Ernest J. Smith
Ernest Smith | |
---|---|
Born | Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada | 17 December 1919
Died | 22 October 2004 The Pas, Manitoba, Canada | (aged 84)
Alma mater | University of Manitoba |
Occupation | Architect |
Spouse | Marjorie Smith |
Children | 3 |
Awards | RAIC Gold Medal |
Buildings |
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Ernest John Smith RCA[1] was a Canadian architect.
Both he and his partner Dennis Carter, with whom he founded Smith Carter, were, according to Jeffrey Thorsteinson, among several "significant modern architects" who graduated from the University of Manitoba's architecture program prior to 1946,[2] and who were "vital to the rise of a notable regional strain of Canadian architecture" referred to as Manitoba modernism.[3]
Architectural historian Kelly Crossman remarks that in the 1950s Manitoba architectural firms "consistently ranked among the best in the country" and that the provincial capitol Winnipeg "played a significant role as an early centre of architectural modernism in Canada",[4] identifying Smith Carter as one of two "especially" important Winnipeg design firms.[5] Their work included "major projects, public and private."[6] One of the most "prolific and influential" design firms in Winnipeg,[7] they earned a reputation in the 1950s and 1960s for "slick, understated, lucid, refined and experimental architecture keyed directly into site and landscape"[8] which "changed the urban character" of the city.[6]
Early life and education
Ernest Smith was born on 17 December 1919 in Winnipeg, and grew up in the neighbourhood of Wolseley, on Aubrey Street.[1]
Smith studied architecture at the University of Manitoba, described as "notably progressive" at the time.[9] He won the Royal Architectural Institute of Canada Gold Medal, and a postgraduate fellowship to attend the MIT, where he earned a Master of Architecture degree.[9] While at MIT, Smith became interested in large project planning and housing developments, attending seminars by "leading experts in the field," including Catherine Bauer Wurster and Charles Abrams.[10] Smith finished his thesis in September 1947 and came home to honour a commitment he made with fellow alumni Dennis Carter (another RAIC Gold Medal winner) and Walter Katelnikoff that they three would start their own firm upon his return to Winnipeg.[9]
Career
Foundation (1947–1959)
The business partnership was initially formed as Smith Carter Katelnikoff with offices on 289½ Garry Street. At the same time, the firm grew on the strength of commissions for large schools in rural
In the 1950s, as the firm's commissions grew, attention was increasingly paid to interiors and the selection of materials suitable for the local culture and climate.
Westworth United Church
Westworth United Church features a finely wrought modernist architectural vocabulary. Well-considered proportions, materials, and such details as the projecting decorative brick cross-pattern on the east wall make this a noteworthy ensemble. Architectural thought was even extended to the diminutive original church signage, which is framed in brick.
Winnipeg Architecture Foundation[16]
One of Smith's personally significant projects from this period is Westworth United Church (1958–1959), consisting of two major additions to an education building (a gymnasium)
Scaling up (1959–1985)
The design and construction of the University of Manitoba's School of Architecture (1958–1959) won the firm a Massey Medal.[11]
Smith Carter were Massey Medal finalists for the Monarch Life Building (1959–1963; since 1999, the Workers Compensation Board of Manitoba Building), described as a "paragon of modernist order and dignity".[11] The design team, led by Carter, sought to express "the bold confidence and security of the corporation, its concern for its clients and employees, as well as its commitment to the economic development of the city of Winnipeg."[18]
Transformation of Portage and Main
During the 1960s and 1970s, Smith served in a number of industry association senior positions, including president of the Manitoba Association of Architects (1956–1961) and chairman of the National Joint Committee on Construction Materials (1963–1965).[6] He was dean of the College of Fellows of the RAIC from 1972 to 1975, and chancellor of the RAIC itself in 1979.[6]
Throughout the 1960s, the City of Winnipeg conducted transport studies which led to a rethinking of traffic flow through
For a few years during this period (1969 to 1971), Smith Carter merged with Parkin Architects, thereby becoming, briefly, "the largest architectural and engineering concern in the country and the tenth largest in the world."[22]
Canadian Grain Commission Building
Smith was the principal architect of the Grain Commission building.[23] Smith remarked on the challenges involved:
Mixing two different functions in a vertical building is difficult. Normally construction would be separated horizontally. In this case, we worked out two separate modules for offices and lab space, [and] found we needed greater depth in the lab and rationalised the present form.[23]
The firm recommended a large scale exterior sculpture for the building, notifying
