‘We just lost Canada’s greatest architect’
Katie Mercer and Cheryl Chan
Province
Erickson was responsible for such landmarks as the Baldwin house and SFU. Photograph by: Jon Murray, The Province
Arthur Erickson, arguably Canada‘s greatest and most-renowned architect, has died at 84.
A news release from his family said Erickson died in Vancouver yesterday afternoon. No cause was noted.
Friends say that in the past year, Erickson’s health had rapidly deteriorated. He had spent the last couple of months hospitalized before spending his final days in a nursing home.
Simon Scott, president of the Arthur Erickson Home and Garden Foundation, said he will forever be remembered as the “grandfather” of Canadian architecture.
“We should remember a man who through his immense talent has given something to Canada and beyond our shorelines something that is totally irreplaceable,” he said.
“Whether we have been an employee, a colleague, a client, a friend or even just a building visitor, we have all been touched by Arthur.”
The Vancouver native studied at the University of British Columbia before his interest in architecture took him to Montreal‘s McGill University.
As a professor, he taught at the universities of Oregon and British Columbia.
Then, in 1963, his career took off when he and colleague Geoffrey Massey won a competition to design Simon Fraser University in Burnaby. The project would garner him international acclaim and launch his career that would see him design buildings around the world.
They include the Canadian embassy in Washington, California Plaza in Los Angeles, Kuwait Oil Sector Complex in Kuwait City, the Museum of Anthropology at the University of British Columbia, the Provincial Law Courts in downtown Vancouver and Robson Square.
Erickson created a legacy through his architectural innovations, including his inclination for glass and concrete.
His use of West Coast style earned him a Royal Architecture Institute of Canada Gold Medal and honourary doctorates.
In 1981, he was named a Companion of the Order of Canada.
David Wilkinson, past president of the Architectural Institute of B.C., recalled mentoring under Erickson as a university student during his firm’s heydays in the 1970s.
“Arthur’s real lasting legacy was that he spawned two or three generations of talented people and inspired them to have remarkable careers of real intensity and strength that has put Vancouver on the international architectural map,” he said, noting the likes of Bing Thom, Barry Johns and James Cheng.
“He was an extraordinarily charming gallant fellow with his own independent, creative way of looking at the world,” said Wilkinson.
“He was classically influenced, and one of the first Asian-influenced architects that made his mark in the region. He set the standard of architecture in Vancouver.”
While Erickson rubbed shoulders with princes, world leaders — including Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau — and celebrities, he lived a private life.
The modest, quiet man lived simply in his 850-square feet converted home in Point Grey for over 50 years.
Dorothy Barkley, director of the Architectural Institute of B.C., who has known Erickson for eight years recalled the legacy he leaves with his friends and family.
“He was a remarkable man until the very end,” she said. “He was so loved. He wasn’t just admired, he was loved as a person and that’s a mark of greatness in my eyes.”
Don Luxton, who sits on the board of directors for the Arthur Erickson Conservancy, summed up his impressive life and legacy.
“I think we just lost Canada‘s greatest architect,” he said. “He did things for Canada‘s reputation that no one else has.
“He was pure and simple impressive in what he was able to do . . . I think he’s an absolute and incredible icon of Canadian architecture and also cultural life. I’m very sad but also joyous that we had him.”
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