Mary Imrie (August 29, 1918 – April 11, 1988) was a Canadian architect. She was one of the first women in Canada to establish an architectural firm. She is also considered to be

Edmonton Edmonton ( ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Alberta. Edmonton is situated on the North Saskatchewan River and is the centre of the Edmonton Metropolitan Region, which is surrounded by Alberta's central region. The city ancho ...

's first female architect.

Biography

Born in

Toronto Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the ancho ...

Ontario Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central Ca ...

to a well-to-do family, Imrie's parents moved to

Alberta Alberta ( ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada. It is part of Western Canada and is one of the three prairie provinces. Alberta is bordered by British Columbia to the west, Saskatchewan to the east, the Northwest Ter ...

when she was three years old. Her father was John M. Imrie, an Edmonton newspaper publisher who won a Pulitzer prize. She first studied architecture at the

University of Alberta The University of Alberta, also known as U of A or UAlberta, is a public research university located in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. It was founded in 1908 by Alexander Cameron Rutherford,"A Gentleman of Strathcona – Alexander Cameron Rutherfor ...

and then at the

University of Toronto The University of Toronto (UToronto or U of T) is a public research university in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, located on the grounds that surround Queen's Park. It was founded by royal charter in 1827 as King's College, the first institution ...

, studying under Eric Arthur and graduating in 1944. From 1946-1949, she worked for the city of

as a draftsman, along with her future partner

Jean Wallbridge Jean Louise Emberly Wallbridge (October 25, 1912 – September 30, 1979) was a Canadian architect. In 1950, with Mary Imrie, she was one of the first Canadian women to form an architectural partnership. Biography She was born in Edmonton, Alber ...

. While there, the municipality sent both of them to Europe to study post-war reconstruction methods. In 1950, Imrie and Wallbridge formed a business partnership in Edmonton, working together until 1979, the time of Wallbridge's death. They built mostly homes that were known for their elegant yet modern lines. They were also able to procure several commercial contracts, such as elementary schools and housing for senior citizens. In 1957, their firm won a Canadian Housing Design Council award. Despite the high caliber of their work, as female architects they had a harder time obtaining larger commissions. Women in that era were often regulated to the less lucrative residential or interior design markets. Imrie and Wallbridge also traveled extensively, visiting several continents, and writing about their experiences for a journal owned by the Royal Architectural Institute of Canada. In 1957, Imrie and Wallbridge built their own home "Six Acres" in Edmonton where they lived as a couple. Concerning her professional work, Imrie stated, "It was a grind, in a cold hard world. But I would like to add, it was also satisfying and a lot of fun!" She was a member of the Royal Architectural Institute of Canada and the Alberta Association of Architects. A travel grant is named after her at The University of Alberta, called the "Mary Louise Imrie Graduate Student Award". Interested by Alberta's natural landscapes, Imrie bequeathed the bulk of her estate to the Parks Venture Fund of Alberta. She donated her home, the "Imrie House", as well as the land located next to the North Saskatchewan River.

References

External links

Mary Imrie and Jean Wallbridge fonds
{{DEFAULTSORT:Imrie, Mary 1918 births 1988 deaths Canadian women architects Architects from Toronto