FRASER, William (1867-1922), a native of Lochgilphead, Scotland, was born there on 24 October 1867, son of Rev. William Fraser, a church minister. He was educated at the Glasgow Free School and studied at the University of Glasgow. Before emigrating to Canada in 1907 he practised in Scotland and maintained offices in Glasgow and Dunoon; one of his commissions was for the Robert Burns Memorial at Mauchline, Scotland. In Toronto he was assistant in the office of George M. Miller where he was credited with the design of the Deaconess' Home, St. Clair Avenue West (1908-09) and the refined Beaux-Arts scheme for the School of Household Science, Bloor Street West (1908-12). Fraser opened his own office in 1911 and specialised in educational buildings. He was one of sixteen competitors for the Ward Five Public School at Welland (Welland Tribune, 11 Dec. 1913, Second Section, 1) but his scheme was passed over in favour of that by A.E. Nicholson. In 1918 he and his young assistant Harold S. Kaplan were successful in winning the competition for two public schools in Halifax, designed to replace buildings destroyed in the Halifax Explosion of 1917 (C.R., xxxii, 11 Dec. 1918, 993). In Toronto his best known work is the Anderson & MacBeth Building, King Street West (1915), with a finely proportioned terra-cotta facade. Fraser died in Toronto on 14 June 1922 (obit. Globe [Toronto], 15 June 1922, 14; Telegram [Toronto], 15 June 1922, 22; inf. R.l.B.A., Directory of British Architects 1834-1900, 1993, 328)
TORONTO, ONT., Thompson Monument Co., Dupont Street near Shaw Street, factory, 1910 (dwgs. at City of Toronto Building Records Div.)
TORONTO, ONT., apartment house for J. W. Plewes and J.H. Carter, Jarvis Street near Gould Street, 1911 (Toronto b.p. 30269, 15 Sept. 1911)
TORONTO, ONT., apartment house for J.W. Plewes, Sherbourne Street near Carlton Street, 1914 (Toronto b.p. 9355, 28 Feb. 1914)
TORONTO, ONT., Anderson & MacBeth Building, King Street West near John Street, warehouse, 1915 (Toronto Regional Architectural Conservancy, Terra Cotta-Artful Deceivers, 1990, 94, illus.; dwgs. at City of Toronto Building Records Div.)
TORONTO, ONT., residence for G. Cecil Moore, Douglas Drive near Glen Road, 1914; addition, 1922 (Toronto b.p. 10137, 4 April 1914; b.p. 50631, 25 May 1922)
TORONTO, ONT., residence for Dr. Bartholomew E. McKenzie, Heath Street near Warren Road, 1914 (Toronto b.p. 13237, 15 July 1914)
SCARBOROUGH, ONT., Birchcliffe Public School, Kingston Road at Birchcliffe Avenue, 1916 (Const., ix, Jan. 1916, 30; Oct. 1916, 363)
HALIFAX, N.S., St. Joseph's Girl's School, Russell Street, a commission won in a competition, 1918-19 (Morning Chronicle [Halifax], 21 Nov. 1918, 6; Evening Mail [Halifax], 16 July 1919, 12, descrip.; dwgs. at PANS, Dumaresq Coll.)
HALIFAX, N.S., Bloomfield Common School, Robie Street at Bloomfield Street, backing onto Agricola Street, a commission won in a competition, 1918-21 (Morning Chronicle [Halifax], 21 Nov. 1918, 6; Evening Mail [Halifax], 31 Jan. 1919, 11; and 16 July 1919, 12, descrip.; and 30 June 1921, 17, illus. & descrip.; dwgs. at PANS, Dumaresq Coll.)
HALIFAX, N.S., Bank of Nova Scotia, Young Street at Barrington Street, 1918 (dwgs. at PANS)
NEW TORONTO, ONT., public school, 1920-21 (C.R., xxxiv, 16 June 1920, 52; Toronto Daily Star, 25 Jan. 1921, 9)