BELFRY, Franklin Ernest (1882-1951) was born in Newmarket, Ont. on 8 April 1882 and was educated at the Toronto Technical School. He articled with Beaumont Jarvis (in 1898-1900), then worked in a succession of local Toronto offices for R.M. Ogilvie, J.A. Ellis, G.W. Gouinlock, and Bond & Smith, never staying more than a year in each, and finally with Darling & Pearson (in 1908-11). In late 1911 he formed a partnership with James Thomson (see list of works under Thomson & Belfry), but their collaboration ended in July 1912 when Belfry accepted the appointment of Architectural Superintendent of the Buildings Dept. of the Toronto Board of Education, taking over from Hiram R. Barber who had held this position in 1909-12. Belfry worked directly under C.H. Bishop, the Chief Architect of the Board, but Belfry's signature on drawings and building permit applications indicates that he, not Bishop, likely prepared the plans for many school buildings in Toronto from 1912 to February 1918 when he was succeeded by A.D. Waste.
In 1919 Belfry moved to Ottawa and became the staff architect for the Ottawa Housing Commission (C.R., xxxv, 27 July 1921, 698). There, he was credited with the development of the Linden Lea Community plan and the design of several early houses in that neighbourhood. He was appointed City Architect for Ottawa in July 1921 but by June 1923 he had returned to Toronto and formed a new partnership, this time with Ewart G. Wilson. Within two years he had formed yet another partnership, on this occasion with James A. Ellis, in 1925-27 (see list of works under Ellis & Belfry). After 1930 Belfry worked in a number of offices including the drafting department of the Toronto Transit Commission. He died in Toronto on 7 June 1951 (obit. Globe & Mail [Toronto], 8 June 1951, 32; Telegram [Toronto], 8 June 1951, 17; biography Ottawa Journal, 13 June 1919, 20)
Franklin E. BELFRY (works for the Grand Trunk Railway Co.)
FERGUS, ONT., Grand Trunk Railway Station, 1902-03 (dwgs. CNR Plan Room, 1056-59, dated 24 Nov. 1902)
DUNNVILLE, ONT., Grand Trunk Railway Station, 1903 (dwgs. NAC, RG30M, 78903/42)
Franklin E. BELFRY (works for the Toronto Board of Education)
RUNNYMEDE ROAD, at St. Johns Road, public school, 1912 (Toronto b.p. 37723, 25 Sept. 1912)
MALVERN HIGH SCHOOL, Malvern Avenue, 1912-13 (Toronto b.p. 1260, 30 Nov. 1912)
WILLIAMSON ROAD PUBLIC SCHOOL, Williamson Road, 1912-13 (Toronto b.p. 1545, 28 Dec. 1912)
PAULINE AVENUE PUBLIC SCHOOL, Pauline Avenue, 1913 (Toronto b.p. 2116, 20 Feb. 1913)
KEELE STREET PUBLIC SCHOOL, Keele Street near Glenlake Avenue, 1913 (Toronto b.p. 2180, 25 Feb. 1913)
RIVERDALE HIGH SCHOOL, Gerrard Street East at Jones Avenue, major addition, 1913 (Toronto b.p. 2891, 5 April 1913)
CARLTON PUBLIC SCHOOL, Davenport Road near Osler Avenue, 1913 (Toronto b.p. 4425, 21 May 1913)
FRANKLAND PUBLIC SCHOOL, Logan Avenue near Danforth Avenue, 1913 (Toronto b.p. 4710, 31 May 1913)
LANSDOWNE PUBLIC SCHOOL, Spadina Crescent near College Street, major addition, 1913; demol. (Toronto b.p. 5926, 24 July 1913)
McMURRICH PUBLIC SCHOOL, Ossington Avenue, major addition, 1913 (Toronto b.p. 6363, 18 Aug. 1913)
PAPE AVENUE PUBLIC SCHOOL, Pape Avenue near Smith Street, 1913 (Toronto b.p. 6362, 18 Aug. 1913)
DEER PARK PUBLIC SCHOOL, St. Clair Avenue East near Ferndale Avenue, 1913 (Toronto b.p. 6586, 30 Aug 1913)
HOWARD PUBLIC SCHOOL, Howard Park Avenue, major addition, 1913 (Toronto b.p. 6586, 30 Aug. 1913)
SHIRLEY STREET PUBLIC SCHOOL, Shirley Street near St. Clarens Avenue, 1913 (Toronto b.p. 7432, 13 Oct. 1913)
REGAL ROAD PUBLIC SCHOOL, Regal Road, 1913 (Toronto b.p. 7615, 21 Oct. 1913)
RYERSON PUBLIC SCHOOL, St. Patrick Street near Ryerson Avenue, 1913 (Toronto b.p. 8051, 14 Nov. 1913)
WESTERN AVENUE PUBLIC SCHOOL, Western Avenue near Humberside Avenue, 1913-14 (Toronto b.p. 8751, 31 Dec. 1913)
Franklin E.. BELFRY (works in Ottawa)
OTTAWA, ONT., Linden Lea Housing Development, a tract of several detached houses for the Ottawa Housing Commission, 1919-20 (Ottawa Journal, 26 July 1919, 24, descrip.; C.R., xxxiv, 3 March 1920, 63, t.c.; Const., xiii, April 1921, 96-103, illus. & descrip.; and xvi, June 1923, 221-3, illus. & descrip.; Andrew Waldron, Exploring the Capital: An Architectural Guide to the Ottawa-Gatineau Region, 2017, 126-7, illus. & descrip.)
OTTAWA, ONT., residence for Mary M. Reid, Lambton Road, c. 1921 (dwgs. Ottawa City Archives, RG1, O.H.C. Papers)
OTTAWA, ONT., residence for William A. Purdy, Lambton Road, c. 1921 (dwgs. Ottawa City Archives, RG1, O.H.C. Papers)
OTTAWA, ONT., residence for Clovis Belanger, Lambton Road, c. 1921 (dwgs. Ottawa City Archives, RG1, O.H.C. Papers)
OTTAWA, ONT., residence for Gerald H.J. Pearson, Lindenlea Road, c. 1922 (Const., xvi, May 1923, 187, illus.)
BELFRY & WILSON (works in Toronto)
HIGH PARK METHODIST CHURCH, High Park Avenue at Annette Street, a Sunday School for the church, 1924 (C.R., xxxviii, 13 Feb. 1924, 54, t.c.; Toronto b.p. 68554, 12 March 1924)
DONLANDS METHODIST CHURCH, Donlands Avenue at Furniss Avenue, 1923 (Const., xvi, Aug. 1923, 261)
INGLEWOOD DRIVE, residence for an unidentified client, 1923 (Const., xvii, March 1924, 103, illus.)