Francis Rattenbury and British Columbia

Francis Rattenbury and British Columbia
Author: Anthony Barrett
Publisher: UBC Press
Total Pages: 406
Release: 1983
Genre: Architects
ISBN: 0774801786

Yorkshire-born Francis Mawson Rattenbury (1867-1935) emigrated toBritish Columbia as a young architect in 1892. Within months of hisarrival in Victoria he launched his brilliant, if abbreviated, careerby winning an international competition to design the legislativebuildings. While his life was marred by controversy, scandal and, inthe end, tragedy, Rattenbury's architecture had an enduring impacton the Canadian landscape and his commercial ventures were important tothe economic development of the West. Richly illustrated with over 200 drawings and photographs, FrancisRattenbury and British Columbia is the first major critical study of aCanadian architect in the context of his times. Using unpublishedprimary sources, including his recently discovered private letters, theauthors document Rattenbury's professional career and the evolutionof his architectural style. Detailed descriptions are given of some ofhis most famous projects, notably the legislative buildings and theEmpress Hotel in Victoria. Besides working on a number of governmentcommissions, Rattenbury became chief architect for the Canadian PacificRailway and designed "chateau-like" buildings for C.P.R.hotels in the Rockies, Vancouver, and Victoria. Other projects such as the Vancouver and Nanaimo Courthouses andBank of Montreal branches set the pattern for institutionalarchitecture in British Columbia. His buildings not only drew attentionto the growing importance of the province, but also lent dignity andcharacter to its major centres. Filled with the vigour and confidence of the imperial age,Rattenbury initiated a number of commercial ventures. These includedthe founding of a transportation system to the Yukon goldfields andextensive land speculations. As the authors point out, theseinvestments were perhaps not undertaken solely for monetary gain butreflected Rattenbury's firm belief in the future of BritishColumbia and his desire to play an active role in its growth.Unfortunately, his entrepreneurial adventures involved heavy financiallosses, among which were ruinous lawsuits involving the provincialgovernment. This pioneering work on Western Canadian architecture will serve asa valuable design source for both the specialist and lay reader. Italso includes an important account of the part played by major Canadiancompanies and government patronage in the development of BritishColumbia. This professional biography reveals new facets ofRattenbury's life and character which have been the subject of bothpublic and literary controversy.

Rattenbury

Rattenbury
Author: Terry Reksten
Publisher:
Total Pages: 204
Release: 1978
Genre:
ISBN: 9780919203471

Made in British Columbia

Made in British Columbia
Author: Maria Tippett
Publisher: Harbour Publishing
Total Pages: 300
Release: 2015-09-19
Genre: Biography & Autobiography
ISBN: 1550177303

Is there such a thing as British Columbia culture, and if so, is there anything special about it? This is the broad question Dr. Maria Tippett answers in this work with an assured “yes!” To prove her point she looks at the careers of eight ground-breaking cultural producers in the fields of painting, aboriginal art, architecture, writing, theatre and music. The eight creative figures profiled in Made in British Columbia are not just distinguished artists who made an enduring mark on Canadian culture during the twentieth century. They are unique artists whose work is intimately interwoven with British Columbia’s identity. Emily Carr portrayed BC’s coastal landscape in a manner as unique as her lifestyle. Bill Reid’s carvings, jewellery and sculpture stand as a contemporary interpretation of his reclaimed Haida heritage. The name Francis Rattenbury is less known than The Empress Hotel in Victoria, one of many prominent BC buildings he designed, while Arthur Erickson’s modern architectural contributions are recognized worldwide. Martin Allerdale Grainger’s experience in the BC woods in the early days of hand-logging inspired him to write one of the undisputed classics of BC fiction, Woodsmen of the West. Jean Coulthard struggled for respect as a female composer during the 1920s and 1930s in British Columbia but eventually proved her extraordinary musical talents internationally. George Woodcock left Britain in 1949 to forge his career as an influential author, editor, mentor and tireless promoter of literary scholarship in the province, while playwright George Ryga, the son of Ukrainian immigrants, exposed the anguish and reality of life for Native women in our cities with his 1967 play, The Ecstasy of Rita Joe. Featuring images of the artists and their works, Made in British Columbia presents a history of the treasures found in our galleries, concert halls, theatres, museums, libraries and streetscapes, and explores the legacy of a cultural tradition as unique as the place that nurtured it.

