A History of Canadian Architecture

by Harold Kalman

With an expanded final chapter on modern architecture, which includes more than a dozen new buildings, this concise edition of the award-winning two-volume History of Canadian Architecture presents a panorama of Canadian buildings as rich as it is vast, from the dwellings of pre-contact Native
peoples and the first European settlers to the revolutionary structures of the Modernist period and the renewed appreciation of the past that marks so much of the architecture created on the eve of the new millennium.

Genres: Canada, Architecture

672 pages, Paperback

First published November 24, 1994

Reviews

[Augustus · Rating 5 out of 5]

Actually, what I'm reviewing is the two-volume hardcover History of Canadian Architecture (933 pages) by Harold Kalman that doesn't seem to be listed in Goodreads. It's an outstanding work, embellished by more than 850 high quality black-and-white photographs, many taken by the author.

This book is more than a narrative of evolving styles. It's really a broad history of Canada, illustrating differences between regions and their various architectural syntheses of native and international styles. Parts of the author's narratives highlight grand structures like the castle hotels of the Canadian Pacific Railroad and the most impressive monuments of Toronto, Montreal and Ottawa. At the same time, he gives respectful treatment to the earliest dwellings of the First Nations and the rapidly built towns of loggers and gold prospectors. He covers both secular and religious buildings throughout Canadian history. In doing so, he blends stories of architects with descriptions of the evolving cultural settings where they worked. One memorable photograph shows the poet Robert Service sitting with a bicycle beside his log cabin in Dawson, Yukon Territory.

This book has a lot to offer and is highly recommended.