Ernest John Smith was a Canadian

architect An architect is a person who plans, designs and oversees the construction of buildings. To practice architecture means to provide services in connection with the design of buildings and the space within the site surrounding the buildings that h ...

. Both he and his partner Dennis Carter, with whom he founded Smith Carter, were, according to Jeffrey Thorsteinson, among several "significant modern architects" who graduated from the

University of Manitoba The University of Manitoba (U of M, UManitoba, or UM) is a Canadian public research university in the province of Manitoba.Manitoba Manitoba ( ) is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada at the Centre of Canada, longitudinal centre of the country. It is Canada's Population of Canada by province and territory, fifth-most populous province, with a population o ...

modernism Modernism is both a philosophy, philosophical and arts movement that arose from broad transformations in Western world, Western society during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The movement reflected a desire for the creation of new fo ...

. Architectural historian Kelly Crossman remarks that in the 1950s Manitoba architectural firms "consistently ranked among the best in the country" and that the provincial capitol

Winnipeg Winnipeg () is the capital and largest city of the province of Manitoba in Canada. It is centred on the confluence of the Red and Assiniboine rivers, near the longitudinal centre of North America. , Winnipeg had a city population of 749,6 ...

"played a significant role as an early centre of architectural modernism in Canada", identifying Smith Carter as one of two "especially" important Winnipeg design firms. Their work included "major projects, public and private." One of the most "prolific and influential" design firms in Winnipeg, they earned a reputation in the 1950s and 1960s for "slick, understated, lucid, refined and experimental architecture keyed directly into site and landscape" which "changed the urban character" of the city.

Early life and education

Ernest Smith was born on 17 December 1919 in

, and grew up in the neighbourhood of Wolseley, on Aubrey Street. Smith studied architecture at the

University of Manitoba The University of Manitoba (U of M, UManitoba, or UM) is a Canadian public research university in the province of Manitoba. He won the

Royal Architectural Institute of Canada The Royal Architectural Institute of Canada (RAIC) is a not-for-profit, national organization that has represented architects and architecture for over 100 years, in existence since 1907. The RAIC is the leading voice for excellence in the built ...

Gold Medal, and a postgraduate fellowship to attend the

MIT The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) is a private land-grant research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Established in 1861, MIT has played a key role in the development of modern technology and science, and is one of the mo ...

, where he earned a

Master of Architecture The “Master of Architecture”(M.Arch or MArch) or a “Bachelor of Architecture” is a professional degree in architecture, qualifying the graduate to move through the various stages of professional accreditation (internship, exams) that res ...

degree. While at MIT, Smith became interested in large project planning and housing developments, attending seminars by "leading experts in the field," including

Catherine Bauer Wurster Catherine Krouse Bauer Wurster (May 11, 1905 – November 21, 1964) was an American public housing advocate and educator of city planners and urban planners. A leading member of the "housers," a group of planners who advocated affordable housi ...

and Charles Abrams. Smith finished his thesis in September 1947 and came home to honour a commitment he made with fellow

alumni Alumni (singular: alumnus (masculine) or alumna (feminine)) are former students of a school, college, or university who have either attended or graduated in some fashion from the institution. The feminine plural alumnae is sometimes used for grou ...

Dennis Carter (another RAIC Gold Medal winner) and Walter Katelnikoff that they three would start their own firm upon his return to Winnipeg.

Career

Foundation (1947–1959)

The business partnership was initially formed as Smith Carter Katelnikoff with offices on 289½ Garry Street. Smith also taught design at the University of Manitoba while the practice was being established. Smith Carter Katelnikoff made their name locally with the 1948 renovation of their own offices on

Portage Avenue Portage or portaging (Canada: ; ) is the practice of carrying water craft or cargo over land, either around an obstacle in a river, or between two bodies of water. A path where items are regularly carried between bodies of water is also called a ...

East and, due to the demand created by Winnipeg's expanding population in the 1950s, several schools. At the same time, the firm grew on the strength of commissions for large schools in rural

Manitoba Manitoba ( ) is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada at the Centre of Canada, longitudinal centre of the country. It is Canada's Population of Canada by province and territory, fifth-most populous province, with a population o ...

and

Western Canada Western Canada, also referred to as the Western provinces, Canadian West or the Western provinces of Canada, and commonly known within Canada as the West, is a Canadian region that includes the four western provinces just north of the Canada� ...

where modern centralized facilities were replacing

one-room schools One-room schools, or schoolhouses, were commonplace throughout rural portions of various countries, including Prussia, Norway, Sweden, the United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, Ireland, and Spain. In most rural and s ...

