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JournalStatementRon Thom, Architect: The Life of a Creative Modernist

Ron Thom, Architect: The Life of a Creative Modernist

Category : Statement
Date : September 16, 2022

VANCOUVER: The League congratulates Adele Weder, our founder and member of our board, on the launch of her newly released book, Ron Thom, Architect: The Life of a Creative Modernist. This new biography takes us beyond the illustrious career of the talented architect with a deep dive into his personal story, a “definitive biography of an iconic Canadian architect–and a social portrait of the mid-century design world he lived in.” [1] Whether or not you are yet familiar with his work, it is a must read for design enthusiasts and one to add to your collection.

A prominent figure in Canadian architecture, and a pioneer of the West Coast Modern movement on the south coast of British Columbia, Ron Thom’s “world included Jack Shadbolt, Arthur Erickson, the Massey family, Barbara and Murray Frum, and many other luminaries of 20th-century Canada.” [1] He built a career amongst a cohort of architects, artists, and designers who forever changed the face of modernism on Canada’s west coast and built a modern design culture inherently and intimately connected to its place.

Ron Thom is known for creating some of our most cherished buildings, including the B.C. Electric Building (known now as The Electra), and a collection of distinctive houses such as the Forest-Baker House, Carmichael House, Case House, and the Dawson-Purdie House (demolished in 2021), among many others. Thom’s career, however, extended beyond the west coast to a national scope, creating such buildings as Massey College, Trent University, and the Shaw Festival Theatre. He remains an enduring inspiration.

Adele Weder is an architectural writer, editor, and correspondent for periodicals across North America and abroad. The author and co-author of several books on West Coast architecture, she was also the curator of the travelling exhibition “Ron Thom and the Allied Arts.” Adele received her Master of Advanced Studies in Architecture from the University of British Columbia School of Architecture and Landscape Architecture, with a thesis on the design approach of B.C. Binning, Ron Thom’s teacher and mentor.

Ron Thom, Architect: The Life of a Creative Modernist
By Adele Weder
Published by Greystone Books
Released September 13, 2022

Book Details

 

Vancouver Book Launch

On September 21st, UBC SALA and Inform Interiors will present the Vancouver launch with author Adele Weder. See the link below to register. Further launches will be held in cities across Canada. See your local event schedules for dates.

Ron Thom, Architect: Vancouver Book Launch
WED, September 21, 2022 – 5:00pm to 7:00pm
Inform Interiors, 50 Water Street, Vancouver, BC
Presented by UBC SALA & Inform Interiors

Register Here

 

 

[1] Greystone Books.

 
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Behind every modern house is a story more interest Behind every modern house is a story more interesting than any fiction could tell, and while this house has certainly seen better days, its history is storied. Known as the Challier House, it was originally built in 1961 and, while Challier was himself an architect, the home was designed by James R. Tettamanti with landscape by Raoul Robillard. 

Herbert Challier was a graduate of UBC architecture and would go on to work for McCarter Nairne before establishing his own private practice based first in Yaletown and eventually out of this home. Over his career, Challier had a history of working on theatre designs and is credited for designing Grouse Mountain's "Theatre in the Sky." He was also a varsity rower and a skier on the Whistler Ski Patrol. 

This was not Herb Challier's first home on the North Shore. The Challier family originally lived in a forested subdivision, leaving for this oceanview home when suburbia engulfed the surrounding forest. Their 1951 home was one of the original Neoteric houses, designed by none other than Fred Hollingsworth.

Challier House is currently on the market and, with an enthusiastic owner and a healthy budget, it could go on to be a stunning home for future generations. 
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Challier House, 1961
West Vancouver, BC
Designed by James R. Tettamanti
Landscape by Raoul Robillard

MLS #R2813421

[Images 2-4] Courtesy of Sam McColl

Link in bio for MODERN WEST COAST PLACES, the League's ongoing survey of modern west coast buildings + projects
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#westcoastmodern #modernhouse #midcenturymodern #midcenturymoderndesign #cliffhouse #poolwithaview #modern #architecture #modernarchitecture #vancouverarchitecture #vanarch #canadianarchitecture #iconichouses #heritagehouse #modernheritage #fixerupper #architecturelovers #archilovers #artarchitecture #westvancouver #britishcolumbia #herbertchallier #jamestettamanti #raoulrobillard #modernwestcoastplaces #westcoastmodernleague #wcmlvan
"Located at the centre of the Fraser Valley, the a "Located at the centre of the Fraser Valley, the agricultural hub of southwestern BC, the college features the School of Horticulture, as well as many vocational, academic, career and special education programs. The campus seeks to establish a relationship between its role as a place of learning and community interaction and its rural setting. The heart of campus is the central agora, a gathering space focused on the historic Wark/Dumais House and orchard and the wetlands of Logan Creek. Radiating outward are the college buildings, teaching gardens (including an insect garden!), parking and the school's greenhouses."[1]
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Kwantlen Polytechnic University, 1993
Langley, BC
Designed by Barry Downs with
Ron Beaton & Glenn Burwell (Downs/Archambault & Partners)
Landscape by Cornelia Hahn Oberlander

[1] Barry Downs: Melding Architecture with Landscape (2013). West Vancouver Art Museum.

