I first began to think about just where in the city architects were based when I began to notice that so many of them had set up shop on MacLaren street in the mid-1960s. By mapping their locations, I am not looking to make any definite argument or speculate about a neighbourhood-level Creative Class sort of situation. In a similar way that I have worked with Ottawa’s apartments, I intend to repeat this for previous and subsequent years.
The above map depicts the office location of each firm listed in the 1960 Might’s Directory of the City of Ottawa. Of the 25 listed, most were active in some capacity. Admittedly, this is a bit of a messy blog post. Rather than weave a tidy narrative, I have outlined the designs they were working on during that time: between 1959 and 1961. As is normally the case in the course of attributing designs to an architect (or firm), I am sticking to what has been reported in the available sources. As such, I cannot consider this to be an exhaustive list.
Marc Angers
Following an extensive search, I have not located any citations for projects designed by – or otherwise involving – Marc Angers between 1959 and 1961. Admittedly, I have not located a rich source of information about him in general, though he may have specialized in heritage restorations and was principally active in the Montreal area. As such, his presence in Ottawa, like Green, Blankenstein, Russell, and Associates might have been for a single project. His office was set up at 375 Rideau street, then the home of Le Droit.1Le Droit’s building was completed in 1955. See “Lay Cornerstone For New Le Droit Building On Rideau,” Ottawa Journal, August 4, 1954, p. 16; “Le Droit Starts Publication In New Building,” Ottawa Journal, January 5, 1955, p. 3; Ottawa Journal, May 10, 1955, p. 4.
Balharrie, Helmer & Morin
Watson Balharrie and Darcy Helmer were the principals of a very busy firm in 1960.2Henry Morin passed away in 1958. Right off the bat, Watson Balharrie was being consumed with developing plans for Sparks Street Mall as its design chairman.3Burns Stewart. “Ottawa Men Cautious About Mall,” Ottawa Journal, September 4, 1959, pp. 1, 5; “Kalamazoo Reaps Mall Tax Harvest,” Ottawa Journal, November 4, 1960, p. 3; “Asking New Mall Trial,” Ottawa Journal, December 30, 1960, p. 1; Ottawa Journal, December 31, 1960, p. 7. In addition to the Mall, the firm was in its early stages of designing the Brooke Claxton Building,4Or “Judy’s Tower” for Judy LaMarsh, the Minister of National Health and Welfare when it was completed. the results of which are considered by some to be the best of the firm’s output.5Richard Jackson. “Hill Talk,” Ottawa Journal, April 30, 1960, p. 21.
Smaller projects being worked on in those years were the Otis Elevator Building on Queen Street,6”Look Ma! No Windows!” Ottawa Journal, August 22, 1959, p. 34. a three-storey addition to Ottawa Neighbourhood Services’ pre-Mayfield Building complex in Hintonburg,7”Ottawa Briefs,” Ottawa Journal, July 9, 1960, p. 3. the Kemptville Hospital, and a hall for St. Christopher’s Church in Cardinal Heights.8”Bishop To Turn Sod For New Church Hall,” Ottawa Journal, June 21, 1960, p. 30. It was also in 1960 that D’Arcy Helmer began early work on the design for the new south side stands at Lansdowne Park.9”Lansdowne Stand Goes to Board,” Ottawa Journal, November 23, 1960, p. 1.
Belcourt & Blair
In 1960, Victor Belcourt and Donald Blair were just coming down from completing large-scale designs of housing developments in Ottawa and in Toronto. In Ottawa, it was Assaly’s new Lincoln Heights subdivision. In Toronto, the firm was responsible for the design of the famed Greenbelt Heights Village at Don Mills.10For context, see Andrew M. Waldron. Irving Grossman, 1954-1964: A Young Architect’s Response within Modernism. MA Thesis (Carleton University, 1988). The pair’s main project for that year was the new Boy Scout’s Headquarters on Baseline Road.11”Boy Scouts HQ $750,000,” Ottawa Journal, January 17, 1959, p. 17; “Massey Lays Stone At Scout Headquarters,” Ottawa Journal, September 24, 1960, p. 3; Stuart Anderson. “Scoutings New $850,000 Home Opened By Vanier,” Ottawa Journal, January 27, 1961, p. 25.
George E. Bemi & Associates
That sound? That was the sound of George Bemi’s career taking off. Bemi had been active in Ottawa since at least 1957, when he served as the resident architect for the Palef brothers’ Ottawa Fruit Supply.12Ottawa Journal, November 9, 1957, pp. 36-7. During the time, Bemi’s office had worked on St. Basil’s Roman Catholic Church (“Ottawa’s first round church!”),13”Give Approval To First Round Church,” Ottawa Journal, September 23, 1959, p. 23; “Bless Ottawa’s First Round Church Tonight,” Ottawa Journal, June 14, 1961, p. 3. St. Ignatius the Martyr Roman Catholic Church (Overbrook),14Ottawa Journal, October 15, 1960, p. 17. the Colonel By Towers,15”Builder One Step Ahead of Zoners,” Ottawa Citizen, June 24, 1958, p. 7; Ottawa Journal, February 3, 1959, p. 13; Ottawa Journal, November 16, 1959, p. 16. and the apartment that got me into this whole blogging business, the Champlain Towers on Rideau Terrace.
