Tag Archives: Architecture

Harmonious Interest: A Celebration of Victoria’s Chinese Heritage

Robert Amos, Untitled (Victoria's Chinatown) [detail]
Robert Amos, Untitled (Victoria’s Chinatown) [detail]

February 1 – May 13, 2013

Legacy Maltwood (at Mearns Centre – McPherson Library)

Curated by Caroline Riedel and Margaret Weller

Harmonious Interest draws on the archival and artistic holdings of the university with a selection of material from the Consolidated Chinese Benevolent Association. This association, founded in 1884, is a key community anchor and advocate for the Chinese in Victoria. Other important social, religious and cultural organizations such as the Chinese Freemasons Association (1876), the Tam Kung Temple of the Yen Wo Society (1911) and the Chinese Public School (1899) are represented in photographic collages by artist Robert Amos.

The important work of Dr. David Lai (Geography, UVic), known for his role in the revitalization of the buildings of China town and the Gates of Harmonious Interest, as well as other scholarly studies on Chinese communities in British Columbia are also referenced. As a whole, this exhibition is intended to show the role of some of these key organizations in community building and advocacy for Chinese people in Canada.

This exhibition was produced as part of the Victoria Symphony’s Chinatown Celebration project.

Similar Exhibitions:

The Emergence of Architectural Modernism II (Victoria Modern Series)

Hubert Norbury, Bay Parkade Entry (1960)

Hubert Norbury, Bay Parkade Entry (1960)

The Emergence of Architectural Modernism II: UVic and the Victoria Regional Aesthetic in the Late 1950s and 60s

November 30, 2011 – February 26, 2012

Legacy Art Gallery Downtown

It features a tour of 1950s and 60s UVic architecture, architect and designer biographies, and a free PDF of the catalogue.

This series of exhibitions and publication projects explores the relationships, personalities and projects contributing to the development of a regional modernist aesthetic in the post-war Victoria urban landscape (1939–2013). It celebrates and coincides with celebrating the 150th anniversary of the founding of the City of Victoria (2012) and 50th anniversary of the founding of the University of Victoria at its Gordon Head Campus.

During the late 50s and 60s, a small number of legacy architectural firms changed Victoria’s built environment with forward-looking planning and bold new architectural forms. Using plans, drawings, photographs and architectural models from the period, this exhibit explores a number of planning initiatives, design projects and building programs that defined this important phase in the development of the Capital Region.

This is the second in a series of exhibitions and publications exploring the relationships, personalities and projects contributing to the development of a regional modernist aesthetic in the postwar Victoria urban landscape. This exhibition develops themes of the earlier exhibition Town and Gown: Centennial Square and the Gordon Head Campus: Seminal Projects (2011).

Exhibition Catalogue: Victoria Modern 3: The Emergence of Architectural Modernism II; UVic and the Victoria Regional Aesthetic in the Late 1950s and 1960s (2011)

Similar Exhibitions:

Victoria Modern Series Catalogues:

Victoria Modern 1: Investigating Postwar Architecture and Design on Southern Vancouver Island: an introduction (2005)

Victoria Modern 2: From a Modern Time: The Architectural Photography of Hubert Norbury: Victoria in the 50s and 60s (2009)

Click here for the Victoria Modern website

The Emergence of Architectural Modernism I (Victoria Modern Series)

Centennial Square Fountain, Rod Clack and Jack Wilkinson (c.1965)

The Emergence of Architectural Modernism in Victoria I: Town and Gown: Centennial Square and the Gordon Head Campus: Seminal Projects (1962-1972)

March 10 – May 2, 2011

Legacy Maltwood (at Mearns Centre – McPherson Library)

Curated by Martin Segger

In the early 1960s two large architectural projects emerged in Victoria which redefined the urban landscape. The development of the Gordon Head Campus in its garden landscape suburban setting repositioned Victoria College as it emerged as the new University of Victoria. On a smaller scale the completion of Centennial Square, with its mix of heritage restoration and stridently modern buildings, provided a new direction for the revitalization of Victoria’s urban core.

This exhibition explores how these two important projects developed, sharing a mix of local young architects, planners and designers. In the process they created a set of iconic buildings and settings which set local architectural and design directions that have profoundly influenced urban design in Victoria to the present day.

No accompanying catalogue

Similar Exhibitions:

Victoria Modern Series Catalogues:

Victoria Modern 1: Investigating Postwar Architecture and Design on Southern Vancouver Island: an introduction (2005)

Victoria Modern 2: From a Modern Time: The Architectural Photography of Hubert Norbury: Victoria in the 50s and 60s (2009)

Victoria Modern 3: The Emergence of Architectural Modernism II; UVic and the Victoria Regional Aesthetic in the Late 1950s and 1960s (2011)

Click here for the Victoria Modern website

Architecture and Power: The Legislative Buildings of Canada’s Capitals

November 3, 2010 – February 6, 2011

Legacy Art Gallery Downtown

This travelling exhibition on the legislative buildings of Canada’s fourteen capital cities presents the main characteristics of each building, such as year of construction, cost , and dimensions, and features historical footnotes about their construction. The art and architecture exhibit features historical and modern photographs. Each capital’s of government is also depicted in a contemporary painting by the Murale Création team of artists. The exhibition’s content, which aims to educate citizens and foreign visitors about the capitals of Canada’s provinces and territories, was developed by architectural historian Ms. Denyse Légaré in collaboration with Commission de la capitale nationale du Québec.

