ABRA, William James(1882-1965) was born in Ayr, Ontario on 16 April 1882 and brought to Toronto as a child where he attended public and high schools. He was employed for five years in the wood working trade and attended evening courses in architecture before becoming a draftsman in the offices of James A. Ellis (in 1903-04) and later with J.A. Harvey (in 1904-07). He then moved to Ottawa and worked for Horwood & Taylor (in 1907-10) and for Weeks & Keefer (in 1910-13) before forming a partnership with Hugh Richards in May 1913 (see list of works under Richards & Abra). Their successful partnership lasted for more than thirty years and after the death of Richards in 1944 Abra formed a new partnership with Watson Balharrie in 1946; David Shore was invited to join the partnership in 1947. Their new firm received many commissions for schools in the Ottawa Valley and eastern Ontario region which they designed in a distinctive modernist style. He was a confident and opinionated architect, and much of his personal philosophy on design and the building industry, and on the role of the architect, was included in a lengthy interview and illustrated article published in the Ottawa Journal, 9 May 1936, 38.
Abra was elected President of the Ontario Association of Architects in 1944-45 and retired from practise in 1951. He died in Ottawa on 23 December 1965 (obituary in the R.A.I.C. Journal, xliii, Jan. 1966, 5; death notice in the Ottawa Citizen, 23 Dec. 1965, 26; biog. Ottawa Journal, 26 April 1926, 16; biog. R.I.B.A. [London], Directory of British Architects 1834-1914, 2001, vol. 1, p. 3). A photographic portrait of W.J. Abra appears in the Ottawa Journal, 24 Feb. 1941, p. 6.
W.J. ABRA (works in Ottawa unless noted)
EASTVIEW BAPTIST CHURCH, Olmstead Avenue, 1924 (Ottawa Journal, 15 Dec. 1924, 4; Canadian Baptist [Toronto], 1 Jan. 1925, 3, illus.)
CENTRAL EXPERIMENTAL FARM, Biological Building, 1935-36 (C.R., xlix, 31 July 1935, 29; Ottawa Journal, 11 Oct. 1935, 1, descrip.)
WESTBORO, ONT., Nepean Township Fire Hall, 1939 (Ottawa Journal, 17 April 1939, 13)
ABRA & BALHARRIE (works in Ottawa unless noted)
WESTBORO, ONT., Nepean Township Police Station & Health Centre, Churchill Avenue near Richmond Road, 1945-46 (Ottawa Journal, 14 Sept. 1945, 12, descrip.; 19 Oct. 1945, 17, descrip.)
STITTSVILLE, ONT., Public School, 1946 (Ottawa Journal, 30 May 1946, 26, illus. & descrip.)
ST. STEPHEN'S PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH, Parkdale Avenue at Sherwood Drive, 1946 (Ottawa Journal, 22 Jan. 1946, 7, illus.; and 16 Aug. 1946, 8; inf. Robert Hamilton)
ELMDALE SCHOOL, Iona Street, addition, 1946 (C.R., lix, July 1946, 104)
ARNPRIOR, ONT., Central Hotel, Madawaska Street, 1946 (C.R., lix, June 1946, 142)
ABRA, BALHARRIE & SHORE (works in Ottawa unless noted)
INFANT HEALTH CENTRE, George Street, near Cumberland Street, 1946-47 (Ottawa Journal, 27 March 1946, 12; R.A.I.C. Journal, xxiv, March 1947, 88, illus.)
HILLSON AVENUE PUBLIC SCHOOL, Hillson Avenue at Richmond Road, major addition, 1946-47 (Ottawa Journal, 26 Dec. 1946, 13, illus. & descrip.; C.R., lx, April 1947, 96)
BROADVIEW AVENUE PUBLIC SCHOOL, major addition, 1946-47 (Ottawa Journal, 26 Dec. 1946, 13, illus. & descrip.; C.R., lx, April 1947, 98)
SHAWVILLE, QUE., Pontiac Community Hospital, 1947-48 (R.A.I.C. Journal, xxv, Sept. 1948, 324-25, illus.)