Burgess, McLean & MacPhadyen
For architects in Ottawa, one of the chief effects of the baby boom was being kept busy designed new schools and extensions to those schools shortly afterwards. School designs that had crossed the tilted desks at the firm of Cecil Burgess,16Cecil Burgess passed away in 1956, but as was custom, his name remained attached to the firm until much later. J. Malcolm McLean and Murdoch MacPhadyen included one in the Urbandale subdivision off St. Laurent,17”PS Board Asks $2,836,000 For Five Schools in 1960,” Ottawa Journal, October 2, 1959, p. 21; Ottawa Journal, October 5, 1959, p. 27. Elmira Drive,18”PS Board Asks $2,836,000 For Five Schools in 1960,” Ottawa Journal, October 2, 1959, p. 21. Deep River,19Ottawa Journal, October 29, 1960, p. 30; Ottawa Journal, August 8, 1961, p. 33. Carleton Place High (addition),20Ottawa Journal, August 25, 1960, p. 31. Buckingham High School (addition),21Ottawa Journal, June 28, 1961, p. 51. Shawville High School (addition),22Ottawa Journal, June 29, 1961, p. 40. Bell’s Corners High School,23Ottawa Journal, December 13, 1961, p. 3. Christian Education Building, Britannia United Church,24”Britannia Plan Before Presbytery,” Ottawa Citizen, April 21, 1961, p. 7. Perth Collegiate (addition),25Ottawa Citizen, July 6, 1959, p. 33. Dowler Farm, Pleasant Park, and Stittsville.26Ottawa Journal, May 1, 1959, p. 47; Ottawa Journal, April 16, 1960, p. 32. The firm had also designed a garage on Bell Street, the hall for All Saints Anglican in Westboro,27”All Saints to Dedicate Church Hall,” Ottawa Journal, February 13, 1960, p. 38. the parish house for St. Aiden Church, Elmvale Acres,28”New Home For Anglican Parish,” Ottawa Journal, November 28, 1960, p. 3; “Start Work on New Parish House,” Ottawa Journal, January 22, 1960, p. 19. and a building for the Pontiac Rural Telephone Co. in Shawville, PQ.29Ottawa Journal, June 14, 1961, p. 51.
Some other designs that were part of the firm’s efforts during those years include St. Timothy’s Presbyterian on Alta-Vista (near Randall).30Ottawa Journal, April 11, 1959, p. 3; “Lays Cornerstone of St. Timothy’s,” Ottawa Journal, December 28, 1959, p. 3.
Mutual Life of Canada’s Ottawa office, located at 80 Argyle.31Ottawa Journal, June 8, 1959, p. 9. It was expropriated by the City of Ottawa in 1980 and demolished the following year to clear the way for the police station.32Ottawa Citizen, July 25, 1980, p. 41; “Tenders called,” Ottawa Citizen, July 23, 1981, p. 3.
Canadian Aero Services Headquarters, Uplands.33Ottawa Journal, October 6, 1960, p. 45; R.U. Mahaffy. “Business,” Ottawa Journal, October 8, 1960, p. 9. Canadian Aero Services was the Canadian branch of the Philadelphia-based Aero Services Corporation. It was purchased in 1973, along with Spartan Air Services, by the Calgary-based Kenting Aviation.34”Aerial Surveys Opening Vast Canadian Northland,” Ottawa Citizen, April 24, 1957, p. 3; James McCook. “Canada Financing Asian Air Survey,” Ottawa Journal, October 23, 1959, p. 7; “Air surveyors being sold to Calgary firm,” Ottawa Journal, November 4, 1972, p. 33; “Spartan Aero Sold,” Ottawa Journal, January 24, 1973, p. 10; R.U. Mahaffy. “Spartan Aero purchase does not include firm’s debts,” Ottawa Journal, January 25, 1973, p. 11.
Eastern Ontario Institute of Technology, now better known as Algonquin College.35Tom Kerr. “Speed New Technology Institute,” Ottawa Journal, March 7, 1961, p. 1; “Two New Schools Start This Year,” Ottawa Journal, August 2, 1961, p. 40; “All Happy On Sites Of Schools,” Ottawa Citizen, August 2, 1961, p. 7. The Rideau Campus, located off Lees Avenue was closed by the college in 2002 and is currently owned by the University of Ottawa, preserving so far the McLean and MacPhadyen design.36”Algonquin College to sell Rideau campus,” Ottawa Business Journal, May 14, 2001; CBC News. “U of Ottawa buys former landfill for new campus,” CBC Ottawa, January 9, 2007; Algonquin College Public Relations and Communications. “Algonquin College History“.
Wright Brothers Supply, Bank and Heron.37Charles Lynch. “Real Estate: Big Project at Hazeldean By Valley Land Development,” Ottawa Journal, September 16, 1961, p. 27. The family business does not seem to have made it into the 1980s.
At the beginning of 1961, the firm moved offices from 53 Queen Street (as on the map above), to 226 MacLaren.38Ottawa Journal, January 20, 1961, p. 12.
Craig, Madill, Abram & Ingleson
The firm of Craig, Madill, Abram & Ingleson was a large one based in Toronto. For projects in Ottawa, the man with the plans was Michael Kohler, later of Craig & Kohler. Around 1960, the local branch designed Bel-Air Park Intermediate School (J.H. Putman Public School),39”PS Board Asks $2,836,000 For Five Schools in 1960,” Ottawa Journal, October 2, 1959, p. 21; Ottawa Journal, December 17, 1959, p. 45., the St. Laurent Branch of the Ottawa Public Library,40”Library Board Studies Plans For New Branch,” Ottawa Journal, October 17, 1961, p. 24; Ottawa Journal, December 19, 1961, p. 44. and the delightful and inventive midcentury gem, Pinecrest Public School.41”Revolutionary Plan: Circular School for Ottawa?” Ottawa Journal, November 25, 1960, p. 2; Ottawa Journal, November 15, 1961, p. 41. Other projects include and expansion for Eastview High School,42”Approve $335,000 Addition For Eastview’s High School,” Ottawa Citizen, May 25, 1960, p. 32. and the Osgoode Public School restoration.43”Vacating Third Floors In Schools Under Study,” Ottawa Citizen, October 27, 1961, p. 30.
Just outside of the period of interest, Kohler also designed for the firm St. Richard’s Anglican Church, on Merivale at Withrow.44Ottawa Citizen, April 23, 1962, p. 9.
John Defries
John Defries designed St. Columba Anglican Church in Manor Park, on Sandridge.45Phillip Cooper. “Overcrowded Congregation Awaits Much-Needed Space For Breathing,” Ottawa Citizen, November 12, 1958, p. 7; “Start Next Week On New Church Manor Park,” Ottawa Journal, June 19, 1959, p. 40. He was also responsible for the design of the 1958 addition of a Christian Education Building to Glebe United Church.46Harry Bruce. “Planning Fine Addition To Glebe United Church,” Ottawa Journal, January 10, 1958, p. 4.
Peter Dickinson Associates
In 1960, it was only The Juliana at the corner of Bronson and Albert that was on Dickinson’s Ottawa plate. The design for Sam Berger’s luxury apartment was fundamentally Dickinson’s, but was completed by Douglass and Ross.
