Ross and Macdonald was one of Canada's most notable

architecture Architecture is the art and technique of designing and building, as distinguished from the skills associated with construction. It is both the process and the product of sketching, conceiving, planning, designing, and constructing buildings ...

firms in the early 20th century. Based in

Montreal, Quebec Montreal ( ; officially Montréal, ) is the second-most populous city in Canada and most populous city in the Canadian province of Quebec. Founded in 1642 as '' Ville-Marie'', or "City of Mary", it is named after Mount Royal, the triple-p ...

, the firm originally operated as a partnership between George Allen Ross and David MacFarlane (known as Ross and MacFarlane) from 1907 to 1912. MacFarlane withdrew from the firm in 1912, and Robert Henry Macdonald became a partner. The Ross and Macdonald name was used until 1944, after which it became Ross & Ross, Architects, when John Kenneth Ross joined his father as partner. Following George Allen Ross's death in 1946, the firm continued as Ross, Patterson, Townsend & Heughan. By 1970, the firm was known as Ross, Fish, Duschenes & Barrett. Since 2006, it has operated as DFS Inc. Architecture & Design.

George Allen Ross

Ross (1879–1946) was born in Montreal, and later studied at the

High School of Montreal The High School of Montreal was an English-language high school founded in 1843, serving Montreal, Quebec, Canada, in the area eventually known as the Golden Square Mile. It was less formally known as Montreal High School and from 1853 to 1870 was ...

, the

Massachusetts Institute of Technology The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) is a private land-grant research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Established in 1861, MIT has played a key role in the development of modern technology and science, and is one of the m ...

Cambridge Cambridge ( ) is a university city and the county town in Cambridgeshire, England. It is located on the River Cam approximately north of London. As of the 2021 United Kingdom census, the population of Cambridge was 145,700. Cambridge becam ...

Massachusetts Massachusetts (Massachusett language, Massachusett: ''Muhsachuweesut assachusett writing systems, məhswatʃəwiːsət'' English: , ), officially the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, is the most populous U.S. state, state in the New England ...

, and the

École des Beaux-Arts École des Beaux-Arts (; ) refers to a number of influential art schools in France. The term is associated with the Beaux-Arts style in architecture and city planning that thrived in France and other countries during the late nineteenth centur ...

Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...

.Antonia Brodie, ed., ''Directory of British Architects, 1834-1914'': Vol. 2 (L-Z) (A. & C. Black, Royal Institute of British Architects, 2001), p. 504 Ross was apprenticed to Brown, MacVicar & Heriot in Montreal, and later become a draftsman for the

Grand Trunk Railway The Grand Trunk Railway (; french: Grand Tronc) was a railway system that operated in the Canadian provinces of Quebec and Ontario and in the American states of Connecticut, Maine, Michigan, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and Vermont. The ra ...

. He also did work with Parker & Thomas in

Boston Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- most p ...

and

Carrere & Hastings Carrere or Carrère may refer to: As a name * Georges Carrère (1897–1986), French classical violinist * Edward Carrere (1906–1984), Mexican art director * Emmanuel Carrère (1957–), French author, screenwriter, and director * Fernando Car ...

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * ...

before partnering with MacFarlane in Montreal. He was a Fellow of the Royal Architectural Institute of Canada. He was also a member of the Royal Institute of British Architects, becoming an Associate in 1904 and a Fellow in 1913.

Robert Henry Macdonald

Macdonald (1875–1942) was born in

Melbourne Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a metrop ...

, Australia. He articled to Richard B. Whitaker, M.S.A. of Melbourne, and became a junior draftsman to Robert Findlay in Montreal in 1895. After positions as a draftsman for

George B. Post George Browne Post (December 15, 1837 – November 28, 1913) was an American architect trained in the Beaux-Arts tradition. He was recognized as a master of modern American architecture as well as being instrumental in the birth of the skyscrap ...

starting in 1903, a senior draftsman with Crighton & McKay in

Wellington Wellington ( mi, Te Whanganui-a-Tara or ) is the capital city of New Zealand. It is located at the south-western tip of the North Island, between Cook Strait and the Remutaka Range. Wellington is the second-largest city in New Zealand by me ...

, New Zealand in 1905, and head draftsman with W.W. Bosworth in New York in 1906, Macdonald joined Ross and MacFarlane in Montreal as a junior partner and draftsman in 1907. He ultimately became a partner of the firm in 1912. He was a Fellow of the Royal Architectural Institute of Canada and of the Royal Institute of British Architects. He served as president of the Quebec Association of Architects in 1939, and was a recipient of the association's Award of Merit.

