Henry Sears (October 30, 1929 – March 19, 2003) was a Canadian

modernist architect Modern architecture, or modernist architecture, was an architectural movement or architectural style based upon new and innovative technologies of construction, particularly the use of glass, steel, and reinforced concrete; the idea that Form f ...

, and an urban and gallery planner. He was a founding partner of both Klein & Sears Architects and Sears & Russell Architects Ltd. His work centred around social housing development on a neighbourhood scale. It spanned Canada, the United States and Europe.

Career

Sears began his career in 1958, opening an architecture firm with Jack Klein. The firm maintained close ties to

Raymond Moriyama Raymond Moriyama LL. D. (born October 11, 1929) is a Canadian architect.Ra ...

, with whom they shared an office that opened on the same day. The Sears family lived on Woodlawn Avenue in the neighbourhood of

Summerhill, Toronto Summerhill is a neighbourhood in central Toronto, Ontario, Canada, located north of Downtown Toronto. History It was named after Summer Hill house, built in 1842 by Canadian transportation magnate Charles Thompson. Much of the area was once part ...

for some time, living alongside many other architects and academics on the street and in the area. As part of Sears & Russell Architects Ltd., beginning in 1987, Henry Sears' work shifted focus to the design and planning of cultural institutions. The firm built a team of specialists to adapt to the many areas in which the partners now worked. The geographic reach of Sears & Russell began to shift as well, taking on new clients in the United States and Europe. This produced a balance of national and international work, strengthening Sears' presence abroad. Throughout his career, Sears developed an architectural style. His primary material was brick, influenced by the homogeneity of European communities that use it. This applied a modern approach to a traditional technique and style. Many of his projects had shared communal space such as paths or courtyards, deemed an "exemplary design solution." by James Murray of Canadian Architect, along with the placement of cars outside of the major arteries of the project or underground. This focus on community interaction and involvement was part of a movement based on the Defensible space theory. Using this approach, Sears designed Alexandra Park which, in the 1990s, went on to become the first self-managed public housing initiative in Canadian history. Sears was named the third most interesting Canadian in 1978 as part of ''The First Original Unexpurgated Canadian book of Lists'' with the reasoning that

This Toronto-based architect is a brilliant theoretician and has taken his discipline to new heights, embracing sociology and psychology in helping others to design buildings and institutions which serve the soul as well as the eye.

Buildings

{, {, class="wikitable sortable" style="width: 100%" , + , + !Image ! scope="col" style="width: 20%" , Name ! scope="col" class="unsortable" style="width: 35%", Address ! scope="col" style="width: 12.5%" , City ! scope="col" style="width: 10%" , Year Completed ! scope="col" class="unsortable" style="width: 17.5%" , Awards ! scope="col" class="unsortable" style="width: 5%" , Citation , - , , Atkinson Co-Operative (Alexandra Park) , 95-111 Denison Ave., 113-117 Denison Ave., 585-599 Dundas St. W., 170-174 Grange Ave., 161-163 Vanauley Walk, 170 Vanauley Walk, 2-6 White Court Pl., 140-146 Willison Pl. , Toronto, Canada , 1969 , Canadian Housing Design Council National Design Award (1967) and Honourable Mention (1969) , , - , , Bay-Charles Towers , 55-57 Charles St. W. , Toronto, Canada , 1980 , Canadian Housing Design Council Award for Mixed-Use Housing , , - , , Bleecker Street Street Co-Operative Homes West Building , 85 Bleecker St. , Toronto, Canada , 1980 , , , - , , Cohl Residence , 18 Bitteroot Rd. , Toronto, Canada , 1961 , , , - , , Don Valley Woods (Citadel Village) , 1-11, 15-31 Valley Woods Rd. , Toronto, Canada , 1967 , 2 Massey Medals for Architecture (1964 & 1967) and Canadian Housing Design Council Centennial Award (1967) , , - , , Fieldstone Co-op , 135 Bleecker St. , Toronto, Canada , 1981 , , , - ,