The work proved controversial after its installation in late 1975, with Earl Baxter, chairman of the Board of Grain Commissioners, leading a campaign in protest shortly after its unveiling, and by July 1978, they had prevailed: the work was dismantled
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/5f/Woodsworth_Building_-_panoramio.jpg/325px-Woodsworth_Building_-_panoramio.jpg)
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/19/Pink_sunlight_%28300363616%29.jpg/325px-Pink_sunlight_%28300363616%29.jpg)
Woodsworth Building
Built for the Manitoba government between 1973 and 1976, the Woodsworth building is named after CCF reformer J.S. Wordsworth, a bust of whom, sculpted by Leo Mol, stands on the main floor.[27] There is colourful artwork by Bruce Head, contrasting with the steel and glass of the building.[27]
Designed to be fifteen storeys, there was a civic debate over its height, and the final two storeys were not built until 1976.[27] There was also considerable criticism when the skywalk to the Law Courts Building was constructed in 1974. Smith's original plan was for a tunnel, but the skywalk was chosen as the cheaper alternative.[27]
International work
Smith was said to have been proudest of the firm's work shaping the Winnipeg skyline and of their work abroad, such the Kermanshah Technical Training Centre in Iran,
Apex and final stages
Smith retired in 1985 and moved into a retirement home he designed himself,
Alongside Dennis Carter, his business partner of thirty-eight years, Ernest Smith was awarded an honorary life membership from the Manitoba Association of Architects in 2000.[13]
Other pursuits and community activism
A supporter of the arts, Smith was a member of the Winnipeg Art Gallery, the Council of the Royal Canadian Academy of Arts, co-chairman of the Fine Arts Committee for the Centennial Cultural Centre, and the board of the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra, of which he was president from 1969 to 1971.[1]
Personal life
Smith residence
When his daughters Lynda and Emily were five years old and one year old respectively,
The general plan, a strict rectangle with a central core appendage for entry along with a breezeway and garage on the north side of the house, keeps day- and night-time activities separate.[32] Smith's design allowed the site to be kept at the natural grade: the main entry to the house's upper level is approached by a bridge, while the lower level plan is "at grade, which allows a ramped approach to the garage and garden access at the rear from the family room by sliding glass doors."[34] The ground level entry also eliminated the need for outside steps, which in Winnipeg must be kept clear of snow and ice in winter, the house levels split at this entry point into the upper level (living areas) and lower level (sewing, workshop and heating).[32] Since the house is raised out of the ground, the lower level attains good light from an adequate depth of window.[32]
Hillside Beach retirement home
Smith spent summers on
Death
Smith died on 22 October 2004. His memorial service took place at Westworth United Church,[1] which he designed during the firm's early years.[16]
Professional affiliations
- Royal Architectural Institute of Canada • Fellow (1963) • Dean (1973–75) • Chancellor (1980–82)[35]
- Royal Canadian Academy of Arts • Council Member
- Manitoba Association of Architects • President (1953–54, 1956–1961) • Life Member (2000)
Select publications
- (with John A. Russell) "School of Architecture, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg." Royal Architectural Institute of Canada Journal 37 (8) (August 1960): 317–328.
Notes
- ^ Among others: École Varennes, École Marion, Norwood Collegiate Institute (since replaced by Nelson McIntyre Collegiate), Glenlawn Collegiate, Silver Heights Junior High (now Silver Heights Collegiate), and Hampstead School.[13][11][12][14]
- Manitoba Theatre Centre, which was built by the Number Ten firm of architects.
References
- ^ The Winnipeg Free Press. 27 October 2004. Retrieved 25 November 2019.
- ^ Thorsteinson, Jeffrey (2019). "A forgotten figure: Milton S. Osborne and the history of Modern architecture in Manitoba". In SSAC, [Society for the Study of Architecture in Canada] (ed.). Heritage, Diversity, and Belonging: 45th Annual Conference Halifax, NS May 28–31, 2019 (abstract). Dalhousie Architectural Press. p. 14. Retrieved 21 July 2019.
A number of significant modern architects graduated from the University of Manitoba's architecture program prior to 1946, among them Harry Seidler, John C. Parkin, Douglas C. Simpson, Harold Semmens, James Donahue, Ernest Smith, and Dennis Carter.
- ^ Thorsteinson, Jeffrey (2015). "Two forgotten figures: Arthur A. Stoughton, Milton S. Osborne and the University of Manitoba School of Architecture". Network (2015). Retrieved 24 July 2019.
- ^ Crossman, Kelly (1999). "North by Northwest: Manitoba Modernism, c. 1950" (PDF). Journal of the Society for the Study of Architecture in Canada. 24 (2): 61–69. Retrieved 24 July 2019.
- ^ Crossman, Kelly (7 February 2006). "Architectural History: 1914-1967". The Canadian Encyclopedia. Retrieved 18 July 2019.
- ^ a b c d e f g Thompson, William P. "Ernest John Smith". The Canadian Encyclopedia. Retrieved 7 July 2019.