MANOR PARK VILLAGE SHOPPING CENTRE, 1947 (C.H.G., xxiv, Sept. 1947, 29, illus.)
ALMONTE, ONT., Community Hall and Skating Rink, 1947 (C.R., lx, Aug. 1947, 260)
CARLETON HEIGHTS PUBLIC SCHOOL, Prince of Wales Drive, 1947 (R.A.I.C. Journal, xxvi, April 1949, 117, illus.)
WESTBORO, ONT., major addition to Nepean High School, Broadview Avenue at Princeton Avenue, 1947-48 (Ottawa Journal, 29 Aug. 1947, 23, t.c.)
CORNWALL, ONT., Public School, 1949 (C.R., lxii, Feb. 1949, 151)
BANCROFT, ONT., North Hastings High School, 1949 (R.A.I.C. Journal, xxvi, April 1949, 118-19, illus.)
KINGSTON TOWNSHIP, Marydale School, 1949-50 (R.A.I.C. Journal, xxvi, April 1949, 120)
LONG LAKE, QUE., Summer Lodge & Dining Room for the Canadian Girls In Training, 1949 (R.A.I.C. Journal, xxvi, July 1949, 216, illus.)
ARNPRIOR, ONT., Roman Catholic School, 1949 (C.R., lxii, Sept. 1949, 160)
KINGSWAY UNITED CHURCH, Island Park Drive at Byng Drive, designed 1947; built 1949-50 (Ottawa Journal, 18 May 1947, 8; 13 Jan. 1950, 16, descrip.)
(with Hazelgrove & Lithwick) JEWISH COMMUNITY CENTRE, Chapel Street at Rideau Street, 1949-50 (Ottawa Journal, 19 Nov. 1949, 40, illus. & descrip.; C.R., lxii, Dec. 1949, 92)
PARKDALE UNITED CHURCH, Parkdale Avenue, addition for a Memorial Hall, 1950 (Ottawa Journal, 19 Jan. 1950, 10, descrip.)
PEMBROKE, ONT., addition to Laurentian School, 1950 (C.R., lxiii, Feb. 1950, 126)
PEMBROKE, ONT., Memorial Arena and Administration Offices, Lake Street at Pembroke Street West, 1950 (Ottawa Journal, 17 Jan.1950, 8, illus. & descrip.; C.R., lxiii, April 1950, 124)
ALMONTE, ONT., addition to the High School, 1950 (R.A.I.C. Journal, xxvii, May 1950, 175, illus.)
CARLETON COLLEGE, Second Avenue at Lyon Street, major addition to the Library, 1950 (Ottawa Journal, 28 Jan. 1950, 5, descrip.; C.R., lxiii, June 1950, 126)
METCALFE BUILDING, Wellington Street at Metcalfe Street, 1950 (dwgs. at OA, Dept. of Labour Coll.)
VEITCH MEMORIAL CHAPEL, Parkdale Avenue, major addition to funeral home for A.E. Veitch & Son Co., Ltd., 1950 (Ottawa Journal, 24 Nov. 1950, 26, illus. and descrip. in advert.)
COMPETITIONS
DOMINION HOUSING COMPETITION, OTTAWA. Abra was among over 500 architects from across Canada who submitted designs for small houses, and he received an Honorable Mention for this submission (Calgary Herald, 29 June 1936, 19, illus.; inf. Robert Hamilton, of Hamilton, Ont.). The overall winner of the competition was William Ralston of Toronto.
ONTARIO GOVERNMENT HOUSING COMPETITION, 1936. A total of 109 designs were sent in for this provincial competition, and Abra received 3rd Prize in the Class A Division for his plans (Owen Sound Daily Sun-Times, 31 July 1936, 6).