PARLETT, John J. (1880-1972), active in Vancouver, British Columbia in 1907-09 and later established his own office in Kamloops, B.C. in 1911.. Born at King’s Lynn, England on 7 August 1880, he trained in the office of Colman & Thomas, Architects in the town of King’s Lynn from 1895 to 1898, then moved to London where he attended classes at the Royal College of Art in 1898, and studied architecture at King’s College, London in 1898-1900. He joined the busy office of the Architect’s Dept. at the London County Council in 1900-01, and in 1902 he worked in the Admiralty Works Dept. where he was employed as designer and draftsman. Parlett was elected as Associate Member of the R.I.B.A. in Dec. 1903, and later passed his qualifying exam for full membership in 1906. He emigrated to Canada in 1907 and settled in Vancouver where he obtained a position as draftsman with Hooper & Watkins, a leading firm in that city (Vancouver City Directory, 1908, 854). Within a year he had left and opened his own business called The Modern Leaded Glass Co., fabricating stained glass windows for residential and ecclesiastical buildings throughout the Lower Mainland area (Vancouver City Directory, 1909, 959).
In late 1910 he moved to Kamloops, B.C. and opened his own office as an architect in January 1911, and was later joined by William H. MacAuley in 1912 in a new partnership which remained active for the next 8 years. Parlett moved to San Mateo, California in 1920 and appears to have abandoned the profession, becoming a high school teacher there for the next 34 years. He died at Portola Valley, San Mateo County on 22 December 1972 at the age of 92 years (obituary in the Palo Alto Times, 28 Dec. 1972, 14; biog. in Henry Boam, British Columbia: Its History, People & Resources, 1912, 335; biog. and list of works in D. Luxton, Building The West, 2003, 479-80, and 514; biog. Royal Institute of British Architects (London), Directory of British Architects 1834-1914, 2001, vol. 2, 321)
J. PARLETT (works in Kamloops)
FREMONT BLOCK, Victoria Street, a two storey commercial block for John F. Smith, 1911-12 (Inland Sentinel [Kamloops], 7 April 1911, 3, descrip.; C.R., xxv, 19 April 1911, 57; Saturday Sunset [Vancouver], 10 June 1911, 5, list of works)
HILL STREET, residence for James Bannerman, 1911 (Inland Sentinel [Kamloops], 7 April 1911, 3)
QUEEN’S HOTEL, Victoria Street, a three storey wood frame block for E. Maloney, 1911; demol. 1919 (Saturday Sunset [Vancouver], 10 June 1911, 5, list of works)
RAMSAY & PHILIPS BLOCK, Vctoria Street at 2nd Avenue, extensive remodelling of the old commercial block of the Hudson’s Bay Co., 1911 (Inland Sentinel [Kamloops], 7 April 1911, 3; and 28 July 1911, 6, detailed descrip.; Saturday Sunset [Vancouver], 10 June 1911, 5, list of works)
COLUMBIA STREET, residence for C.G. Cowan, 1911 (Inland Sentinel [Kamloops], 7 April 1911, 3)
BATTLE STREET, residence for Dr. M. George Archibald, 1911 (Inland Sentinel [Kamloops], 7 April 1911, 3; Saturday Sunset [Vancouver], 10 June 1911, 5, list of works)
FORTUNE BLOCK, Main Street at Nicola Road, retail store and apartment block for W. Fortune, 1911; and addition, 1912 (Inland Sentinel [Kamloops], 7 April 1911, 3; and 19 Feb. 1912, 5, t.c.)
CLARK STREET, residence for Kenneth G. MacKenzie, 1911 (Inland Sentinel [Kamloops], 7 April 1911, 3; Saturday Sunset [Vancouver], 10 June 1911, 5, list of works)
MASONIC TEMPLE, Victoria Street, a 3 storey fraternal lodge and hall, 1912 (Inland Sentinel [Kamloops], 23 Feb. 1912, 8, t.c.; 24 Feb. 1912, 1, detailed descrip.)
IMPERIAL BREWERY, Main Street, major additions and alterations, 1912 (Inland Sentinel [Kamloops], 2 March 1912, 3, t.c.)
NICOLA STREET WEST, residence for Frederick J. Fulton, 1912 (Inland Sentinel [Kamloops], 20 April 1912, 8; D. Luxton, 2003, 514, list of works) D. Luxton, 2003, 514, list of works)
COWAN BLOCK, Victoria Street, two new retail stores, immediately east of the People’s Trust Block, 1912, for C.G. Cowan, 1912 (Inland Sentinel [Kamloops], 15 May 1912, 5, descrip.)
PARLETT & MacAULAY (works in Kamloops)
KAMLOOPS HIGH SCHOOL, St. Paul Street at 6th Avenue, designed by J. Parlett, January 1912; completed by Parlett & MacAuley in 1912; demol. 1990 (C.R., xxvi, 17 Jan. 1912, 72; Inland Sentinel [Kamloops], 15 Feb. 1912, 5; and 7 Aug. 1912, 3, t.c.)
ST. PAUL STREET WEST, ‘Dundurn Place’, a residence for Thomas D. Costley, 1912 (D. Luxton, 2003, 514, list of works)
MOOSE FRATERNAL LODGE, Seymour Street at 2nd Avenue, a 3 storey Lodge & Hall for the I.O.O.M., 1912-13 (Inland Sentinel [Kamloops], 21 Dec. 1912, 1, descrip.)
KING EDWARD HOTEL, Main Street, 1913 (Inland Sentinel [Kamloops], 17 Feb. 1913, 8, t.c.)
BATTLE STREET, residence for James Gill, 1914 (D. Luxton, 2003, 514, list of works)
SACRED HEART ROMAN CATHOLIC CATHEDRAL, Nicola Street, 1921-25 (D. Luxton, 2003, 514, list of works)