Important works

Image:FortGarryWinnipeg.jpg, The Fort Garry Hotel in Winnipeg, a chateau-style hotel popularized by Ross and MacDonald Image:Holt Renfrew in Montreal in 1937.jpg,

Holt Renfrew Holt, Renfrew & Co., Limited (doing business as Holt Renfrew and known colloquially as Holt's) is a Canadian luxury department store chain founded in 1837 by William S. Henderson. It has been owned by the Weston family since 1986, and was previo ...

Store, 1937 in Montreal, Quebec Image:Union Station, Toronto (30427373561).jpg, Union Station Toronto, Ontario Image:Holtfacade.jpg, Calgary Eaton's store Image:Maple Leaf Gardens 2016.jpg,

Maple Leaf Gardens Maple Leaf Gardens is a historic building located at the northwest corner of Carlton Street and Church Street in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The building was initially constructed in 1931 as an arena to host ice hockey games, though it has sinc ...

Toronto, Ontario Image:Exterior of Eaton’s College Street Store - Toronto - ca 1930.jpg, Eaton's College Street store in Toronto, Ontario - now

College Park (Toronto) College Park is a shopping mall, residential and office complex on the southwest corner of Yonge Street, Yonge and College Street (Toronto), College streets in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. An Art Deco landmark, the building was initially known as Ea ...

File:Eaton montreal.png,

Complexe Les Ailes The Montreal Eaton Centre (french: Centre Eaton de Montréal) is a shopping mall located in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. It is located in the downtown core within the borough of Ville-Marie, and is accessible through the Underground City, and is con ...

(Former

Eaton's The T. Eaton Company Limited, later known as Eaton's, was a Canadian department store chain that was once the largest in the country. It was founded in 1869 in Toronto by Timothy Eaton, an immigrant from what is now Northern Ireland. Eaton's grew ...

department store) File:EatonsBuilding.jpg, Eaton's Building (Saskatoon) Saskatoon Board of Education File:Holtfacade.jpg,

The Core Shopping Centre, Canada The Core (stylized The CORE), which consists of TD Square, the Holt Renfrew building, and the former Calgary Eaton Centre, is the dominant shopping complex located in the downtown core of Calgary, Alberta, Canada. It spans three city blocks and c ...

File:Dominion Square Building.JPG,

Dominion Square Building The Dominion Square Building (french: Édifice Dominion Square), also known as the Gazette Building (french: Édifice Gazette), is a landmark office building in Downtown Montreal facing Dorchester Square on its northern side. It is located at 1010 ...

File:College_ParkYonge.jpg, College Park (Toronto) (Former

department store) File:Château Laurier from Parliament Hill.jpg,

Château Laurier The Fairmont Château Laurier is a hotel with 429 guest rooms in the downtown core of Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, located near the intersection of Rideau Street and Sussex Drive and designed in a French Gothic Revival Châteauesque style to compleme ...

File:Lord-elgin-hotel-night.jpg,

Lord Elgin Hotel The Lord Elgin Hotel is a prominent hotel in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. With 355 guest rooms, it is located at 100 Elgin Street at Laurier Avenue, across from Confederation Park in Downtown Ottawa. The twelve-storey limestone structure was nam ...

File:Hotel-Saskatchewan.jpg,

Hotel Saskatchewan The Hotel Saskatchewan is a historic hotel, one of Canada's grand railway hotels located in downtown Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada, overlooking Victoria Park. The Hotel Saskatchewan was the fourteenth hotel in a nationwide chain constructed and ...

File:Hotel Macdonald.jpg,

Hotel Macdonald The Fairmont Hotel Macdonald, formerly and commonly known as the Hotel Macdonald (colloquially known as The Mac), is a large historic luxury hotel in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. Located along 100 Street NW, south of Jasper Avenue, the hotel is situ ...

File:Cours Mont-Royal, accès sur de Maisonneuve (Montréal) 2006-01-27.JPG,

Les Cours Mont-Royal Les Cours Mont-Royal is an upscale shopping mall in the city's downtown core of Montreal, Quebec, Canada, which was converted from the former Mount Royal Hotel. Architecture The Mount Royal Hotel was designed by Ross and Macdonald, a prolific ar ...

File:Government Conference Centre Ottawa.jpg,

Government Conference Centre The Senate of Canada Building (french: édifice du Sénat du Canada) is located at 2 Rideau Street in downtown Ottawa, Ontario, Canada and serves as the temporary seat of the Senate of Canada. The building served as Ottawa's central railway stati ...

File:Québec, Édifice Price1.jpg,

Édifice Price The Édifice Price ( en, Price Building) is an 18-floor (originally 16) skyscraper in Quebec City, Quebec, Canada. Built in 1928–1931 amid controversy for Price Brothers Limited, it is the tallest building in the Old Quebec historical district ...