J. Albert Ewart
By 1960, the legendary and productive John Albert Ewart was retired.47Gen. Kennedy To Head New FDC,” Ottawa Journal, July 18, 1958, p. 1. He passed away in 1964 at 92 years.48”J.A. Ewart Architect Dies At 92,” Ottawa Journal, April 22, 1964, p. 9.
Yves Fortin
It does not appear to be the case that Yves Fortin was exceptionally busy in the early 1960s – at least not under his own name. In 1959, he was hired to design the 16 classroom Separate School, named St. Andrew’s, in Robert Campeau’s Bel-Air Park subdivision.49Ottawa Citizen, April 9, 1959, p. 36; Ottawa Citizen, February 23, 1956, p. 17. St. Andrew’s was declared surplus in the 1980s and closed. The building has since been used for a number of a private schools50Louise Crosby. “Ottawa Waldorf school emphasizes creative arts,” Ottawa Citizen, January 28, 1987, p. B3. and is today the Torah Academy.
Gilleland & Strutt
As is the case with many of Ottawa’s architects, Robert Smythe has the work of Gilleland and Strutt well covered: see Seven James Strutt Houses and Churches, The Jackson Building’s Many Lives, A Young James Strutt Face-Off With the Empire, Royal Trust, Royal Bank, and Uplands Airport.
Samuel A. Gitterman
Formerly with the CMHC and then currently in private practice and a director with the National Home Builders’ Association (NHBA), Sam Gitterman was kept busy in 1960.51For more about Gitterman and his career, see Ioana Teodorescu. Building Small Houses in Postwar Canada: Architects, Homeowners, and Bureaucratic Ideals, 1947-1974. Ph.D. Diss. McGill University, 2012. Aside from the Central Medical Building at the corner of Carling and Hinton avenues,52Ottawa Journal, March 19, 1960, p. 9. and housing for the Skead Brothers,53Ottawa Citizen, May 20, 1961, p. 35., he was also the supervising architect for the NHBA’s Research House, Mark III, located at Rockcliffe Air Base.54”Builders News: Get Government Grant For Housing Research,” Ottawa Journal, June 30, 1960, p. 11; H.B. Dickens. “Proposed Observations on the NHBA Mark III House, R.C.A.F. Station, Rockcliffe, Ontario,” National Research Council of Canada, Building Research Division, Technical Note, January 1962; Clayton Research Associates Ltd. and D.G. Wetherell and Associates Ltd. “Two Decades of Innovation in Housing Technology,” March 1994.
Gitterman’s biggest project during the time was, however, not architectural, but a town planning project: Glen Cairn (“Canada’s Centennial City”), a townsite development of Valley Land Development located just west of the Green Belt at Hazeldean.55In turn, Valley Land Development was a consortium of Ottawa builders, which included Assaly Construction, Armstrong Construction, Dale Construction, Kirk Builders, Douglas MacDonald Construction, Alvin Stewart Construction, A.B. Taylor Construction, Howard Thomas Construction, and Armstrong Cross and Company. It also included Michael Dixon, Sam Gitterman, Dan McSweeny, Roy Cuzner, and Ernest Meyers. See Charles Lynch. “Real Estate: Big Project at Hazeldean By Valley Land Development,” Ottawa Journal, September 16, 1961, p. 27; Charles Lynch. “Real Estate: Nepean Fastest Growing Area in Greater Ottawa,” Ottawa Journal, December 2, 1961, p. 27. Below is a small gallery of materials related to the development collected from Sam Gitterman’s collection at Library and Archives Canada.
Green, Blankstein, Russell & Associates
Green, Blankstein, Russell & Associates (GBR) set up in Ottawa for a good time (not a long time). The inventive Winnipeg-based firm’s design was selected in 1953 for the new National Gallery of Canada, though the Lorne Building was not it. In the midst of changing political winds, it was decided that the gallery would be set up in a temporary location that could be easily (and cheaply) converted back into the office building it was intended to be. For this project, GBR effectively tweaked/adapted/completed a concept design furnished by an unnamed Public Works architect. The Lorne Building was demolished in 2011 and replaced with the James Flaherty Building. For the complete story, see the following on URBSite: (1) Last Look at the Lorne Building, Part 1; (2) Last Look at the Lorne Building, Part 2; (3) 90 Elgin Street; (4) Those 1950s.
Charles Greenberg & Associates
Perhaps best known for his design for the Canada Pavilion at the 1958 World’s Fair in Belgium, Charles Greenberg did not seem to have a busy 1960. The only project he appears to have been credited with was the rendition of the Riverview Shopping Plaza above.56”Rideauview Centre New Concept In Ottawa Suburban Shopping,” Ottawa Journal, February 7, 1959, p. 14. It appears to be the case that he joined the British firm of Chamberlin, Powell and Bon, most famous for the Brutalist Barbican Estates. He remained in England and set up his own practice, designing a number of homes.57His death was reported in the Journal of the Royal Institute of British Architects, January 2007. He had become a member in 1957. Owing to the fact that I have yet to consult the full obituary, this may not be the case, but the evidence is otherwise strong. He also became known as an art collector. For more about Greenberg and his local works, see Robert Smythe’s article Fully Modern: Albert’s Meat Market (and a Bank).
Hazelgrove, Lithwick & Lambert
The firm named for Albert James Hazelgrove,58Who had passed away in 1958. Sidney Lithwick, and Martin James Lambert was an exceptionally busy one. As Robert Smythe has covered them extensively, I will note that the designs for Woodroffe, Hillcrest, and Brookfield High Schools, the Rideau branch of the Bank of Nova Scotia, and the Ogilvy expansion on Rideau Street all featured in the firm’s work in those years. For more information, see the following stories: Photographic Stores Limited, Some Late Hazelgrove, Early Lithwick Buildings, Fully Modern: Albert’s Meat Market (and a Bank), The Credit Bureau of Ottawa and Hull Building, The Diefenbaker Stones, Building Branch Banks, Forgotten Ottawa: Sir Alexander Campbell Building, Christ Church Cathedral Hall Remembered, Ottawa’s High School Architecture Mill, Triplet High, The Rideau + Ottawa Curling Clubs, Construction House / Ottawa Builders’ Exchange, and Dates, Names and Places.