Link in bio for MODERN WEST COAST PLACES, the League’s ongoing survey of modern west coast buildings and projects
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#modernarchitecture #modernism #modern #architecture #modernlandscape #campusarchitecture #universitycampus #vancouvermodern #vancouverarchitecture #vanarch #landscapearchitecture #modernbuilding #design #iconicbuildings #kwantlenpolytechnicuniversity #kwantlencollege #architecturelovers #archilovers #barrydowns #barrydownsarchitect #corneliahahnoberlander #downsarchambault #modernwestcoastplaces #westcoastmodernleague #wcmlvan
Aside from being places of learning, campuses them Aside from being places of learning, campuses themselves have an intimate impact on the psyche of their students and educational outcomes. As campuses return to being busy hives of activity, we turn our attention to a few campuses, beginning with Kwantlen Polytechnic University’s Langley Campus. Coompleted in 1993, KPU Langley was designed by Barry Downs, with Ron Beaton and Glenn Burwell (Downs/Archambault and Partners) with landscape by Cornelia Hahn Oberlander. As the home of the university’s School of Horticulture, the architecture was designed to integrate with its pastoral setting. “Architecturally, the complex, although collegiate in character and constructed with tan brick, exposed concrete columns and grey metal sheathing, is intended to recall the muted colours of indigenous plantings, the wetland’s clay soil and the old industrial and farm structures of the valley. Varied tree species and the plantings of wildflowers and native grasses both address the college’s active horticultural program and, at the same time, weave the most structured ground areas–next to campus buildings–with the lush natural environment of Logan Creek.”[1] 
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Kwantlen Polytechnic University, 1993
Langley, BC
Designed by Barry Downs with
Ron Beaton & Glenn Burwell (Downs/Archambault & Partners)
Landscape by Cornelia Hahn Oberlander

[1] Barry Downs: Melding Architecture with Landscape (2013). West Vancouver Art Museum. 

Link in bio for MODERN WEST COAST PLACES, the League’s ongoing survey of modern west coast buildings and projects
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#modernarchitecture #modernism #modern #architecture #modernlandscape #campusarchitecture #universitycampus #vancouvermodern #vancouverarchitecture #vanarch #landscapearchitecture #modernbuilding #design #iconicbuildings #kwantlenpolytechnicuniversity #kwantlencollege #architecturelovers #archilovers #barrydowns #barrydownsarchitect #corneliahahnoberlander #downsarchambault #modernwestcoastplaces #westcoastmodernleague #wcmlvan
Originally founded in 2013, this 2023-24 season ma Originally founded in 2013, this 2023-24 season marks our 10th, and we're excited to share with you our upcoming lineup of events, programs, and initiatives. Thank you for your continued support and, if you haven't already, please join our community! 

Follow us here and subscribe to our mailing list for our latest projects and announcements (link in bio). 
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The West Coast Modern League (WCML/The League) is a leading voice for modern architecture + design on Canada's west coast. We are an independent, non-profit society that celebrates, and advances 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. We are driven by the vanguard of the West Coast Modern movement, inspired by its distinctive culture, and energized by the future of modern design across our region.
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#westcoastmodern #westcoastmodernism #westcoastmodernarchitecture #westcoastmodernliving #westcoastdesign #architecture #modern #modernarchitecture #modernlandscape #landscapearchitecture #midcenturymodern #midcenturymoderndesign #alliedarts #vancouverarchitecture #vanarch #architecturelovers #archilovers #canadianarchitecture #canadamodern #pnwarchitecture #pacificnorthwest #westcoastmodernleague #wcmlvan
MODERNISM ELSEWHERE | Even under a thick cloak of MODERNISM ELSEWHERE | Even under a thick cloak of dreadful wildfire smoke, the Heating & Cooling Plant at the University of Regina stands as a ray of light. Designed by prairie architect Clifford Weins, the building was constructed to house the central heating and cooling infrastructure for the university campus. Trevor Boddy exclaims that "[Clifford] understood the prairie landscape and how important the skies are and the horizon and constantly worked with those."

Graham Livesey described the building as “most indicative of his architecture in that it is seemingly straightforward, yet intricate in execution; its bold shape is reminiscent of both iconic Indigenous and agricultural forms.”
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Heating & Cooling Plant
University of Regina
Regina, SK
Designed by Clifford Weins
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#modernismelsewhere #universityofregina #cliffordwiens #canadianarchitect #canadianarchitect #modernarchitecture #midcenturymodern #modern #architecture #architectureheritage #iconicbuildings #artarchitecture #architecturelovers #modernheritage #saskatchwan #modernplaces #westcoastmodernleague #wcmlvan
“This simple structure located in Saskatchewan B “This simple structure located in Saskatchewan Beach [was] an icon of mid-century modern Prairie architecture. Silton Chapel, as it is known, [was] an innovative open-air worship space completed in 1967 for the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Regina by renowned architect Clifford Wiens, who was awarded a prestigious Massey Medal for Architecture for its design. The chapel [was] built into a hillside on Last Mountain Lake. A pyramidal roof and glue-laminated cross beams appear to float above worshippers, thanks to an ingenious structural system of hidden tension rods.”[1]

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Silton Chapel, Our Lady of the Lake, 1967
Saskatchewan Beach, Silton, SK
Designed by Clifford Wiens
Massey Medal for Architecture

[1] 2012 Heritage. Volume XV, Numero 4.
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#siltonchapel #cliffordwiens #canadianarchitect #canadianarchitect #modernarchitecture #midcenturymodern #modern #architecture #architectureheritage #iconicbuildings #masseymedal #artarchitecture #architecturelovers #modernheritage #saskatchwan  #modernplaces #westcoastmodernleague #wcmlvan

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