. Smith served as the managing partner of the firm (which had various names and partners through the years) for thirty-eight years until his retirement in 1985. In the 1950s, as the firm's commissions grew, attention was increasingly paid to interiors and the selection of materials suitable for the local culture and climate. The firm designed Canada's longest running venue for

outdoor theatre An amphitheatre (British English) or amphitheater (American English; both ) is an open-air venue used for entertainment, performances, and sports. The term derives from the ancient Greek ('), from ('), meaning "on both sides" or "around" and ...

Rainbow Stage Rainbow Stage is a not-for-profit musical theatre company and outdoor theatre operator, located in Kildonan Park in north Winnipeg, Manitoba. The covered amphitheatre seats up to 2,600 people and operates from May to September. History As urban p ...

(1951–1953). In 1953 and 1954, Smith acted as president of the Manitoba Association of Architects, and again from 1956 to 1961. Around this time, Smith designed his family home.

Westworth United Church

One of Smith's personally significant projects from this period is Westworth United Church (1958-1959), consisting of two major additions to an education building (a gymnasium) designed by Green Blankstein Russell in 1950. The additions, a central

narthex The narthex is an architectural element typical of early Christian and Byzantine basilicas and churches consisting of the entrance or lobby area, located at the west end of the nave, opposite the church's main altar. Traditionally the narthex ...

and towering

sanctuary A sanctuary, in its original meaning, is a sacred place, such as a shrine. By the use of such places as a haven, by extension the term has come to be used for any place of safety. This secondary use can be categorized into human sanctuary, a saf ...

, needed to "tie in with the existing building and yet give the sanctuary a dominating position." The church includes large

stained-glass windows Stained glass is coloured glass as a material or works created from it. Throughout its thousand-year history, the term has been applied almost exclusively to the windows of churches and other significant religious buildings. Although tradition ...

Leo Mol Leonid Molodozhanyn, known as Leo Mol, (January 15, 1915 – July 4, 2009) was a Ukrainian Canadian stained glass artist, painter and sculptor. History Born Leonid Molodozhanyn in Polonne, Russian Empire (now Ukraine), Mol learned the art o ...

(1959).

Scaling up (1959–1985)

The design and construction of the

University of Manitoba The University of Manitoba (U of M, UManitoba, or UM) is a Canadian public research university in the province of Manitoba.School of Architecture This is a list of architecture schools at colleges and universities around the world. An architecture school (also known as a school of architecture or college of architecture), is an institution specializing in architectural education. Africa ...

(1958–1959) won the firm a

Massey Medal The Royal Canadian Geographical Society (RCGS) awards the Massey Medal annually to recognize outstanding personal achievement in the exploration, development or description of the geography of Canada. The award was established in 1959, by the Ma ...

. Smith Carter were Massey Medal finalists for the Monarch Life Building (1959–1963; since 1999, the

Workers Compensation Board of Manitoba The Workers Compensation Board of Manitoba (WCB) is an agency of the Government of Manitoba that provides a system for workplace injury and disability insurance for workers and employers of Manitoba, paid for by employers. Established in 1917 ...

Building), described as a "paragon of modernist order and dignity". The design team, led by Carter, sought to express "the bold confidence and security of the corporation, its concern for its clients and employees, as well as its commitment to the economic development of the city of Winnipeg."

Transformation of Portage and Main

During the 1960s and 1970s, Smith served in a number of industry association senior positions, including president of the Manitoba Association of Architects (1956–1961) and chairman of the National Joint Committee on Construction Materials (1963–1965). He was dean of the College of Fellows of the RAIC from 1972 to 1975, and chancellor of the RAIC itself in 1979. Throughout the 1960s, the City of Winnipeg conducted transport studies which led to a rethinking of traffic flow through Portage Avenue and Main Street, the city's hub, and had Smith Carter conduct the transit forecast studies which concluded that mixing pedestrian and vehicular traffic would no longer be viable, ultimately leading to the construction of an underground concourse replacing the four sidewalks of the corner. Significant or large scale works during this period include the