John L. Kingston
By 1960, John Lyndhurst Kingston had already enjoyed a long and productive career, both in Ottawa and elsewhere. In 1959, he designed for the Public School Board, a school that was to be constructed in the Stevenson Farm subdivision. Reports of the location varied from Queensview Drive to Edgeworth Avenue. In the end, the Public School Board decided that the area’s growth was, in fact, too slow to warrant a new school. The bond was returned to the contractor, James More & Sons, and the project cancelled outright.59”Charge City Failed to Pave Elmvale Acres Streets,” Ottawa Journal, October 28, 1958, p. 19; “Dept of Education Gives Approval for Five Schools,” Ottawa Journal, September 29, 1959, p. 21; “PS Board Asks $2,836,000 For Five Schools in 1960,” Ottawa Journal, October 2, 1959, p. 21; Tom Kerr. “PS Board Charges City ‘Handcuffing’ Building Program,” Ottawa Journal, December 1, 1959, p. 5; “PS Board Irked By Delays,” Ottawa Journal, January 29, 1960, p. 5; Ottawa Journal, February 3, 1960, p. 31; “Queensview PS Ready in 10 Months,” Ottawa Journal, February 26, 1960, p. 24; “Compensation For Property Disputed,” Ottawa Journal, April 30, 1960, p. 5; “Shelve Stevenson Farm School: $100,000 Playroom For Churchill PS,” Ottawa Journal, October 28, 1960, p. 3; “Stevenson Farm: Slow Growth Shelves School,” Ottawa Journal, November 4, 1960, p. 3.
Jean-Serge LeFort
As was the case with so many of the city’s architects in 1960, Jean-Serge LeFort was busy. In addition to the expected schools, such as those on Quinlan Road,60”Let Contracts For 2 New SS,” Ottawa Journal, April 15, 1959, p. 5. Saunderson Road,61”New Separate Schools, Addition Plans Ready,” Ottawa Journal, March 28, 1959, p. 3. Main Street,62Ibid. St. Joseph’s High School,63”St. Joseph’s High School Blessing Draws Hundreds,” Ottawa Journal, June 1, 1959, p. 4., and those at Parkway and Copeland Parks.64Ottawa Journal, February 10, 1960, p. 38. LeFort was also behind the design of some larger educational projects, like the expansion wing for St. Patrick’s College (now Immaculata High School)65Ottawa Journal, March 4, 1960, p. 3; Nelson Skuce. “Bishop Windle Blesses St. Pat’s College Wing,” Ottawa Journal, January 30, 1961, p. 3. and the University of Ottawa’s southward expansion.66Ottawa Journal, June 3, 1961, p. 17. The Chemistry and Electrical Engineering buildings were opened in 195867”Officially Open University of Ottawa’s New Buildings,” Ottawa Citizen, December 6, 1958, pp. 15-17. and the Biology building opened in 1960.68Ottawa Citizen, February 22, 1960, p. 2.
LeFort was also the designer of Our Lady of Annunciation Church in Hull.69”Start New Hull Church in May,” Ottawa Journal, April 19, 1960, p. 16. Two fire stations, one on St. Laurent and one on Alta-Vista rounded out most of his production in those years.70”May Consolidate Fire Stations,” Ottawa Journal, February 10, 1960, p. 40.
Of all LeFort’s projects during the time, the National Research Council’s Communications Research Building that was the largest and my personal favourite.71Ottawa Journal, February 25, 1960, p. 7.
Auguste Martineau
My own favourite Auguste Martineau project from the time is the CJOH (CTV) station that was, until 2010, located at the junction of Merivale and Clyde avenues in City View (Nepean). The $750,000 building was not the most expensive part of Ernie Bushnell’s project: the broadcast equipment cost an additional $1,000,000. Johannsen Construction had the building ready for occupation by October.72Ottawa Journal, February 2, 1961, p. 21; Charles Lynch. “Real Estate: Minto Designing Four Outstanding Communities,” Ottawa Journal, February 25, 1961, p. 28; Fred Inglis. “CJOH Opens Amid ‘Hollywood Air’,” Ottawa Citizen, October 21, 1961, p. 3. After a serious fire of unknown origins in 2010,73For a post-fire tour, see CTV Ottawa. “Tour of Building After Fire,” broadcast March 12, 2010. For more of the station’s history, see CTV Ottawa. “CJOH 50th Anniversary Flashback,” broadcast March 10, 2011. the destroyed studio was demolished and operations were moved to the Market Media Mall.
Martineau’s other projects were a home for the Papal Delegate at 520 The Driveway,74”New Home for Papal Delegate,” Ottawa Journal, October 23, 1961, p. 4. schools on St. Laurent and Lousia streets,75”New East End SS For Sept.,” Ottawa Journal, January 15, 1959, p. 36; “New Separate Schools, Addition Plans Ready,” Ottawa Journal, March 28, 1959, p. 3. a college in East Hull,76”New College Being Built in East Hull,” Ottawa Citizen, March 1, 1961, p. 2. an addition to the Pius X Seminary on Fisher,77”Seminary Additions Start Soon,” Ottawa Citizen, April 22, 1961, p. 7. a member of Architects and Planners Collaborative that designed the Royal Trust Building,78Ottawa Citizen, July 6, 1961, p. 41. and a Bank of Montreal branch at Smyth and St. Laurent.79Charles Lynch. “Real Estate: Half of Hull Residents Own Their Homes,” Ottawa Journal, November 19, 1960, p. 27. Martineau was also in the process of developing plans for a new 500-bed hospital in 1960.80Tom Kerr. “Says Berger Read the Wrong Plan,” Ottawa Journal, June 7, 1960, pp. 1, 5.
Hart Massey
From his office at 33 Somerset West, Hart Massey was kept quite busy in 1960, though looking through the pages of the Journal, it might have been difficult to tell. Fresh off the award-winning design for Vincent Massey Park (named for his father, the sitting Governor General), Massey set to work and designed a home for himself in Rockcliffe Park.