- ^ a b Peterson, M. (January 2018). 83 DAFOE ROAD: JOHN A. RUSSELL BUILDING (ARCHITECTURE) – UNIVERSITY OF MANITOBA (PDF). [Winnipeg, Man.]: City of Winnipeg Historical Buildings Committee. p. [9]. Retrieved 11 July 2019.
- ^ Enns, Herb (1 September 2004). "Brave New World". Canadian Architect. Retrieved 18 July 2019.
- ^ Winnipeg Foundation. Retrieved 14 March 2019.
- ^ a b "Ernest John Smith". Winnipeg Architecture Foundation. Retrieved 20 November 2019.
- ^ a b c d "Smith Carter". winnipegarchitecture.ca. Winnipeg Architecture Foundation. Retrieved 10 July 2019.
- ^ a b "Walter Katelnikoff". winnipegarchitecture.ca. Winnipeg Architecture Foundation. Retrieved 11 July 2019.
- ^ a b c "Dennis Carter". winnipegarchitecture.ca. Winnipeg Architecture Foundation. Retrieved 7 July 2019.
- ^ Kramer, Nathan. "Historic Sites of Manitoba: Hampstead School (920 Hampstead Avenue, Winnipeg)". mhs.mb.ca. Manitoba Historical Society. Retrieved 18 July 2019.
- ^ a b c d Dziedzielko, Aldona (2006). "Biographies of Manitoba architects and designers, 1945-1975". In Keshavjee, Serena (ed.). Winnipeg Modern: Architecture 1945-1975 (e-book). [Winnipeg]: University of Manitoba Press. pp. [245]-256.
Smith, Carter, Munn; Smith, Carter, Searle, and Associates; Smith, Carter, and Parkin.
- ^ a b c d e "Westworth United Church". Winnipeg Architecture Foundation. Retrieved 27 November 2019.
- ^ Graham, John W. (1960). Winnipeg Architecture: the Red River Settlement, 1831-1960 (A Guide to the Architecture of Greater Winnipeg) (PDF). Winnipeg: The University of Manitoba Press. p. 41. Retrieved 13 December 2019.
- ISBN 9780987809360. Retrieved 10 July 2019.)
{{cite book}}
: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link - ^ "Portage and Main circus". winnipegarchitecture.ca. Winnipeg Architecture Foundation. Retrieved 25 July 2019.
- ^ a b "[Richardson Building]". winnipegarchitecture.ca. Winnipeg Architecture Foundation. Retrieved 11 July 2019.
- ^ "Trizec Building; Commodity Exchange Tower". winnipegarchitecture.ca. Winnipeg Architecture Foundation. Retrieved 25 July 2019.
- ^ Burley, David (2006). "Winnipeg's landscape of Modernity, 1945-1975". In Keshavjee, Serena (ed.). Winnipeg Modern: Architecture 1945 to 1975 (e-book). [Winnipeg]: University of Manitoba Press. pp. [29]-85.
- ^ a b c d "[303 Main Street]". Winnipeg Architecture Foundation. Retrieved 16 December 2019.
- ^ Perry, Gail (2014). "Speaking of Winnipeg Brutalism = Le brutalisme à Winnipeg" (PDF). Heritage = Héritage (in English and French). XVII (2): 18–21. Retrieved 19 December 2019.
- ^ a b c d e Anderson-Dolcini, Catherine (29 November 2000). One-percent for Whom? Canada's Public Works Fine Art Programme, 1964-1978: Its Rise and Demise (PDF). Ottawa: Carleton University. Retrieved 27 November 2019.
- ^ a b c White, Ed (15 May 1997). "Homage to wheat dragged out, dusted off, pieced together". The Western Producer. Retrieved 18 December 2019.
- ^ a b c d "Woodsworth Buiilding". Winnipeg Architecture Foundation. Retrieved 14 March 2020.
- ^ "A New Life". Canadian Architect. 1 November 2003. Retrieved 10 July 2019.
- ^ ISBN 0968231004.
- ^ a b Pooley, Erin (24 April 2006). "The bug lab boom: Canadian design". Canadian Business. Retrieved 11 July 2019.
- ^ Tennenhouse, Erica (2008). "Risky business: building, managing, and working in high contaiment laboratories" (PDF). Lab Business (Fall 2008): 24–27. Retrieved 19 July 2019.
- ^ a b c d "House of Mr Ernest J. Smith, Architect, Winnipeg" (PDF). RAIC Journal. August 1956. Retrieved 14 February 2020.
- ^ "[904 Kildonan Drive]". Winnipeg Architecture Foundation. Retrieved 23 December 2019.
- ^ "Smith residence" (PDF). Royal Architectural Institute of Canada Journal: 45. May 1962. Retrieved 23 December 2019.
- ^ College of Fellows (PDF). Royal Architectural Institute of Canada. 2008. pp. 46–47, 55.
External links
- Ernest J. Smith on Memorable Manitobans