Canadian Wheat Board The Canadian Wheat Board (french: Commission canadienne du blé, links=no) was a marketing board for wheat and barley in Western Canada. Established by the Parliament of Canada on 5 July 1935, its operation was governed by the Canadian Wheat Bo ...

and Grain Commission buildings (1962 and 1970, respectively), the

Royal Bank of Canada Royal Bank of Canada (RBC; french: Banque royale du Canada) is a Canadian multinational financial services company and the largest bank in Canada by market capitalization. The bank serves over 17 million clients and has more than 89,000& ...

and

Bank of Canada The Bank of Canada (BoC; french: Banque du Canada) is a Crown corporation and Canada's central bank. Chartered in 1934 under the ''Bank of Canada Act'', it is responsible for formulating Canada's monetary policy,OECD. OECD Economic Surveys: Ca ...

buildings (1965 and 1971), the

Pan Am Pool The Pan Am Pool is an indoor swimming facility in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada built for the 1967 Pan American Games. It is located in southwest Winnipeg and consists of three pools: two are used for competitive swimming and one is a children's " ...

(1967), and the

Manitoba Centennial Centre Manitoba Centennial Centre is an arts and cultural district that covers a 34-acre area in the east Exchange District of the Point Douglas area in Winnipeg, Manitoba, linking several of Manitoba's important arts and cultural facilities. It includ ...

(1967–1972). One of the firm's most identifiable works from the period, and "one of the most identifiable landmarks of the city" is the Richardson Building (1967–1969; with

Skidmore, Owings and Merrill Skidmore, Owings & Merrill (SOM) is an American architectural, urban planning and engineering firm. It was founded in 1936 by Louis Skidmore and Nathaniel A. Owings, Nathaniel Owings in Chicago, Illinois. In 1939, they were joined by engineer Jo ...

as consulting architects), It forms the anchor of the Lombard Place development, which includes the Winnipeg Inn (1970, currently the Fairmont Hotel) and the underground concourse later connected to Trizec's

Winnipeg Square Winnipeg Square (also known as the Shops of Winnipeg Square) is an underground shopping mall located at Portage and Main in downtown Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. It was built in 1979 by Smith Carter Parkin for the Trizec Corporation, and has 45 st ...

shopping mall (1979) and the Commodity Exchange Tower (1974-1979, often referred to as the "Trizec Building" locally). Other large scale projects included the Woodsworth Building on

Broadway Broadway may refer to: Theatre * Broadway Theatre (disambiguation) * Broadway theatre, theatrical productions in professional theatres near Broadway, Manhattan, New York City, U.S. ** Broadway (Manhattan), the street **Broadway Theatre (53rd Stree ...

(1973),

The Great-West Life Assurance Company The Canada Life Assurance Company, commonly known as Canada Life, is an insurance and financial services company with its headquarters in Winnipeg, Manitoba. The current company is the result of the 2020 amalgamation of The Great-West Life Assuran ...

(1983), and the

Air Canada Air Canada is the flag carrier and the largest airline of Canada by the size and passengers carried. Air Canada maintains its headquarters in the borough of Saint-Laurent, Montreal, Quebec. The airline, founded in 1937, provides scheduled and ...

building (1985). For a few years during this period (1969 to 1971), Smith Carter merged with Parkin Architects, thereby becoming, briefly, "the largest architectural and engineering concern in the country and the tenth largest in the world."

Canadian Grain Commission Building

Smith was the principal architect of the Grain Commission building. Smith remarked on the challenges involved:

Mixing two different functions in a vertical building is difficult. Normally construction would be separated horizontally. In this case, we worked out two separate modules for offices and lab space, ndfound we needed greater depth in the lab and rationalised the present form.

The firm recommended a large scale exterior sculpture for the building, notifying

Public Works Canada Public Services and Procurement Canada (PSPC; french: Services publics et Approvisionnement Canada)''Public Services and Procurement Canada'' is the applied title under the Federal Identity Program; the legal title is Department of Public Works ...

in June 1972. In April 1973, Smith met with the Regional Committee member,

Kenneth Lochhead Kenneth Campbell Lochhead, (May 22, 1926 – July 15, 2006) was a Canadian professor and painter. He was the brother of poet Douglas Lochhead. Career Born in Ottawa, Ontario, Lochhead attended the Summer Art School at Queen's University in 1944. ...