Most of Massey’s time was spent, however, as a member of the Architectural Associates for Carleton University. Along with Watson Balharrie, John Bland, Campbell Merritt, and Eric Arthur, he was at the centre the design for Carleton’s then-new Rideau Campus.81For a detailed account, see Blair Neatby and Don McKeown. Creating Carleton: The Shaping of a University (Montreal: McGill-Queen’s University Press, 2002). For a short rundown of Carleton’s early campus, see “Five New Buildings To Be Constructed By The Fall Of 1962,” Ottawa Citizen, January 20, 1961, p. 13. Of Carleton’s buildings, Massey was named as the architect on Southam Hall, for which the first phase was completed in 1962. For the design, Massey received an award from the Ontario Association of Architects.82Carleton University Corporate Archives. Minutes of the 176th Meeting of the Board of Governors. June 23, 1966; Carleton University Corporate Archives. Minutes of the One-Hundred and Forty-Seventh Meeting of the Board of Governors. May 3, 1963; Carleton University Corporate Archives. Minutes of the One Hundred and Sixtieth Meeting of the Board of Governors. October 22, 1964; Carleton University Corporate Archives. Minutes of the 171st Meeting of the Board of Governors. December 9, 1965.
Basil Miska
Unlike many of Ottawa’s architects in 1960, the Winnipeg-born Basil Miska was not involved in the design of schools or church halls. Rather, he spent his time designing more commercial facilities, like the Glenwood Plaza Shopping Centre in Aylmer (at Belmont),83”Three-Stage $500,000 Project On Aylmer Road,” Ottawa Journal, March 19, 1959, p. 5; Paul M. Dunn. “$25,000,000 Aylmer Road Project,” Ottawa Citizen, April 3, 1959, p. 25. the Aladdin Lanes bowling alley in Overbrook,84Ottawa Citizen, September 2, 1961, pp. 10-11; Ottawa Journal, September 22, 1961, p. 18. and Lisgar Realty’s office building at 116 Lisgar in Centretown.85Ottawa Journal, May 30, 1961, p. 9; Ottawa Journal, July 11, 1961, p. 11.
Noffke & Ingram (and Sherriff)
The firm of Werner Noffke and Earle Ingram was joined by Norman D. Sherriff (see below) during the Fall of 1960.86Ottawa Journal, October 20, 1960, p. 8. Before he joined the firm as a partner, Noffke and Ingram had been commissioned to design a Home for the Aged in Manotick at the junction of the Rideau and Jock rivers (Carleton Lodge, since demolished and replaced),87”Approve Revised Plans For Home For Elderly,” Ottawa Journal, January 24, 1959, p. 3. an expansion for Fisher Heights Public School,88Ottawa Journal, April 7, 1960, p. 39. and adapted the existing plans for the new Ottawa Church of Christ to the Canadian climate.89”Opening New City Church,” Ottawa Journal, August 13, 1960, p. 28.
Sherriff partnered with the firm just as Noffke taken his retirement. Projects designed under the banner of Noffke, Ingram, and Sherriff include an addition to Bell’s Corners Public School,90Ottawa Journal, February 7, 1961, p. 32. an addition to Merivale Public School,91Ottawa Journal, March 10, 1961, p. 46., and a new township hall for Gloucester at Highway 31 (Bank) and Leitrim.92”$150,000 Town Hall,” Ottawa Journal, August 18, 1961, p. 3; Ottawa Journal, October 26, 1961, p. 46.
Norman D. Sherriff
The designer of the Lancaster Shopping Centre, Norman D. Sherriff, does not appear to have been busy in Ottawa during the early 1960s. The one commission that I have been able to locate for him during this time is the Riverview Park Baptist Church on Pleasant Park.93Ottawa Journal, September 13, 1960, p. 34. In the Fall of 1960, joined the firm of Noffke and Ingram (see above) as a partner.94Ottawa Journal, October 20, 1960, p. 8. By 1962, he had departed for the prairie skies of Red Deer, where he served as the branch manager for Stevenson, Raines and Partners, the supervising architect for a number of public buildings (including the Centennial Library and Red Deer College), and on the board of the Red Deer Housing Authority.95Obituary for Norman Sherriff, McInnis & Holloway Funeral Homes, October 2004; Red Deer Public Library, Annual Report, 1968.
Wallace C. Sproule
Between 1959 and 1961 Wallace Sproule was responsible for the design of a pavilion for Mooney’s Bay Park96The design above does not appear to be similar to the one that was eventually constructed. Burns Stewart. “Year-Round Sport Haven Plan for Mooney’s Bay,” Ottawa Journal, February 7, 1959, p. 4. and a small two room addition to the Separate School at Blackburn Hamlet.97Ottawa Journal, June 4, 1960, p. 30.
Olgierd Tarnowski
Olgierd Tarnowski spent largely spent 1960 working for Thomas Assaly on two projects: the Lexington Apartments on Riverdale Avenue98”On Riverdale Ave: $850,000 Apartment To Get Swimming Pool,” Ottawa Journal, April 25, 1959, p. 17. and the unbuilt-as-proposed three tower apartment complex at Lincoln Heights.99Charles Lynch. “Real Estate: Revision of Ottawa Zoning Sought,” Ottawa Journal, August 27, 1960, p. 28; Ottawa Journal, December 7, 1960, p. 4.
Roger Thibault
As is the case with a number of firms, Roger Thibault was kept busy between 1959 and 1961 designing schools. Over that three year span, Thibault designed a school to be constructed at Laperriere and Larose,100Ottawa Journal, February 16, 1959, p. 28. an addition to Ste-Trinité in Rockland,101Ottawa Journal, July 30, 1959, p. 25. a small four-room school in Richmond,102Ottawa Journal, April 30, 1960, p. 34. a Catholic school in the Urbandale subivision off St. Laurent,103Ottawa Journal, November 13, 1961, p. 4., and another on Heron Road, near Alta-Vista (pictured below).104Ottawa Citizen, March 30, 1959, p. 10; Ottawa Citizen, November 27, 1959, p. 24.
Should that not have been enough, Thibault also designed a number of churches in those years, including Resurrection of our Lord in Riverview Park,105Ottawa Journal, August 23, 1960, p. 7. St. Sebastien Church on Frances Street in Overbrook,106Ottawa Journal, October 22, 1960, p. 2; Ottawa Citizen, October 20, 1960, p. 31. and Maria Goretti Roman Catholic Church in Gatineau.107”Sod Turned for Church in Gatineau,” Ottawa Journal, September 12, 1961, p. 4.
