In 1873 a young Harry Powell left his home in Thornbury, England to make the journey across the Atlantic Ocean to Canada where he would locate in Stratford and study architecture with a prominent Stratford architect, Joseph Kilburn. Following Kilburn's sudden death in 1890 Harry acquired many of his clients and, after opening an office at Downie and Albert Streets, continued to attract more business.
This included a very large and roomy house at the corner of John and Norman Streets for Sherriff John Hossie, which a newspaper article of the day described as the finest dwelling of the season. Another project was a two storey red brick house at the corner of John and Douglas Street for James Stamp, Stratford's mayor from 1901-02. Houses described as "distinctly modern" featuring a brick first storey with a shingled second floor were built for clients such as Dr. E.H. Eidt, an early proponent of Stratford's much loved park system, on William Street, a residence on Ontario Street near Front Street and elsewhere. Several large houses including one for the Hon. Thomas Ballantyne, were built on streets such as Church, Cambria and Shrewsbury where many remain today and are part of Stratford's renowned architectural heritage.
His churches, commercial buildings, hospitals and other structures in Stratford and many other locations were designed in a robust Romanesque Revival style. In 1897 his proposal for the new Stratford city hall won first prize but the City Council of the day chose a different submission. The Theatre Albert at the corner of Downie and George Street, originally intended to be an opera house, now the site of the Avon Theatre, the Young Men's Christian Association (YMCA) building on Market Place, just west of the Herald Building, the Perth County House of Refuge (now demolished), and a department store on Downie Street for J.A. Duggan, were more examples of his architectural talent. In addition to his Stratford office he established branch offices with partners in Chatham and Guelph and was involved with numerous church, school, hospital, factory and other building projects across southwestern Ontario.
In February 1893, Harry James Powell married Minnie Edna Venton, the younger daughter of William and Isabella Mathieson Venton, a Stratford harness maker. Their only child, a son William Gaynor, was born in November of that year. In 1897 the Harry Powell family who had been living next door at 25 Nile Street moved into 31 Nile Street. A few years earlier Minnie's older sister, Edith, had married Joseph Orr, the son of R Thomas Orr, a prominent early Stratford resident, and they were living just around the corner at 311 Ontario Street.
In 1900 Harry left Stratford, relocating in Sault Ste. Marie Ontario, as the company architect for the Clergue Steel Company and, a year later, with a partner, moving into the contracting business. Although he had been previously diagnosed with Bright's disease, his sudden death in Sault Ste. Marie at age 38 in October 1902, was unexpected. His funeral service in Stratford at the Ontario Street residence of his brother in law, Joseph Orr, followed by burial in Avondale Cemetery was very well attended. James Stamp, then the Mayor of Stratford, was among the pall bearers. Following her husband's death Minnie Powell resided with Edith and Joseph Orr and worked as a bookkeeper. She died in 1939 and is buried with Harry in Avondale Cemetery.
The Biographical Dictionary of Architects in Canada, 1800-1950(available online) contains a detailed listing of his architectural works across southwestern Ontario.