storey educational block at North Bay Boy's College, for the Resurrection Fathers of Kitchener, Ont., High Street at O'Brien Street, 1930-31 (The Nugget [North Bay], 8 March 1930, 11, detailed descrip.; and 26 April 1930, 3, descrip.; Canadian Hotel Review, viii, June 1930, 30; The Nugget [North Bay], 4 May 1942, 13, historical article on new College building)
LONDON, ONT., Student Residence for St. Peter's Seminary, Epworth Avenue at Waterloo Street, 1930-31 (Canadian Hotel Review, viii, June 1930, 31)
WATERLOO, ONT., Sunday School for First United Church, William Street West, 1930 (C.R., xliv, 16 July 1930, 60)
FREEPORT, ONT. (Waterloo Township), Freeport Sanatorium, Preston Road, Main Treatment Building, 1929-32, with addition, 1950; additions to the Nurses' Residence, 1933 and 1940; Medical Superintendent's Residence, 1938-39 (C.R., xlvi, 6 Jan. 1932, 45; Kitchener Daily Record, 27 July 1932, 1 & 15; dwgs. at Freeport Health Centre Archives; inf. Paul Dilse, Toronto)
ST. JACOBS, ONT., Public Library, Queensway Drive near Spring Street, 1934 (Region of Waterloo Archives, copy of Building Specifications; inf. Karl Kessler, Kitchener)
GALT, ONT., factory for Galt Art Metal Co., Dundas Street, 1941 (C.R., liv, 11 June 1941, 34)
GUELPH, ONT., Nurses Residence for St. Joseph's Hospital, Westmount Road, 1947 (C.R., lx, July 1947, 104)