Of course, Thibault wasn’t limited to schools and churches, he also managed to design the Motel de Ville, now known as the Concorde, on Montreal Road.108Ottawa Journal, May 14, 1960, pp. 14, 15.
Finally, in collaboration with Timothy Murray (who had been working with George Bemi), Thibault designed the campus for the University of Ottawa High School, now the Lycée Claudel.109Ronald Grantham. “First Campus Style High School Planned By Ottawa University,” Ottawa Citizen, November 11, 1961, p. 3; “Campus Style High School for Ottawa U,” Ottawa Journal, November 11, 1961, pp. 1, 21.
Notes
↥1 | Le Droit’s building was completed in 1955. See “Lay Cornerstone For New Le Droit Building On Rideau,” Ottawa Journal, August 4, 1954, p. 16; “Le Droit Starts Publication In New Building,” Ottawa Journal, January 5, 1955, p. 3; Ottawa Journal, May 10, 1955, p. 4. |
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↥2 | Henry Morin passed away in 1958. |
↥3 | Burns Stewart. “Ottawa Men Cautious About Mall,” Ottawa Journal, September 4, 1959, pp. 1, 5; “Kalamazoo Reaps Mall Tax Harvest,” Ottawa Journal, November 4, 1960, p. 3; “Asking New Mall Trial,” Ottawa Journal, December 30, 1960, p. 1; Ottawa Journal, December 31, 1960, p. 7. |
↥4 | Or “Judy’s Tower” for Judy LaMarsh, the Minister of National Health and Welfare when it was completed. |
↥5 | Richard Jackson. “Hill Talk,” Ottawa Journal, April 30, 1960, p. 21. |
↥6 | ”Look Ma! No Windows!” Ottawa Journal, August 22, 1959, p. 34. |
↥7 | ”Ottawa Briefs,” Ottawa Journal, July 9, 1960, p. 3. |
↥8 | ”Bishop To Turn Sod For New Church Hall,” Ottawa Journal, June 21, 1960, p. 30. |
↥9 | ”Lansdowne Stand Goes to Board,” Ottawa Journal, November 23, 1960, p. 1. |
↥10 | For context, see Andrew M. Waldron. Irving Grossman, 1954-1964: A Young Architect’s Response within Modernism. MA Thesis (Carleton University, 1988). |
↥11 | ”Boy Scouts HQ $750,000,” Ottawa Journal, January 17, 1959, p. 17; “Massey Lays Stone At Scout Headquarters,” Ottawa Journal, September 24, 1960, p. 3; Stuart Anderson. “Scoutings New $850,000 Home Opened By Vanier,” Ottawa Journal, January 27, 1961, p. 25. |
↥12 | Ottawa Journal, November 9, 1957, pp. 36-7. |
↥13 | ”Give Approval To First Round Church,” Ottawa Journal, September 23, 1959, p. 23; “Bless Ottawa’s First Round Church Tonight,” Ottawa Journal, June 14, 1961, p. 3. |
↥14 | Ottawa Journal, October 15, 1960, p. 17. |
↥15 | ”Builder One Step Ahead of Zoners,” Ottawa Citizen, June 24, 1958, p. 7; Ottawa Journal, February 3, 1959, p. 13; Ottawa Journal, November 16, 1959, p. 16. |
↥16 | Cecil Burgess passed away in 1956, but as was custom, his name remained attached to the firm until much later. |
↥17 | ”PS Board Asks $2,836,000 For Five Schools in 1960,” Ottawa Journal, October 2, 1959, p. 21; Ottawa Journal, October 5, 1959, p. 27. |
↥18 | ”PS Board Asks $2,836,000 For Five Schools in 1960,” Ottawa Journal, October 2, 1959, p. 21. |
↥19 | Ottawa Journal, October 29, 1960, p. 30; Ottawa Journal, August 8, 1961, p. 33. |
↥20 | Ottawa Journal, August 25, 1960, p. 31. |
↥21 | Ottawa Journal, June 28, 1961, p. 51. |
↥22 | Ottawa Journal, June 29, 1961, p. 40. |
↥23 | Ottawa Journal, December 13, 1961, p. 3. |
↥24 | ”Britannia Plan Before Presbytery,” Ottawa Citizen, April 21, 1961, p. 7. |
↥25 | Ottawa Citizen, July 6, 1959, p. 33. |
↥26 | Ottawa Journal, May 1, 1959, p. 47; Ottawa Journal, April 16, 1960, p. 32. |
↥27 | ”All Saints to Dedicate Church Hall,” Ottawa Journal, February 13, 1960, p. 38. |
↥28 | ”New Home For Anglican Parish,” Ottawa Journal, November 28, 1960, p. 3; “Start Work on New Parish House,” Ottawa Journal, January 22, 1960, p. 19. |
↥29 | Ottawa Journal, June 14, 1961, p. 51. |
↥30 | Ottawa Journal, April 11, 1959, p. 3; “Lays Cornerstone of St. Timothy’s,” Ottawa Journal, December 28, 1959, p. 3. |
↥31 | Ottawa Journal, June 8, 1959, p. 9. |
↥32 | Ottawa Citizen, July 25, 1980, p. 41; “Tenders called,” Ottawa Citizen, July 23, 1981, p. 3. |
↥33 | Ottawa Journal, October 6, 1960, p. 45; R.U. Mahaffy. “Business,” Ottawa Journal, October 8, 1960, p. 9. |
↥34 | ”Aerial Surveys Opening Vast Canadian Northland,” Ottawa Citizen, April 24, 1957, p. 3; James McCook. “Canada Financing Asian Air Survey,” Ottawa Journal, October 23, 1959, p. 7; “Air surveyors being sold to Calgary firm,” Ottawa Journal, November 4, 1972, p. 33; “Spartan Aero Sold,” Ottawa Journal, January 24, 1973, p. 10; R.U. Mahaffy. “Spartan Aero purchase does not include firm’s debts,” Ottawa Journal, January 25, 1973, p. 11. |
↥35 | Tom Kerr. “Speed New Technology Institute,” Ottawa Journal, March 7, 1961, p. 1; “Two New Schools Start This Year,” Ottawa Journal, August 2, 1961, p. 40; “All Happy On Sites Of Schools,” Ottawa Citizen, August 2, 1961, p. 7. |
