DECARY, Louis Joseph Theophile (1882-1952), partner in the Montreal office of Dufort & Decary, was born in St. Jerome, Que. on 21 September 1882, son of Jean B. Decary, a jeweller. He attended commercial college at St. Jerome and in April 1902 moved to Boston to look for opportunities to develop his interest in drawing and sketching. He joined the office of Guy Lowell, one of the masters of the classical revival in Boston, who sent Decary to the Massachusetts Inst. of Technology in October 1903 where he attended courses in architecture until 1905. After returning to Montreal in 1906 he worked in the offices of E. & W.S. Maxwell (in 1906), with Brown & Vallance (in 1906-07), with Gauthier & Daoust (in 1908) and with Ross & MacFarlane (in 1909-11). In 1911 he was one several entrants in the competition for the Bibliotheque St. Sulpice in Montreal. His design, signed 'La Fourmi', was not premiated and Eugene Payette was declared as winner (J.R. Lassonde, La Bibliotheque St. Sulpice 1910-31, 1986, 55).
Decary formed a partnership with Joseph C. Dufort in late 1911 (see list of works under Dufort & Decary), but their collaboration was short-lived and Decary opened his own office in 1913. In 1919-21 he was hired by Thomas W. Lamb to supervise the construction of the Pantages Theatre in Toronto; this successful venture led Lamb to appoint Decary as director of his Canadian branch office which opened in Montreal in 1921. Decary returned to Boston in 1924 to assist Hutchins & French, then went to New York City to help T.W. Lamb complete the reconstruction of Madison Square Garden and assist him with the addition to the Auditorium Theatre in Quebec City in 1927. From 1928 to 1931 Decary was active in Montreal, then went to Paris, France in 1931 to supervise the construction of the Rex Theatre, also designed by Thomas W. Lamb. Decary rejoined the P.Q.A.A. in 1937 but few designs by him after that date have been located. He died in Montreal on 4 June 1952 (death notice La Presse [Montreal], 5 June 1952, 55; biog. and port. Montreal Old & New, 1914, 425; W.H. Atherton, Montreal from 1535 to 1914, iii, 310-13; Biographies Canadiennes Francaises, 1935, 110-11; inf. Province of Quebec Assoc. of Architects). A biography with illustrations of his student work completed in Boston appeared in La Presse [Montreal], 8 April 1911, 5 & 6. A photographic portrait of Decary was published in La Patrie (Montreal), 12 Aug. 1911, p. 7.
DORVAL, QUE., St. Joseph Roman Catholic School, 1911 (La Presse [Montreal], 10 Aug. 1911, 8, illus.; C.R., xxv, 8 Nov. 1911, 58)
PETIT SEMINAIRE, Sherbrooke Street West, for the Roman Catholic Diocese of Montreal, a large 4 storey institution nearly 300 ft. long, in the French Renaissance style, 1911, but perhaps not built (La Patrie (Montreal), 12 Aug. 1911, 7, illus. & descrip.; inf. Yves Guillet, St. Lambert, Que.)
ST. JOHN'S, QUE., residence for J.B. Langevin, 1922 (C.R., xxxvi, 29 Nov. 1922, 50)
VERDUN, auto showroom and garage for J.P. Dupuis Ltd., Bannatyne Street at Willibrod Street, 1937 (C.R., vol. 50, 31 March 1937, 29)
LONGUEUIL, a movie theatre and flats, Principal Street near St. Charles Street, 1941 (Montreal Daily Star, 9 Jan. 1941, 28; and 29 Jan. 1941, 26)
STE. CATHERINE STREET EAST, restaurant and apartments for the Estate of Edmond Morin, 1941 (C.R., liv, 29 Jan. 1941, 36)