, and they "mutually agreed" that the building required a major contemporary work of art for the forecourt, determining a budget of $50,000, with Smith to follow up with a list of artists and in July 1974, a competition was proposed between ten invited artists. In January 1975, five artists,

Henry Saxe Henry Saxe (born September 24, 1937) is a Canadian artist who creates sculpture, painting and drawing. Career Born in Montreal, Quebec, Saxe attended Sir George Williams University (1955-1956) and the École des Beaux-Arts de Montréal (1956-1 ...

, Ulysse Comtois, John Nugent, Ricardo Gomez, and Hugh Leroy, were chosen by Smith (with Kenneth Lochhead's advice). The Advisory Committee selected Nugent's '' No. 1 Northern'', a large steel

abstract sculpture Modern sculpture is generally considered to have begun with the work of Auguste Rodin, who is seen as the progenitor of modern sculpture. While Rodin did not set out to rebel against the past, he created a new way of building his works. He "dissolv ...

intended as a

metaphor A metaphor is a figure of speech that, for rhetorical effect, directly refers to one thing by mentioning another. It may provide (or obscure) clarity or identify hidden similarities between two different ideas. Metaphors are often compared wit ...

for fields of wheat, represented in multi-layer rectangular shapes and painted the "brilliant" yellow of harvest wheat, designed by Nugent to represent Canada's hardy top grade, red

spring wheat Winter wheat (usually '' Triticum aestivum'') are strains of wheat that are planted in the autumn to germinate and develop into young plants that remain in the vegetative phase during the winter and resume growth in early spring. Classification ...

hybrid of the same name that dominate the Prairies in the fall. The work proved controversial after its installation in late 1975, with Earl Baxter, chairman of the Board of Grain Commissioners, leading a campaign in protest shortly after its unveiling, and by July 1978, they had prevailed: the work was dismantled and reinstalled two years later in front of a

Revenue Canada The Canada Revenue Agency (CRA; ; ) is the revenue service of the Canadian federal government, and most provincial and territorial governments. The CRA collects taxes, administers tax law and policy, and delivers benefit programs and tax credit ...

building, only to be removed again in 1993. In 1997, almost twenty years after it was removed, Nugent's sculpture was reinstalled in front of the Grain Commission building. Woodsworth Building - panoramio

Woodsworth Building

Built for the Manitoba government between 1973 and 1976, the Woodsworth building is named after CCF reformer J.S. Wordsworth, a bust of whom, sculpted by

, stands on the main floor. There is colourful artwork by Bruce Head, contrasting with the steel and glass of the building. Designed to be fifteen

storey A storey (British English) or story (American English) is any level part of a building with a floor that could be used by people (for living, work, storage, recreation, etc.). Plurals for the word are ''storeys'' (UK) and ''stories'' (US). T ...

s, there was a civic debate over its height, and the final two storeys were not built until 1976. There was also considerable criticism when the skywalk to the Law Courts Building was constructed in 1974. Smith's original plan was for a tunnel, but the skywalk was chosen as the cheaper alternative.

International work

Smith was said to have been proudest of the firm's work shaping the Winnipeg skyline and of their work abroad, such the Kermanshah Technical Training Centre in Iran, the Canadian Embassy in Moscow and the Canadian Chancery in Warsaw (about 1965; all but foundations demolished in 2001).

Apex and final stages

Smith retired in 1985 and moved into a retirement home he designed himself, featured in an exhibition by the Royal Academy of Arts. Meanwhile, Smith Carter's reach extended to high-level biomedical research facilities. Early examples included the St. Boniface Hospital Research Centre (1986–1987) and the John Buhler Research Centre at the Health Sciences Centre (about 1990). The project considered to be "seminal" by Smith Carter was the

Canadian Science Centre for Human and Animal Health The Canadian Science Centre for Human and Animal Health (CSCHAH) is an infectious disease laboratory complex in Winnipeg, Manitoba, owned and operated by the Government of Canada. This modern facility is home to two laboratories: the Public Health ...

(1992–1998), one of only two Level 4 laboratories in Canada, establishing the firm as a leader in the design of highly secure laboratory facilities for disease research. Alongside Dennis Carter, his business partner of thirty-eight years, Ernest Smith was awarded an honorary life membership from the Manitoba Association of Architects in 2000.

