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Journal>Article>Forrest–Baker House: A modernist icon worth saving

Forrest–Baker House: A modernist icon worth saving

Category : Article, Statement

Date : December 31, 2019

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The plan of Gustavo da Roza’s Winnipeg Art Galle

The plan of Gustavo da Roza’s Winnipeg Art Gallery took on the shape of a wedge, generated from the bounding of the site by Memorial Boulevard, St. Mary Avenue, and Colony Street. It is a form that ingeniously transforms from an imposing mass to nearly imperceptible, depending on your line of sight (stand directly at the thin edge of the wedge, it’s pretty amazing!). A total work of art in-and-of-itself!
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Winnipeg Art Gallery, 1972⁠
Winnipeg, MB⁠
Designed by Gustavo da Roza⁠

[Image] University of Manitoba Archives & Special Collections, Henry Kalen fonds (PC 219)
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#gustavodaroza #winnipegartgallery #modern #modernarchitecture #modernism #artgallery #tyndallstone #iconicbuildings #heritagebuildings #archilovers #architecturelovers #artarchitecture #artchitecture #art #design #builtenvironment #urbanism #urbandesign #wedgebuilding #winnipegmodern #winnipegarchitecture #canadianarchitecture #canadianarchitect #faumanitoba #winnipeg #manitoba #modernismelsewhere #modernplaces #westcoastmodernleague #wcmlvan

The imaginative structure, featured prominently fr

The imaginative structure, featured prominently from Winnipeg’s famous Portage Avenue, is bold in its form, its use of Tyndall stone, and for its striking presence. At the time of its completion, the Winnipeg Art Gallery (c. 1972) was Canada’s third largest gallery, featuring an array of dynamic gallery spaces, auditorium and lecture halls, studio spaces, and a rooftop performance and sculpture garden, among others.
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Winnipeg Art Gallery, 1972⁠
Winnipeg, MB⁠
Designed by Gustavo da Roza⁠

[Image] University of Manitoba Archives & Special Collections, Henry Kalen fonds (PC 219)
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#gustavodaroza #winnipegartgallery #modern #modernarchitecture #modernism #artgallery #tyndallstone #iconicbuildings #heritagebuildings #archilovers #architecturelovers #artarchitecture #artchitecture #art #design #builtenvironment #urbanism #urbandesign #wedgebuilding #winnipegmodern #winnipegarchitecture #canadianarchitecture #canadianarchitect #faumanitoba #winnipeg #manitoba #modernismelsewhere #modernplaces #westcoastmodernleague #wcmlvan

#ModernismElsewhere travels across the Canadian Pr

#ModernismElsewhere travels across the Canadian Prairies to Winnipeg, Manitoba. Adjacent to the city's famous Portage Avenue sits an icon of Canadian modern architecture, a cultural hub regarded, at the time of its design, as a "brilliant symbolization of a progressive Winnipeg." ⁠
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A bold architectural vision for publicly accessible art⁠, this is the Winnipeg Art Gallery, designed by eminent architect Gustavo da Roza, completed in 1972.
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Winnipeg Art Gallery, 1972⁠
Winnipeg, MB⁠
Designed by Gustavo da Roza⁠

[Image] University of Manitoba Archives & Special Collections, Henry Kalen fonds (PC 219)
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#gustavodaroza #winnipegartgallery #modern #modernarchitecture #modernism #artgallery #tyndallstone #iconicbuildings #heritagebuildings #archilovers #architecturelovers #artarchitecture #artchitecture #art #design #builtenvironment #urbanism #urbandesign #wedgebuilding #winnipegmodern #winnipegarchitecture #canadianarchitecture #canadianarchitect #faumanitoba #winnipeg #manitoba #modernplaces #westcoastmodernleague #wcmlvan

Gustavo Uriel da Roza was an architect, artist, ed

Gustavo Uriel da Roza was an architect, artist, educator, and advocate, who contributed generously to his community and was a prominent, highly acclaimed figure in Canadian modern architecture. Born on February 24, 1933, Gustavo passed away peacefully in Surrey, British Columbia on April 24, 2022, at the age of 89. We join countless others across the country who are celebrating the boldness of his architectural vision, his legacy of design excellence, and his innumerable achievements.⁠
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Of Portuguese and Chinese descent, Da Roza was born and educated in Hong Kong. He studied architecture in Macau, graduating with Honours in 1955 from the University of Hong Kong. After of period of practice in Hong Kong, Da Roza relocated to North America, working in California and Massachusetts, and beginning his teaching career at the College of Environmental Design at the University of California, Berkeley. ⁠
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In 1960, teaching would bring Gustavo to the University of Manitoba in Winnipeg, where he would establish a long career as an educator and as an award-winning architectural practitioner. Notable projects include the Winnipeg Art Gallery (1972), Gull Habour Resort on Hecla Island (1977), the Ukranian Catholic Church of St. Michael (1964), and the former Mountain Avenue Bank of Montreal (1971), among many others. In 1984, he would serve as Head of the Department of Architecture at the University of Manitoba. In 1992, Gustavo and his wife Gloria relocated to Vancouver where he continued in private practice. Simply put, Gustavo da Roza was an architectural tour de force.⁠
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The League offers our heartfelt condolences to Gustavo’s family, friends, and those whom had the great fortune of working with and being mentored by him.⁠
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Gustavo Uriel da Roza⁠
February 24, 1933 – April 24, 2022⁠
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Link in bio for the League's full statement.⁠
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#gustavodaroza #canadianarchitecture #canadianarchitect #artarchitecture #winnipegartgallery #westcoastmodernleague #wcmlvan