From a Modern Time: The Architectural Photography of Hubert Norbury (Victoria Modern Series)

Hubert Norbury

Hubert Norbury

July 1 – August 23, 2009

Legacy Art Gallery Downtown

Curated by Allan Collier

Imagine Victoria when Bastion Square was a parking lot, UVic had no rabbits and Paul’s Diner served the best plate of fries at any hour. A retro Victoria comes alive through the work of architectural photographer Hubert Norbury, on display at the Legacy Art Gallery and Café this summer.

Norbury succeeded in documenting a building boom that transformed Victoria from a sleepy retreat to a vibrant city, rejuvenated by progressive town planning, a new university campus, and an international airport. His photographs serve as a rich and detailed record of a unique era in Victoria’s architectural history when modern ideas and new building technologies were embraced by its architects and increasingly accepted by the general public.

Images include the construction of car parks, medical clinics, high-rise apartments, hospitals, churches, schools, and educational facilities familiar to any long-term resident of Victoria.

Exhibition catalogue: Victoria Modern 2: From a Modern Time: The Architectural Photography of Hubert Norbury: Victoria in the 50s and 60s (2009)

Similar Exhibitions

Victoria Modern Series Catalogues:

Victoria Modern 1: Investigating Postwar Architecture and Design on Southern Vancouver Island: an introduction (2005)

Victoria Modern 3: The Emergence of Architectural Modernism II; UVic and the Victoria Regional Aesthetic in the Late 1950s and 1960s (2011)

Click here for the Victoria Modern website

Architectonics: John Di Castri and West Coast Architectural Modernism

John Di Castri, Dunsmuir House
John Di Castri, Dunsmuir House

August 11 – November 23, 2006

Maltwood Art Museum and Gallery

Curated by Professor Martin Segger

A retrospective of John A. Di Castri’s work in celebration of his 80th birthday. Di Castri contributed designs to the Uplands neighbourhood, Dunsmuir House at Ten Mile Point, Colwood, and  the McCall Bros Funeral Directors Ltd. Building in Victoria.

The exhibition included models, sketches, and reproductions of Di Castri’s modernist architecture. The featured models were made by a University of Victoria fine art class under the supervision of architect Chris Gower.

Similar Exhibitions:

John Blair: Landscape Designer

April 15 – June 11, 1999

Legacy Maltwood (at Mearns Centre – McPherson Library)

This exhibition features photographs, maps and drawings highlighting the work of John Blair, designer of Beacon Hill Park. In 1889, the veteran landscape designer won the competition to design Beacon Hill Park. He also designed James’ Dunsmuir’s 21-acre grounds.

Western Architecture in Shanghai: The Work of Laszlo Hudec Between Wars

March 24 – April 24, 1998

McPherson Library Gallery

Curated by Lenore Hietkamp

Laszlo Hudec (1893-1958) was an influential Hungarian architect who escaped a Siberian P.O.W. camp and lived in Shanghai from 1918 to 1945. This exhibit displays his sketches, plans and photographs paired with archival material from UVIc Special Collections and contextual information about Shanghai.

His buildings included the home of D. V. Wood (Woo), now the Shanghai Planning Institute (1938); the Science Building/Labratory for Chiao-Tung University (1931); the Christian Literature Society Building (1930); and the Chapei Power Statio/Waterworks (1929).

The Russian Art of Building in Wood

November 13, 1997 – January 30, 1998

Maltwood Art Museum and Gallery

The Russian Art of Building in Wood, a selection of photographs by William Brumfield, is now available as a traveling exhibit sponsored by the National Humanities Centre. The exhibition comprises 36 black-and-wits photographs of log boldness dating from the fifteenth century to the twentieth. It illustrates the techniques and designs of this traditional form of construction. Among the buildings features is the spectacular Church of the Transfiguration at Kizhi with its 22 cupolas.

Samuel Maclure

Samuel Maclure, Untitled; Architectural Plans
Samuel Maclure, Untitled; Architectural Plans

June 6 – August 24, 1995

McPherson Library Gallery

This exhibition features architectural drawings from 1900 to 1929 of Samuel Maclure’s buildings. Maclure’s buildings have unique heritage value that deserves a public aware of its importance.

About the Artist:

Samuel Maclure (1860-1929) is considered to be the single most influential architect in western British Columbia during the rapid development period from 1900 to 1940. He was born in New Westminster and studied art from a young age.

John Wright (1830-1915): Grandfather of West Coast Architecture

First Methodist Church, Victoria; John Wright, archt. 1859; photo courtesy BCARS
First Methodist Church, Victoria; John Wright, archt. 1859; photo courtesy BCARS

October 14 – November 25, 1990

Maltwood Art Museum and Gallery

View the online catalogue:

John Wright: Grandfather of West Coast Architecture – Catalogue

Drawings, photographs and current and historical documentation brought to life the career of Victoria’s first professional architect.

Delusions of Grandeur: Plans for the Proposed Prince Rupert Hotel

November 20, 1988 – January 15, 1989

Maltwood Art Museum and Gallery

An exhibit showcasing the Rattenbury architectural plans for the Prince Rupert Hotel, which was never built. Rattenbury was the man responsible for the Empress Hotel, the provincial legislative buildings, the Crystal Gardens and the Bank of Montreal in Bastion Square. The plans and drawings on display were discovered in the attic of the Oak Bay school when snowfall threatened the already decaying integrity of the roof.