File:HydrostoneShops.jpg,

The Hydrostone Hydrostone is a neighbourhood in the North End of the Halifax Peninsula in the Halifax Regional Municipality, Nova Scotia, Canada. It consists of ten short parallel streets and is bordered by Duffus Street to the north, Young Street to the south, ...

Commercial Buildings: *

Bank of Toronto The Bank of Toronto was a Canadian bank that was founded in 1855 by a group of grain dealers and flour millers. On February 1, 1955, it merged with The Dominion Bank to form the Toronto-Dominion Bank, which is now known as the present-day TD Bank ...

branch (Guy St. and St. Catherine St. W.), Montreal, 1908 *

, Montreal, 1925-27 (Former

department store) * Saskatoon Board of Education offices, Saskatoon, 1928-29 (Former Eaton's department store) * Former Eaton's Store, Calgary, 1928-29 (demolished 1988, façade incorporated into Calgary Eaton Centre) *

, Montreal, 1928–1930 * College Park, Toronto, 1928-30 (Former Eaton's department store)(with Sproatt and Rolph) * Holt Renfrew Montreal at 1300 Sherbrooke Street West, Montreal, 1937 (building closed in 2020, moved with nearby Ogilvy's store on St.Catherine St.) Hotels: *

Hotel,

Ottawa Ottawa (, ; Canadian French: ) is the capital city of Canada. It is located at the confluence of the Ottawa River and the Rideau River in the southern portion of the province of Ontario. Ottawa borders Gatineau, Quebec, and forms the core ...

, 1909-12 (with Bradford Lee Gilbert) **
History of the Fairmont Château Laurier
*

, Ottawa, 1940–41 * Royal York Hotel, Toronto, 1927-29 (with Sproatt and Rolph) **
Royal York Hotel
* Fort Garry Hotel,

Winnipeg Winnipeg () is the capital and largest city of the province of Manitoba in Canada. It is centred on the confluence of the Red and Assiniboine rivers, near the longitudinal centre of North America. , Winnipeg had a city population of 749,60 ...

, 1910–14 *

, Regina, 1926–27 *

Edmonton Edmonton ( ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Alberta. Edmonton is situated on the North Saskatchewan River and is the centre of the Edmonton Metropolitan Region, which is surrounded by Alberta's central region. The city anchor ...

, 1912–14 *

, Montreal, 1920-24 (Former Sheraton Mount Royal Hotel, now a shopping mall, condo and office complex) Public Buildings: *

, Ottawa, (Former Ottawa Union Station), 1911-1912 **
The Architecture of Ottawa's Union Station
*

Union Station A union station (also known as a union terminal, a joint station in Europe, and a joint-use station in Japan) is a railway station at which the tracks and facilities are shared by two or more separate railway companies, allowing passengers to ...

, Toronto (with Hugh G. Jones, John Lyle) 1914-1920 **
Toronto Union Station - Heritage Character Analysis
Office Buildings: * Architects' Building, Montreal, 1929-34 (demolished) * Confederation Building (McGill College Ave. and St. Catherine St. W.), Montreal, 1927–28 * Castle Building (Stanley Street and St. Catherine St. W.), Montreal, 1924–27 *

(Peel Street and St. Catherine St. W.), Montreal, 1928–40 * Montreal Star Building (St. Jacques St.), Montreal, 1926–31 * Royal Bank Building (Yonge Street and King Street East), Toronto, 1913–15 *

(Sainte-Anne street), Quebec City, 1929–1930. * Medical Arts Building, Montreal, 1922 Residential: * Le Chateau Apartments, (Sherbrooke and De La Montagne) Montreal, 1926 * The Gleneagles, (Cote des Neiges Road) Montreal, 1929 Other: *

Central Technical School Central Technical School (CTS or Central Tech) is a Canadian composite high school in Toronto, Ontario. The school is run by the Toronto District School Board (TDSB); before 1998, it was run by the Toronto Board of Education (TBE). Central Tech ...

, Toronto, 1915 *

, Halifax, 1918 *

, Toronto, 1931–32

References

External links

(current website of the successor firm)
Photos of Ross and MacDonald buildings in Montreal

Finding aid for the Ross & Macdonald fonds

Canadian Centre for Architecture The Canadian Centre for Architecture (CCA; french: Centre Canadien d'Architecture) is a museum of architecture and research centre in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. It is located at 1920, rue Baile (1920, Baile Street), between rue Fort (Fort Street ...

digitized items
{{Authority control Architecture firms of Canada Companies based in Montreal

George Allen Ross

Robert Henry Macdonald

Important works

References

Further reading

External links