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.
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. To all of them, and
particularly to our colleagues from the Canadian Center for Architecture,
Canadian Architectural Archives, National Archives of Canada and National
Gallery of Canada, I would like to express my deep gratitude for providing us
with a sense of community, of continuity and of common purpose.
I want to acknowledge the major
contribution given by the National Archives of Quebec and the Ministry of
Culture of Quebec in awarding us a grant that made Canadian Architecture
Collection: a Guide to the Archives possible. A special recognition goes to
Kathryn Jackson for her excellent work in compiling the guide. As well, I would
like to thank Peter di Maso, Francoise Roux and Marc Landry for their particular
contributions.
It is my sincere hope that
initiatives such as the present publication can foster further interest in
Canadian architectural heritage and lead to greater accessibility of archival
materials in public and private repositories.
Dr. Irena Murray Director, British Architectural Library (BAL) and Sir Banister Fletcher Librarian Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA). Formerly, Chief Curator, Rare Books and Special Collections Division and Chief Curator, John Bland Canadian Architecture Collection McGill University Libraries.