From the original competition brief through to mod

From the original competition brief through to modern day, Oberlander II has been an exercise in touching the land lightly to preserve the natural landscape features of the site. Barry Downs' Bauhaus and West Coast Modern-inspired architectural proposition suspended the house on piloti against the eroded edge of the ravine. Cornelia Hahn Oberlander's landscape interventions were light-handed, offering strategic pockets of plantings, while allowing the natural vegetation to sing. "If a tree falls in the ravine, she does not remove it and instead trusts that nature will take care of it as it would in the forest."[1] ⁠
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There is much yet for us to learn from this home, a design philosophy and a way of living that says something important how the spaces we design for ourselves, and for the way that we engage with the more-than-human co-habitants around us. We are hopeful to have that opportunity for many more years to come, for the betterment of our communities. ⁠
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🚨 The League, along with heritage advocates across the region, are hopeful that someone will take up the mantle and care for the home's longevity as a significant house with a rich and illustrious architectural history. Please, spread the word. ⁠
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Link in bio. ⁠
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Oberlander II House “Ravine”, 1970⁠
Vancouver, BC⁠
Designed by Barry Downs with Peter Oberlander⁠
Production by Beans Justice and Fred Dalla-Lana⁠
Landscape by Cornelia Hahn Oberlander⁠
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[Image] Selwyn Pullan. Collection of @westvancouverartmuseum⁠
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[1] New Ways of Living. Jan. 2016. The Jewish Museum & Archives of BC.⁠
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Link in bio for "PLACES," the League's ongoing survey of modern west coast buildings + projects.⁠
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#westcoastmodern #westcoastmodernism #westcoastmodernarchitecture #westcoastmodernliving #coastmodern #vancouverarchitecture #vanarch #pnwarchitecture #bauhaus #architecturelovers #archilovers #iconichouses #postandbeam #heritagehouses #modernheritage #modernhouses #modernlifestyle #modernarchitecture #modern #architecture #artarchitecture #canadianarchitect #peteroberlander #corneliahahnoberlander #barrydownsarchitect #vancouver #modernwestcoastplaces #westcoastmodernplaces #westcoastmodernleague #wcmlvan

The plan of Oberlander II unfolds along a central

The plan of Oberlander II unfolds along a central spine that runs the full-length of the home, unencumbered by solid walls. As the house steps and weaves along the edge of the forested ravine, this circulatory spine becomes a free flow of inhabited movement between the living environments of the built and natural realms. A wonderful living space, suitable for a renowned landscape architect whose philosophy was rooted in a belief in the "therapeutic effects of greenery on the human soul."[1]⁠
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🚨 The League, along with heritage advocates across the region, are hopeful that someone will take up the mantle and care for the home's longevity as a significant house with a rich and illustrious architectural history. Please, spread the word far and wide. ⁠
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Link in bio for more information. ⁠
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Oberlander II House “Ravine”, 1970⁠
Vancouver, BC⁠
Designed by Barry Downs with Peter Oberlander⁠
Production by Beans Justice and Fred Dalla-Lana⁠
Landscape by Cornelia Hahn Oberlander⁠
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[Image] Selwyn Pullan. Collection of @westvancouverartmuseum⁠
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[1] Landscape architect Cornelia Hahn Oberlander on why it should be easier to be green. Hadani Ditmars. March 8, 2021. Wallpaper* Magazine.⁠
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Link in bio for "PLACES," the League's ongoing survey of modern west coast buildings + projects.⁠
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#westcoastmodern #westcoastmodernism #westcoastmodernarchitecture #westcoastmodernliving #coastmodern #vancouverarchitecture #vanarch #pnwarchitecture #bauhaus #architecturelovers #archilovers #iconichouses #postandbeam #heritagehouses #modernheritage #modernhouses #modernlifestyle #modernarchitecture #modern #architecture #artarchitecture #canadianarchitect #peteroberlander #corneliahahnoberlander #barrydownsarchitect #vancouver #modernwestcoastplaces #westcoastmodernplaces #westcoastmodernleague #wcmlvan

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