↥36 | ”Algonquin College to sell Rideau campus,” Ottawa Business Journal, May 14, 2001; CBC News. “U of Ottawa buys former landfill for new campus,” CBC Ottawa, January 9, 2007; Algonquin College Public Relations and Communications. “Algonquin College History“. |
↥37 | Charles Lynch. “Real Estate: Big Project at Hazeldean By Valley Land Development,” Ottawa Journal, September 16, 1961, p. 27. |
↥38 | Ottawa Journal, January 20, 1961, p. 12. |
↥39 | ”PS Board Asks $2,836,000 For Five Schools in 1960,” Ottawa Journal, October 2, 1959, p. 21; Ottawa Journal, December 17, 1959, p. 45. |
↥40 | ”Library Board Studies Plans For New Branch,” Ottawa Journal, October 17, 1961, p. 24; Ottawa Journal, December 19, 1961, p. 44. |
↥41 | ”Revolutionary Plan: Circular School for Ottawa?” Ottawa Journal, November 25, 1960, p. 2; Ottawa Journal, November 15, 1961, p. 41. |
↥42 | ”Approve $335,000 Addition For Eastview’s High School,” Ottawa Citizen, May 25, 1960, p. 32. |
↥43 | ”Vacating Third Floors In Schools Under Study,” Ottawa Citizen, October 27, 1961, p. 30. |
↥44 | Ottawa Citizen, April 23, 1962, p. 9. |
↥45 | Phillip Cooper. “Overcrowded Congregation Awaits Much-Needed Space For Breathing,” Ottawa Citizen, November 12, 1958, p. 7; “Start Next Week On New Church Manor Park,” Ottawa Journal, June 19, 1959, p. 40. |
↥46 | Harry Bruce. “Planning Fine Addition To Glebe United Church,” Ottawa Journal, January 10, 1958, p. 4. |
↥47 | Gen. Kennedy To Head New FDC,” Ottawa Journal, July 18, 1958, p. 1. |
↥48 | ”J.A. Ewart Architect Dies At 92,” Ottawa Journal, April 22, 1964, p. 9. |
↥49 | Ottawa Citizen, April 9, 1959, p. 36; Ottawa Citizen, February 23, 1956, p. 17. |
↥50 | Louise Crosby. “Ottawa Waldorf school emphasizes creative arts,” Ottawa Citizen, January 28, 1987, p. B3. |
↥51 | For more about Gitterman and his career, see Ioana Teodorescu. Building Small Houses in Postwar Canada: Architects, Homeowners, and Bureaucratic Ideals, 1947-1974. Ph.D. Diss. McGill University, 2012. |
↥52 | Ottawa Journal, March 19, 1960, p. 9. |
↥53 | Ottawa Citizen, May 20, 1961, p. 35. |
↥54 | ”Builders News: Get Government Grant For Housing Research,” Ottawa Journal, June 30, 1960, p. 11; H.B. Dickens. “Proposed Observations on the NHBA Mark III House, R.C.A.F. Station, Rockcliffe, Ontario,” National Research Council of Canada, Building Research Division, Technical Note, January 1962; Clayton Research Associates Ltd. and D.G. Wetherell and Associates Ltd. “Two Decades of Innovation in Housing Technology,” March 1994. |
↥55 | In turn, Valley Land Development was a consortium of Ottawa builders, which included Assaly Construction, Armstrong Construction, Dale Construction, Kirk Builders, Douglas MacDonald Construction, Alvin Stewart Construction, A.B. Taylor Construction, Howard Thomas Construction, and Armstrong Cross and Company. It also included Michael Dixon, Sam Gitterman, Dan McSweeny, Roy Cuzner, and Ernest Meyers. See Charles Lynch. “Real Estate: Big Project at Hazeldean By Valley Land Development,” Ottawa Journal, September 16, 1961, p. 27; Charles Lynch. “Real Estate: Nepean Fastest Growing Area in Greater Ottawa,” Ottawa Journal, December 2, 1961, p. 27. |
↥56 | ”Rideauview Centre New Concept In Ottawa Suburban Shopping,” Ottawa Journal, February 7, 1959, p. 14. |
↥57 | His death was reported in the Journal of the Royal Institute of British Architects, January 2007. He had become a member in 1957. Owing to the fact that I have yet to consult the full obituary, this may not be the case, but the evidence is otherwise strong. |
↥58 | Who had passed away in 1958. |
↥59 | ”Charge City Failed to Pave Elmvale Acres Streets,” Ottawa Journal, October 28, 1958, p. 19; “Dept of Education Gives Approval for Five Schools,” Ottawa Journal, September 29, 1959, p. 21; “PS Board Asks $2,836,000 For Five Schools in 1960,” Ottawa Journal, October 2, 1959, p. 21; Tom Kerr. “PS Board Charges City ‘Handcuffing’ Building Program,” Ottawa Journal, December 1, 1959, p. 5; “PS Board Irked By Delays,” Ottawa Journal, January 29, 1960, p. 5; Ottawa Journal, February 3, 1960, p. 31; “Queensview PS Ready in 10 Months,” Ottawa Journal, February 26, 1960, p. 24; “Compensation For Property Disputed,” Ottawa Journal, April 30, 1960, p. 5; “Shelve Stevenson Farm School: $100,000 Playroom For Churchill PS,” Ottawa Journal, October 28, 1960, p. 3; “Stevenson Farm: Slow Growth Shelves School,” Ottawa Journal, November 4, 1960, p. 3. |
↥60 | ”Let Contracts For 2 New SS,” Ottawa Journal, April 15, 1959, p. 5. |
↥61 | ”New Separate Schools, Addition Plans Ready,” Ottawa Journal, March 28, 1959, p. 3. |
↥62 | Ibid. |
↥63 | ”St. Joseph’s High School Blessing Draws Hundreds,” Ottawa Journal, June 1, 1959, p. 4. |
↥64 | Ottawa Journal, February 10, 1960, p. 38. |
