John Bland Canadian Architecture Collection

• Collection d'architecture canadienne John Bland

• John Bland Canadian Architecture Collection

The Canadian Architecture Collection (CAC) was established by Professor Emeritus John Bland, Director of the McGill School of Architecture for 31 years. As one of the McGill University Libraries' Special Collections, it is an important resource for architecture and urban planning research. Its mandate is to document the work of past and present architects who have studied and/or taught at the McGill University School of Architecture and Urban planning. Through photographs, drawings, and corollary documentation, the CAC also seeks to represent the evolution of the McGill campus, the city of Montreal, and the architectural heritage of Quebec and Canada.

In addition to supporting primarily the teaching and research requirements of the McGill School of Architecture and Urban Planning, the CAC assists other departments within McGill, and the architecture and art history departments in the region. The CAC also provides a service to practising architects, art and architecture historians, and independent researchers.

The Canadian Architecture Collection is open to students, researchers, curators, journalists, architects and the interested public. Courses in the history of Canadian architecture and historical preservation are based and taught in the CAC. A number of exhibitions, including Percy Erskine Nobbs: Architect, Artist, Craftsman (1982), The Architecture of Edward and W.S. Maxwell (1991), and Mansions of McGill (1992) were developed on the basis of the CAC holdings. Over the years, librarians, archivists, architectural historians, architecture students, and volunteers have contributed to making the Canadian Architecture Collection accessible to those interested in architectural history and practice.

The John Bland Canadian Architecture Collection (CAC) is one of the largest special collections in the Rare Books and Special Collections Divison of McGill University Libraries. The origins can be traced to the measured drawings and photographs of Quebec buildings made by Ramsay Traquair during his tenure as the Macdonald Professor of Architecture at McGill University (1913-39). The Traquair bequest provided an impetus for donations of other architectural archives, particularly those connected with the University, the city of Montreal, and the Province of Quebec. In the post-war years, two fonds, of major importance were integrated into the Canadian Architecture Collection. In 1954, the archive of the architectural practice of Edward and W.S. Maxwell, and in 1970, the archive of Percy Nobbs and his associates. Since 1969, the Canadian Architecture Collection has been housed in the Nobbs' extension to the Redpath Library Building.

To the Honorary Curator of the collection, Professor Emeritus John Bland, belongs the credit for uniting and preserving a core collection of great significance. Thanks to the collaborative support of the McGill School of Architecture, and the Library Administration, this core collection was gradually organized, described and, as of 1987, made accessible to students, researchers, and architects. Funding from SSHRC, and McGill University, made possible a series of scholarly guides to the major CAC archives: Percy Nobbs and His Associates (1986); Edward and W.S. Maxwell (1987); Ramsay Traquair and His Successors (1987); and John Archibald and His Associates (1990). The Libraries of Edward and W.S. Maxwell (1991) provides an introduction to, and a bibliography of, two impressive personal collections preserved as part of the Maxwell archive. Today, the Canadian Architecture Collection holds over 60 different fonds. In addition to the ones mentioned above, the Collection houses archival materials from the architectural practices of A.T. Taylor, R. Findlay, K.G. Rea, A.T.J. Durnford, H.L. Fetherstonhaugh, A.F. Dunlop, J.W. Hopkins, P.J.Turner, John Bland, and many others. The Canadian Architecture Collection also received important donations from two internationally known graduates of the McGill School of Architecture: Arthur Erickson and Moshe Safdie. Erickson's Middle East projects and Safdie's entire practice are the subject of both print and electronic publications developed by CAC.

Published guides:

• John Schreiber: A Guide to the Archive. Montreal: John Bland Canadian Architecture Collection, McGill University, 2003.
• Norbert Schoenauer Collections: Norbert Schoenauer Housing Archive and Norbert Schoenauer's Personal Library. Montreal: John Bland Canadian Architecture Collection and Blackader-Lauterman Library of Architecture and Art, McGill University, 2003.
• John Bland English Travel Sketchbook. Montreal: John Bland Canadian Architecture Collection, McGill University, 2003. (Also published in a collector's edition numbered 1 to 50, linen bound in a linen case as well as a linen-bound limited edition)
• Arthur Erickson: The Middle East Projects, A Guide to the Archives - les projets du Moyen-Orient, guide du fonds. Montreal: Canadian Architecture Collection, Blackader Lauterman Library of Architecture Art, McGill University, 1999.
• Sigrun Bulow-Hube: A Guide to the Archive- Guide du fonds. Montreal: Canadian Architecture Collection, Blackader Lauterman Library of Architecture and Art, McGill University, 1997.
• Moshe Safdie: Buildings and Projects, 1967-1992. Montreal: McGill-Queen's University Press, 1996, 332p.
• Le fonds FRANCE GAGNON PRATTE Collection: A Guide to the Archive for the Book Country Houses for Montrealers 1892-1924: The Architecture of E. and W.S. Maxwell = Guide du fonds pour le livre Maisons de campagne des Montréalais 1892-1924 : l'architecture de E. et W.S. Maxwell. Montreal: Canadian Architecture Collection, Blackader-Lauterman Library of Architecture and Art, McGill University, 1996, 91 p.
• Canadian Architecture Collection: a Guide to the Archives / Collection d'architecture canadienne: guide des fonds. Montreal: Canadian Architecture Collection, Blackader-Lauterman Library of Architecture and Art, McGill University, 1993, 226 p.
• John Bland at Eighty: A Tribute. Montreal: Canadian Architecture Collection, Blackader-Lauterman Library of Architecture and Art and School of Architecture, McGill University, 1991, 102 p.
• The Libraries of Edward and W.S. Maxwell = Les bibliothèques de Edward et W.S. Maxwell. Montreal: Canadian Architecture Collection, Blackader-Lauterman Library of Architecture and Art, McGill University, 1991, 110 p.
• John S. Archibald and His Associates: Guide to the Archive = John S. Archibald et ses associés: Guide du fonds. Montreal: Canadian Architecture Collection, Blackader-Lauterman Library of Architecture and Art, McGill University, 1990, 87 p.
• Ramsay Traquair and his Successors: Guide to the Archive = Ramsay Traquair et ses successeurs: Guide du fonds. Montreal: Canadian Architecture Collection, Blackader-Lauterman Library of Architecture and Art, McGill University,1987, 2 v., 582 p.
• Edward and W.S. Maxwell: Guide to the Archive = Edward et W.S. Maxwell : guide du fonds. Montreal: Canadian Architecture Collection, Blackader-Lauterman Library of Architecture and Art, McGill University, 1986, 494 p.
• Percy Erskine Nobbs and His Associates: A Guide to the Archive = Percy Erskine Nobbs et ses associés: Guide du fonds. Montreal: Canadian Architecture Collection, Blackader-Lauterman Library of Architecture and Art, McGill University, 1986, 271 p.

Access is by appointment. Please contact the curator at the address above.

The Canadian Architecture Collection is open to all researchers. Visitors are required to register and agree to the Reading Room policies: https://www.mcgill.ca/library/branches/rarebooks/reading-room

For information on personal photography, digitization services and permissions, please see here: https://www.mcgill.ca/library/branches/rarebooks/reproduction