Ronald James Thom, (May 15, 1923 – October 29, 1986) was a

Canadian Canadians (french: Canadiens) are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of ...

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 ...

. He is well known for two works: Massey College and

Trent University Trent University is a public liberal arts university in Peterborough, Ontario, with a satellite campus in Oshawa, which serves the Regional Municipality of Durham. Trent is known for its Oxbridge college system and small class sizes.

's riverside campus.

Early years

He was born in Penticton,

British Columbia British Columbia (commonly abbreviated as BC) is the westernmost province of Canada, situated between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains. It has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that include rocky coastlines, sandy beaches, ...

, the son of James Thom and Elena Myrtle Fennel. Thom served as an aviator with the RCAF during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

, returned and graduated from the Vancouver School of Art in 1947. He never went to architecture school but apprenticed at Thompson, Berwick & Pratt, where he quickly became recognized as an unusually gifted draughtsman and designer. and also designed notable houses in the Vancouver area, several of which won Massey Awards, the country's top award for architecture. In 1957, he became a registered architect at Thompson, Berwick and Pratt and a partner shortly afterward.

Professional practice

He established R.J. Thom & Associates 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 ...

in 1963 and later the Thom Partnership. He was a Fellow of the Royal Architectural Institute of Canada. In 1980, he was made an Officer of the

Order of Canada The Order of Canada (french: Ordre du Canada; abbreviated as OC) is a Canadian state order and the second-highest honour for merit in the system of orders, decorations, and medals of Canada, after the Order of Merit. To coincide with the ...

. He battled alcoholism throughout his life and was eventually forced out of the partnership by some younger partners. He died at his office in 1986 after a bout of heavy drinking. His ashes were taken back by his family and scattered off the

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at Lighthouse Park in West Vancouver. He was the subject of a major retrospective exhibition in 2013 and 2014, "Ron Thom and the Allied Arts" featuring a collection of photographs, drawings, letters and furniture that he designed for his buildings. The exhibition was shown in British Columbia in 2013, at the Gardiner Museum in Toronto beginning in February 2014, and at the Beaverbrook Gallery, Fredericton in November 2014.

Works

Honours and Awards

* Fellow, Royal Architectural Institute of Canada * Member,

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 ...

(1973) * Member,

Ontario Association of Architects The Ontario Association of Architects (OAA) is the regulatory body responsible for registering and licensing all architects legally entitled to practice the scope of architecture in the Province of Ontario, Canada. It was founded in 1889. Notable ...

* Member, Architectural Institute of British Columbia * Member,

Quebec Association of Architects Quebec ( ; )According to the Canadian government, ''Québec'' (with the acute accent) is the official name in Canadian French and ''Quebec'' (without the accent) is the province's official name in Canadian English is one of the thirteen p ...

(1966–1969) * Honorary Doctorate of Law (LL.D)

1971 * Honorary Doctorate of Engineering

1973 * Winner of Design Competition for Massey College, University of Toronto * Citations of Excellence in Architecture by International College and University Conference and Exposition, 1970 * Toronto Chapter Annual Design Award – 1970 * National Design Council Merit Awards 1971 * Canadian Housing Design Council Award 1971 * Canadian Architect Yearbook Award of Excellence 1974

Personal

Thom was married twice, first to Christine Helen Millard (1923) in 1943 and survived by second wife Molly (m. 1963), daughter Emma (a veterinarian) and son

Adam Thom Adam Thom (30 August 1802 – 21 February 1890) was a teacher, journalist, lawyer, public servant, and recorder. Biography Adam Thom was born in Brechin, in the Tayside region in Scotland. His father was Andrew Thom, a merchant, and his moth ...

(himself an architect).Show traces Ron Thom’s resolve to create buildings both quirky and humane
The Globe and Mail. Retrieved on 2014-04-12.

References

External links

*

* ttp://www.trentu.ca/admin/library/archives/Ron%20Thom%20at%20Trent.ppt Ron Thom Slide Show
Ron Thom's Toronto – Walking Tour
''Globe and Mail'', January 2014
List of Globe and Mail articles
{{DEFAULTSORT:Thom, Ronald 1923 births 1986 deaths Canadian people of Swedish descent Officers of the Order of Canada People from Penticton Trent University Modernist architecture in Canada Emily Carr University of Art and Design alumni 20th-century Canadian architects Royal Canadian Air Force personnel of World War II