↥65 | Ottawa Journal, March 4, 1960, p. 3; Nelson Skuce. “Bishop Windle Blesses St. Pat’s College Wing,” Ottawa Journal, January 30, 1961, p. 3. |
↥66 | Ottawa Journal, June 3, 1961, p. 17. |
↥67 | ”Officially Open University of Ottawa’s New Buildings,” Ottawa Citizen, December 6, 1958, pp. 15-17. |
↥68 | Ottawa Citizen, February 22, 1960, p. 2. |
↥69 | ”Start New Hull Church in May,” Ottawa Journal, April 19, 1960, p. 16. |
↥70 | ”May Consolidate Fire Stations,” Ottawa Journal, February 10, 1960, p. 40. |
↥71 | Ottawa Journal, February 25, 1960, p. 7. |
↥72 | Ottawa Journal, February 2, 1961, p. 21; Charles Lynch. “Real Estate: Minto Designing Four Outstanding Communities,” Ottawa Journal, February 25, 1961, p. 28; Fred Inglis. “CJOH Opens Amid ‘Hollywood Air’,” Ottawa Citizen, October 21, 1961, p. 3. |
↥73 | For a post-fire tour, see CTV Ottawa. “Tour of Building After Fire,” broadcast March 12, 2010. For more of the station’s history, see CTV Ottawa. “CJOH 50th Anniversary Flashback,” broadcast March 10, 2011. |
↥74 | ”New Home for Papal Delegate,” Ottawa Journal, October 23, 1961, p. 4. |
↥75 | ”New East End SS For Sept.,” Ottawa Journal, January 15, 1959, p. 36; “New Separate Schools, Addition Plans Ready,” Ottawa Journal, March 28, 1959, p. 3. |
↥76 | ”New College Being Built in East Hull,” Ottawa Citizen, March 1, 1961, p. 2. |
↥77 | ”Seminary Additions Start Soon,” Ottawa Citizen, April 22, 1961, p. 7. |
↥78 | Ottawa Citizen, July 6, 1961, p. 41. |
↥79 | Charles Lynch. “Real Estate: Half of Hull Residents Own Their Homes,” Ottawa Journal, November 19, 1960, p. 27. |
↥80 | Tom Kerr. “Says Berger Read the Wrong Plan,” Ottawa Journal, June 7, 1960, pp. 1, 5. |
↥81 | For a detailed account, see Blair Neatby and Don McKeown. Creating Carleton: The Shaping of a University (Montreal: McGill-Queen’s University Press, 2002). For a short rundown of Carleton’s early campus, see “Five New Buildings To Be Constructed By The Fall Of 1962,” Ottawa Citizen, January 20, 1961, p. 13. |
↥82 | Carleton University Corporate Archives. Minutes of the 176th Meeting of the Board of Governors. June 23, 1966; Carleton University Corporate Archives. Minutes of the One-Hundred and Forty-Seventh Meeting of the Board of Governors. May 3, 1963; Carleton University Corporate Archives. Minutes of the One Hundred and Sixtieth Meeting of the Board of Governors. October 22, 1964; Carleton University Corporate Archives. Minutes of the 171st Meeting of the Board of Governors. December 9, 1965. |
↥83 | ”Three-Stage $500,000 Project On Aylmer Road,” Ottawa Journal, March 19, 1959, p. 5; Paul M. Dunn. “$25,000,000 Aylmer Road Project,” Ottawa Citizen, April 3, 1959, p. 25. |
↥84 | Ottawa Citizen, September 2, 1961, pp. 10-11; Ottawa Journal, September 22, 1961, p. 18. |
↥85 | Ottawa Journal, May 30, 1961, p. 9; Ottawa Journal, July 11, 1961, p. 11. |
↥86 | Ottawa Journal, October 20, 1960, p. 8. |
↥87 | ”Approve Revised Plans For Home For Elderly,” Ottawa Journal, January 24, 1959, p. 3. |
↥88 | Ottawa Journal, April 7, 1960, p. 39. |
↥89 | ”Opening New City Church,” Ottawa Journal, August 13, 1960, p. 28. |
↥90 | Ottawa Journal, February 7, 1961, p. 32. |
↥91 | Ottawa Journal, March 10, 1961, p. 46. |
↥92 | ”$150,000 Town Hall,” Ottawa Journal, August 18, 1961, p. 3; Ottawa Journal, October 26, 1961, p. 46. |
↥93 | Ottawa Journal, September 13, 1960, p. 34. |
↥94 | Ottawa Journal, October 20, 1960, p. 8. |
↥95 | Obituary for Norman Sherriff, McInnis & Holloway Funeral Homes, October 2004; Red Deer Public Library, Annual Report, 1968. |
↥96 | The design above does not appear to be similar to the one that was eventually constructed. Burns Stewart. “Year-Round Sport Haven Plan for Mooney’s Bay,” Ottawa Journal, February 7, 1959, p. 4. |
↥97 | Ottawa Journal, June 4, 1960, p. 30. |
↥98 | ”On Riverdale Ave: $850,000 Apartment To Get Swimming Pool,” Ottawa Journal, April 25, 1959, p. 17. |
↥99 | Charles Lynch. “Real Estate: Revision of Ottawa Zoning Sought,” Ottawa Journal, August 27, 1960, p. 28; Ottawa Journal, December 7, 1960, p. 4. |
↥100 | Ottawa Journal, February 16, 1959, p. 28. |
↥101 | Ottawa Journal, July 30, 1959, p. 25. |
↥102 | Ottawa Journal, April 30, 1960, p. 34. |
↥103 | Ottawa Journal, November 13, 1961, p. 4. |
↥104 | Ottawa Citizen, March 30, 1959, p. 10; Ottawa Citizen, November 27, 1959, p. 24. |
↥105 | Ottawa Journal, August 23, 1960, p. 7. |
↥106 | Ottawa Journal, October 22, 1960, p. 2; Ottawa Citizen, October 20, 1960, p. 31. |
↥107 | ”Sod Turned for Church in Gatineau,” Ottawa Journal, September 12, 1961, p. 4. |
↥108 | Ottawa Journal, May 14, 1960, pp. 14, 15. |
↥109 | Ronald Grantham. “First Campus Style High School Planned By Ottawa University,” Ottawa Citizen, November 11, 1961, p. 3; “Campus Style High School for Ottawa U,” Ottawa Journal, November 11, 1961, pp. 1, 21. |