, Goldman House , 54 Blue Forest Dr. , Toronto, Canada , 1959 , , , - , , Greb Administration Building , 51 Ardelt Ave. , Kitchener, Canada , 1967 , , , - , , Green Residence , 16 Bitteroot Rd. , Toronto, Canada , 1961 , , , - , , Holly-Dunfield Mixed Housing , 70 Dunfield Ave. , Toronto, Canada , 1977 , Canadian Architect Award of Excellence (1976) , , - , , Hugh Garner Housing Co-operative , 550 Ontario St. , Toronto, Canada , 1981-1982 , , , - , , Karp Residence , 17 Beaver Valley Rd. , Toronto, Canada , 1961 , , , - , , Oakdale Manor , 2265 Jane St. , Toronto, Canada , 1962 , Massey Medal Finalist (1964) , , - , , Sheppard Place , 4455 Bathurst St. , Toronto, Canada , 1980 , , , - , , Tranby Terrace , , 102-106 Avenue Rd., 11 Tranby Ave., 8 Tranby Terrace , Toronto, Canada, , 1981 , , , , , - , , University of Guelph East Residence , 64 East Ring Road , Guelph, Canada , 1972 , , , - , , University of Guelph Wellington Woods Student Residence , 252 Stone Rd. W. , Guelph, Canada , 1972 , , , - , , Whitburn Apartments , 111-117 Whitburn Crescent , Toronto, Canada , 1961 , , , - , , Wilmington Elementary School , 330 Wilmington Ave. , Toronto, Canada , 1959 , , , - , , Wilmington Park Community Centre , 205 Wilmington Ave. , Toronto, Canada , 1959 , Massey Medal Finalist (1961) , , - , , Winchester Square , 55, 101 Bleecker St. , Toronto, Canada , 1980 , , , - , , , 55 The Esplanade , Toronto, Canada , 1982 , OAA Landmark Winner ,

Curatorial and gallery work

Henry Sears contributed to the gallery design and curatorial approach of many museums around the globe. When the

National Museum of Ireland The National Museum of Ireland ( ga, Ard-Mhúsaem na hÉireann) is Ireland's leading museum institution, with a strong emphasis on national and some international archaeology, Irish history, Irish art, culture, and natural history. It has thre ...

was lacking display space, they called on Sears to lead the creation of a master plan for a new building on the

Collins Barracks, Dublin Collins Barracks ( ga, Dún Uí Choileáin) is a former military barracks in the Arbour Hill area of Dublin, Ireland. The buildings now house the National Museum of Ireland – Decorative Arts and History. Previously housing both British Armed ...

grounds, along with the functional brief that would act as a guide to implement the change. He found "The challenge was to incorporate the technically demanding requirements of a contemporary museum into the existing historic context appropriately and sensitively." Sears then went on to develop the museum's exhibit strategy and the functional brief for its Irish folklife division. He described that "Working in Ireland seems to have opened a world of possibilities for the firm." Other building design of cultural institutions includes the curatorial centre at Ken Seiling

Waterloo Region Museum Doon Heritage Village, located at the Ken Seiling Waterloo Region Museum, is a picturesque 60 acre living history village that shows visitors what life was like in the Waterloo Region in the year 1914. It is located in the former Doon village, no ...

, a partnership with Joe Somfay Architect Inc., and additions to both Whitby's Centennial building, and Mississauga's Benares Historic House, where a museum was established in 1995. In Whitby, this new multi-story West Wing was part of a reconfiguration to house a museum and the Whitby archives and, in Sears' words, for the institution to "...play a significant part in the cultural life of the community". Sears also played a role in developing a new curatorial approach at the

Royal Ontario Museum The Royal Ontario Museum (ROM) is a museum of art, world culture and natural history in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is one of the largest museums in North America and the largest in Canada. It attracts more than one million visitors every year ...

in consultation with its staff. He consulted on gallery design at the museum and taught the same subject at the

Adler Planetarium The Adler Planetarium is a public museum in Chicago, Illinois, dedicated to astronomy and astrophysics. It was founded in 1930 by local businessman Max Adler. Located on the northeastern tip of Northerly Island on Lake Michigan in the city, t ...

in Chicago. Sears reported to the

Museum of Vancouver The Museum of Vancouver (MOV) (formerly the Vancouver Museum and prior to that the Centennial Museum) is a civic history museum located in Vanier Park, Vancouver, British Columbia. The MOV is the largest civic museum in Canada and the oldest museum ...

