Woolfson, Julius Morris

WOOLFSON, Julius Morris (1906-1996) opened his office in Ottawa, Ont. in 1945 and specialised in the design of low-rise apartment blocks in that city which were built after WWII. Born in Toronto, Ont. In 1906, he graduated from the School of Architecture at the Univ. of Toronto in 1929. He trained with the prominent Toronto firm of J. Francis Brown & Son from 1929 to 1932, then worked briefly for Herbert Horner. In 1934 he moved to Kirkland Lake, Ont. and joined the firm of H.B. Long, then entered private practise in 1937, associating himself with P.J. O’Gorman of Sudbury for selected projects. Woolfson moved to Ottawa in 1940 and was employed by the Buildings Branch of the Dept. of National Defence until 1945. He retired in 1979, and later died in Ottawa on 2 November 1996 (death notice Ottawa Citizen, 4 Nov. 1996, 39). The National Archives of Canada in Ottawa holds a large collection of original architectural drawings by Woolfson including over 150 projects by the architect completed between 1944 and 1979 (NAC Acc. 83403/16). This collection was donated by the architect to the National Archives in October 1983.

(works in Ottawa unless noted)

DALHOUSIE STREET, between Clarence Street and Murray Street, pair of stores for L.R. Laporte, 1946 (Ottawa Journal, 20 Aug. 1946, 22, descrip.)
LAURIER AVENUE, between Bronson Avenue and Cambridge Street, a four storey apartment block for Lucien Prudhomme, 1946-47 (Ottawa Journal, 22 May 1946, 14, descrip.)
CHAPEL STREET, between Osgoode Street and Somerset Street, a four storey apartment block for Rupert McClelland, 1947-48 (Ottawa Journal, 17 April 1947, 14, descrip.; 31 March 1948, 16)
METCALFE STREET, east side, at MacLaren Street, an eight storey apartment block, 1947-48 (Ottawa Journal, 27 June 1947, 14, descrip.)
(with P.J. O’Gorman) BARRY’S BAY, ONT., St. Francis Memorial Hospital, 1948 (Ottawa Journal, 13 Jan. 1948, 24, descrip.)
MARLBOROUGH AVENUE, between Laurier Street at Osgoode Street, residence for H. Addleman, 1948 (Ottawa Journal, 31 March 1948, 16)
ISLAND PARK DRIVE, between Clarendon Avenue and Harmer Avenue, residence for B.H. Sparling Beach, 1948 (Ottawa Journal, 4 May 1948, 14)
FRANK STREET, between Robert Street and The Driveway, apartment block for M. Zagerman & Co., 1949 (Ottawa Journal, 20 June 1949, 31)
RUSSELL AVENUE, between Osgoode Street and Somerset Street East, apartment block for Rupert McClelland, 1949 (Ottawa Journal, 20 June 1949, 31)
NELSON STREET, between Wilbrod Street and Stewart Street, apartment block for Samuel Tanner, 1949 (Ottawa Journal, 13 Sept. 1949, 16)
PURE SPRING CO. LTD., Beech Street, between Preston Street and Rochester Street, warehouse, 1949-50 (Ottawa Journal, 28 Oct. 1949, 1)
SHAFTSBURY APARTMENTS, Stewart Street at Friel Street, 1950 (C.R., lxiii, Feb. 1950, 135)
H. FINE & SONS, Mann Avenue near Hurdman Road, large warehouse, 1950-51 (Ottawa Journal, 15 Aug. 1950, 3; 8 March 1951, 13, illus.)
TIFFANY APARTMENTS, The Driveway at Argyle Avenue, 1953-54 (Ottawa Journal, 19 June 1953, 1 & 20, illus. & descrip.)