Arthur Erickson dies at 84
June 29, 2009
By
Canadian Consulting Engineer
Probably Canada's most important architect of the second half of the 20th century died at age 84 on May 20 in his h...
Probably Canada’s most important architect of the second half of the 20th century died at age 84 on May 20 in his home town of Vancouver. Arthur Erickson was the designer of such Canadian iconic buildings as the Museum of Anthropology at the University of British Columbia (1976), the Robson Law Courts in Vancouver, and Simon Fraser University in Burnaby, B.C. which he designed with Geoffrey Masson following a competition in 1967. In Toronto he designed Roy Thompson Hall (1982). One of his last major commissions was the Canadian Embassy on the Mall in Washington, D.C. The architecture of all these buildings relied on bold structures that were cleanly exposed — most often in concrete. His structural engineer in the case of many of the landmarks was Bogue Babick.
A memorial service for Mr. Erickson was held at Simon Fraser University on June 14 and was attended by hundreds of people. He was a Companion of the Order of Canada in 1981 and had received numerous awards.
However, from a business point of view, he was not so successful. His practice went bankrupt in February 1992.
The Arthur Erickson Conservancy is devoted to preserving his memory, and the Arthur Erickson House and Garden Foundation wants to turn his home at 4195 West 14th Avenue into a museum and heritage site.