and its

H. R. MacMillan Space Centre The H.R. MacMillan Space Centre, is an astronomy museum located at Vanier Park in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. The museum was opened on October 28, 1968 containing a Planetarium Star Theatre. Today the museum includes an exhibit gallery an ...

in 1996, recommending serious structural reforms. This resulted in new management with increased oversight from the

Vancouver City Council Vancouver City Council is the governing body of Vancouver, British Columbia. The council consists of a mayor and ten councillors elected to serve a four-year term. Monthly, a deputy mayor is appointed from among the councillors. The current may ...

, along with greater input from indigenous peoples. In the same year, he reported on the state of the

Oshawa Museum The Oshawa Museum is a historical museum founded by the Oshawa Historical Society, located in Oshawa, Ontario, Canada. It has a dual role as a museum; exhibits for the general public, and archival storage of the city's historical documents. Ev ...

as part of a facility study with the

Canadian Conservation Institute The Canadian Conservation Institute (CCI; ) is a special operating agency of the federal Department of Canadian Heritage that provides research, information, and services regarding the conservation and preservation of cultural artifacts. Materia ...

and the cultural facilities in the City of Hamilton. Sears created master plans for both the

Sharon Temple The Sharon Temple is an open-air museum site, located in the village of Sharon, Ontario, Sharon, Ontario, that was in 1990 designated as a National Historic Sites of Canada, National Historic Site of Canada. It is composed of eight distinctive ...

in East Gwillimbury, Ontario, and the

B&O Railroad Museum The B&O Railroad Museum is a museum and historic railway station exhibiting historic railroad equipment in Baltimore, Maryland. The Baltimore and Ohio Railroad (B&O) company originally opened the museum on July 4, 1953, with the name of the Balti ...

in Baltimore. He performed a feasibility study in 1986 at th
Bruce County Museum and Cultural Centre
and a facilities study of the Kinngait Cultural Centre in 1990. He designed permanent exhibition space at both the

Nova Scotia Museum of Industry The Nova Scotia Museum of Industry is a provincial museum located in Stellarton, Nova Scotia, dedicated to the story of Nova Scotia work and workers. Part of the Nova Scotia Museum system, the museum aims to explain how Nova Scotia was affected by ...

in 1993 and the

McDonald Observatory McDonald Observatory is an astronomical observatory located near unincorporated community of Fort Davis in Jeff Davis County, Texas, United States. The facility is located on Mount Locke in the Davis Mountains of West Texas, with additional facil ...

. Sears consulted with Yale's

Peabody Museum of Natural History The Peabody Museum of Natural History at Yale University is among the oldest, largest, and most prolific university natural history museums in the world. It was founded by the philanthropist George Peabody in 1866 at the behest of his nephew Othn ...

, the Canadian Forces Communication & Electronic Museum at

CFB Kingston Canadian Forces Base Kingston (also CFB Kingston) is a Canadian Forces Base operated by the Canadian Army located in Kingston, Ontario. History The Barriefield Military Camp, commonly called Camp Barriefield, was established as a military ba ...

, the

New York State Museum The New York State Museum is a research-backed institution in Albany, New York, United States. It is located on Madison Avenue, attached to the south side of the Empire State Plaza, facing onto the plaza and towards the New York State Capitol. ...

in Albany, and the Ojibwe Cultural Foundation on Manitoulin Island, Ontario.

Honours and awards

* Fellow of the Royal Architectural Institute of Canada (FRAIC) (1971) * Member of the Royal Canadian Academy of Arts *Member of the Ontario Association of Architects * 2 Massey Medals for Architecture (1964 & 1967) * Canadian Architect Award of Excellence (1976) * 2 Canadian Housing Design Council National Design Awards (1967 & 1985), 2 Honourable Mentions (1969 & 1976), * Centennial Award (1967) * OAA Landmark Winner (2009)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sears, Henry 20th-century Canadian architects Modernist architects Canadian Jews Jewish architects Architects from Toronto 1929 births 2003 deaths Members of the Royal Canadian Academy of Arts