Other pursuits and community activism

A supporter of the arts, Smith was a member of the

Winnipeg Art Gallery The Winnipeg Art Gallery (WAG) is an art museum in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. Its permanent collection includes over 24,000 works from Canadian, Indigenous Canadian, and international artists. The museum also holds the world's largest collect ...

, the Council of the

Royal Canadian Academy of Arts The Royal Canadian Academy of Arts (RCA) is a Canadian arts-related organization that was founded in 1880. History 1880 to 1890 The title of Royal Canadian Academy of Arts was received from Queen Victoria on 16 July 1880. The Governor General ...

, co-chairman of the Fine Arts Committee for the Centennial Cultural Centre, and the board of the

Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra The Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra (WSO) is a Canadian orchestra based in Winnipeg, Manitoba. Its primary concert venue is the Centennial Concert Hall, and the orchestra also performs throughout the province of Manitoba. The WSO presents an average ...

, of which he was President from 1969–1971.

Personal life

Smith residence

When his daughters Lynda and Emily were five years old and one year old respectively, Smith designed his family home in

East Kildonan East Kildonan is a primarily residential community in northeast Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. Commonly known by its initials EK, the suburb has a population of approximately 35,800 as of the 2016 Census. East Kildonan is bounded from the Red Ri ...

, off Kildonan Drive. The Drive is elevated as a protective flood dike, the house itself was built on land behind the flood dike and therefore quite low, requiring that the living spaces be elevated to the height of the street. The general plan, a strict rectangle with a central core appendage for entry along with a

breezeway A breezeway is an architectural feature similar to a hallway that allows the passage of a breeze between structures to accommodate high winds, allow aeration, or provide aesthetic design variation. It is a pedestrian walkway because it is intende ...

and garage on the north side of the house, keeps day- and night-time activities separate. Smith's design allowed the site to be kept at the natural grade: the main entry to the house's upper level is approached by a bridge, while the lower level plan is "at grade, which allows a ramped approach to the garage and garden access at the rear from the family room by sliding glass doors." The ground level entry also eliminated the need for outside steps, which in Winnipeg must be kept clear of snow and ice in winter, the house levels split at this entry point into the upper level (living areas) and lower level (sewing, workshop and heating). Since the house is raised out of the ground, the lower leavel attains good light from an adequate depth of window.

Hillside Beach retirement home

Smith spent summers on

Lake Winnipeg Lake Winnipeg (french: Lac Winnipeg, oj, ᐑᓂᐸᑲᒥᐠᓴᑯ˙ᑯᐣ, italics=no, Weenipagamiksaguygun) is a very large, relatively shallow lake in North America, in the Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Manitoba, Canada. I ...

and at Grand Beach, where he first met his wife Marjorie, with whom he had three children. The retirement home he built in 1985 at Hillside Beach on Lake Winnipeg was featured at the Royal Canadian Academy of Arts "Prairie Region Exhibition" at the Winnipeg and

Mackenzie Mackenzie, Mckenzie, MacKenzie, or McKenzie may refer to: People * Mackenzie (given name), a given name (including a list of people with the name) * Mackenzie (surname), a surname (including a list of people with the name) * Clan Mackenzie, a Sco ...

art galleries in 1997 and 1998. Smith remained there after Marjorie died in 1993, moving back to Winnipeg in 1998, and finally to a personal care home in

The Pas The Pas ( ; french: Le Pas) is a town in Manitoba, Canada, located at the confluence of the Pasquia River and the Saskatchewan River and surrounded by the unorganized Northern Region of the province. It is approximately northwest of the provinc ...

in 2001, where his son Chris lived.

Death

Smith died on 22 October 2004. His memorial service took place at Westworth United Church, which he designed during the firm's early years.

Professional affiliations

• Fellow (1963) • Dean (1973–75) • Chancellor (1980–82) *

• Council Member *Manitoba Association of Architects • President (1953–54, 1956–1961) • Life Member (2000)

Select publications

* (with John A. Russell) "School of Architecture, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg." ''Royal Architectural Institute of Canada Journal'' 37 (8) (August 1960): 317–328.

Notes

References

External links

Ernest J. Smith
on Memorable Manitobans {{DEFAULTSORT:Smith, Ernest 20th-century Canadian architects Businesspeople from Winnipeg 1919 births 2004 deaths Members of the Royal Canadian Academy of Arts