Choklit Salon – 2025.03.09
March 9, 2025 from 2:00pm–5:00pm
Fundraising Event
Presented by the West Coast Modern League
Hosted by Bruce Munro Wright
with the League’s Board of Directors
Join us for an afternoon of art, architecture, and conversation at the Arthur Erickson & Nick Milkovich-designed Choklit Townhomes, with special guest Nick Milkovich, and an exquisite art collection curated by homeowner Bruce Munro Wright.
On March 9th, the West Coast Modern League invites you to an intimate afternoon of art, architecture, and conversation at the celebrated Choklit Townhomes, also known as the “Cathedral of Art,” designed by Arthur Erickson in collaboration with Nick Milkovich. Hear remarks on working with Arthur on this and other landmark projects from our special guest Nick Milkovich. Immerse yourself in an eclectic collection of artworks personally curated by homeowner Bruce Munro Wright, who will also be present to welcome you and say a few words about the art and architecture.
The Choklit Townhomes, completed in 2004, is a triplex community aptly named for its proximity to the original Purdy’s Chocolates factory in Vancouver. This modern glass, steel, and concrete structure is a celebration in industrial loft living that prioritizes natural light, adaptation to a diversity of lifestyles, and the creation and enjoyment of art. Atop this “Cathedral of Art” sits an expansive rooftop terrace with brilliant views towards False Creek, the downtown core, and the Coast Mountains.
Limited tickets available.
$150 per person.
Appetizers and refreshments will be served.
Doors at 2:00pm | Remarks at 3:00pm
Choklit Salon is a fundraising effort of the West Coast Modern League. The League is a volunteer-based non-profit society dedicated to the promotion and celebration of West Coast Modernist architecture and its creators. All funds raised from the event will support the League’s ongoing public programs and initiatives.
Address and instructions for access will be issued to ticket holders prior to the event.
Please note that we are not able to offer tax receipts at this time.
Host and Special Guest:
- Bruce Munro Wright, OBC, is a philanthropist and prominent arts advocate. Since retiring from a career in law, he has served as the Chair of the boards of the Vancouver Opera, Vancouver Art Gallery, and many other cultural organizations and nonprofit societies.
- Nick Milkovich is founder of Nick Milkovich Architects, where Arthur Erickson was a design consultant, designers of the Waterfall Building, Museum of Glass, and recent reconstruction of the Museum of Anthropology. Prior to NMA, Nick was for decades a core member of Erickson’s design team.
Hosted by the League’s Board of Directors:
- Steve Gairns is an architect, co-founder of euoi studio | architecture + design, and Chair of the West Coast Modern League.
- Wendi Campbell is a Chartered Professional Accountant, owner of a Robert Burgers-designed home, and a founding member of the League.
- Chelsea Louise Grant is an architect and co-founder of euoi studio | architecture + design.
- Jeanette Langmann is the director of Uno Langmann Gallery, owner of the Paul Merrick-designed Merrick House, and a founding member of the League.
- John Patkau is co-founder of Patkau Architects, designers of the Audain Art Museum, The Polygon Gallery, and many other landmark structures. He is a founding member of the League.
- Kiriko Watanabe is the Gail and Stephen A. Jarislowsky Curator at the Audain Art Museum. Among other works, she curated and co-authored Selwyn Pullan: Photographic Mid-century West Coast Modernism.
- Adele Weder is an architectural writer, editor, curator, and author of the recent book Ron Thom, Architect: The Life of Creative Modernist. She is the founder of the League.
Meet the Architects
Arthur Erickson
Arthur Charles Erickson is perhaps the most consequential architect in Canadian history. Not only did he create some of Canada’s most iconic buildings, but he was, in large part, responsible for galvanizing and elevating to international acclaim the modern architectural identity of our country’s westernmost metropolitan region. A visionary artist, architect, and urban planner, the larger-than-life Vancouver native lead an extraordinary and illustrious career underpinned by the profound influence of international travel and the pursuit of an architecture, well ahead of its time, rooted in its physical and cultural context. A teacher and mentor to countless budding designers, Arthur was an architect with global impact who was celebrated for his progressive and technically innovative ideas, and who was unafraid to call on others to invest in better design for the betterment of our social and environmental fabric.
Arthur was first an artist, and while he saw the discipline of architecture as having many different avenues and approaches, it was this art-centric perspective that grounded his design process. In a 1986 interview, Arthur stated that one should concentrate on “drawing first. If you can be an artist and master the pencil, or the two-dimensional medium, then you have a chance in architecture.”[1] It was on this footing, as the artist-architect, that he created some of British Columbia’s defining buildings including Simon Fraser University (1963), the MacMillan Bloedel Building (1968), Museum of Anthropology (1976), Robson Square and the Provincial Law Courts (1979), the Waterfall Building (2001), and numerous residences including the Filberg House (1959), Killam/Massey House (1955), Graham House (1962), Smith House II (1966), and the Eppich Houses (1972/1988).
Nick Milkovich
Nick was born in Vancouver and began his architectural journey at UBC, where Arthur Erickson was one of his instructors. In 1968, Nick graduated from UBC and joined Erickson/Massey. In 1972, he joined Arthur Erickson Architects, becoming an Associate in 1979 and Director of Design in 1987. Nick spent many decades as a core member of Erickson’s design team, particularly on custom house commissions. His early contributions also include significant cultural and civic projects such as the award-winning Museum of Anthropology at UBC and the Law Courts in downtown Vancouver. In 1991, Nick founded Nick Milkovich Architects, where Erickson worked as a consultant until his passing in 2009. Nick Milkovich Architects has a diverse portfolio of urban design projects, public buildings, and residential developments in North America and Asia. The firm has received awards for the Waterfall Building, Creekside Community Centre, Museum of Glass, and RCMP Heritage Centre. Nick was elevated to RAIC fellowship in 1997 and received the AIBC Lifetime Achievement Award in 2020.
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The West Coast Modern League gratefully acknowledges the generous support of Bruce Munro Wright and Nick Milkovich.
About the League
West Coast Modern League
[WCML/The League] The West Coast Modern League is a leading voice for modern architecture and design on Canada’s west coast. Established in 2013, the League is an independent, Vancouver-based, non-profit society dedicated to celebrating, and advancing the understanding and appreciation of, architecture, urbanism, and design of the North American west coast, with a special focus on the southern coastal regions of British Columbia. In 2021, the League was the recipient of a District of West Vancouver Heritage Award. We are a volunteer-based organization, led by a Board of Directors composed of architects, curators, critics, and professionals, with a passion for west coast architecture and the allied arts.
The West Coast Modern League is based on the traditional, ancestral, and unceded territories of the Coast Salish peoples – the Musqueam, Squamish and Tsleil-Waututh Nations.