Deadly Triangle

Deadly Triangle
Author: Susan Goldenberg
Publisher: Dundurn
Total Pages: 169
Release: 2022-10-11
Genre: True Crime
ISBN: 1459750322

Glamorous young wife Alma Rattenbury takes her chauffeur as a lover and their scandalous relationship leads to a murder most foul. The 1935 murder of architect Francis Mawson Rattenbury, famous for his design of the iconic Parliament Buildings and Empress Hotel in Victoria, British Columbia, and the arrest and lurid trial of his 30-years-younger second wife, Alma, and the family chauffeur, George Percy Stoner, her lover, riveted people. Francis and Alma had moved to Bournemouth, England, after the City of Victoria had ostracized them for their scandalous, flagrant affair while Francis was married to his first wife. Their life in Bournemouth was tangled. Francis became an impotent lush. Deprived of sexual gratification, Alma seduced George, previously a virgin who was half her age. They conducted their affair in her upstairs bedroom with her and Francis’s six-year-old son in a nearby bed, “sleeping,” she said, and the near-deaf Francis in his armchair downstairs in a drunken stupor. The lovers were tried together for Francis’s murder at the Old Bailey Criminal Court in London, resulting in intense public interest and massive, frenzied media coverage. The trial became one of the 20th century’s most sensational cases, sparking widespread debate over sexual mores and social strata distinctions.

British Columbia 100 Years Ago

British Columbia 100 Years Ago
Author: Fred Thirkell
Publisher: Heritage House Publishing Co
Total Pages: 180
Release: 2002
Genre: Antiques & Collectibles
ISBN: 9781894384506

In an era when picture postcards became a unique new way to "call home," they quickly established a role in enticing an ongoing parade of tourists to British Columbia. This book features an impressive collection of black-and-white lithograph images that were sold to the public in the early twentieth century. Documenting life in British Columbia during this period of time, each image has a story to tell. Collectively they define the state of affairs in B.C. a century ago. The book is divided into geographic regions, with an introductory article and map for each. Fred Thirkell and Bob Scullion's previous book of postcard images, Postcards From the Past (1996), won a City of Vancouver Heritage Award.

Architecture in Transition

Architecture in Transition
Author: Kelly Crossman
Publisher: McGill-Queen's Press - MQUP
Total Pages: 250
Release: 1987-11-01
Genre: History
ISBN: 0773561382

However, behind the public face of design, architectural life in Canada during the 1880s and 1890s was in turmoil. The Canadian public had lost confidence in its designers, students were forced to study abroad to secure a first-class education, professional rivalry was unscrupulous, architectural competitions a scandal. American architects and their architecture were the fashion. These things changed, but not before the world of the Canadian architect had been turned on its head, replaced by one which resembled the world of contemporary architects, with professional organisations, regulated standards, formalised education centred in the universities, and the belief that Canadian architecture should reflect local climates, culture, and geography. Kelly Crossman provides the first analysis of this period. Beginning with a review of the architectural milieu in Toronto and Montreal in the 1880s, he traces the rise of professionalism as an idea and architectural nationalism as a goal. His analysis is more a history of architectural ideas than a survey of forms. It places the architecture of these years in an historial and ideological context, demonstrating that it developed with its own logic in response to national and international factors. During the two decades after 1885, Canadian architects grappled with problems whose long-term implications they could not have foreseen: the role of the architect in industrialised society, the need to accommodate and integrate applied science, and the need to express their own and their country's personality in architectural form. By the beginning of this century they had begun to find their own voice. The story of this process will be of interest not just to students and scholars, but to anyone interested in the development of Canada and its architecture.

DK Eyewitness Canada

DK Eyewitness Canada
Author: DK Eyewitness
Publisher: Penguin
Total Pages: 643
Release: 2019-06-18
Genre: Travel
ISBN: 1465489762

Vast, vibrant and breathtakingly beautiful - welcome to Canada. Whether you want to hike along exhilarating trails beneath snowy peaks, paddle a canoe on backcountry rivers or head to the Arctic for the greatest light show on earth, your DK Eyewitness travel guide makes sure you experience all that Canada has to offer. Unimaginably large, Canada's untamed wilderness is comprised of shimmering glaciers, dramatic ocean vistas, and forests of fiery maple trees. Canadian cities also offers plenty to explore, from the dynamic buzz of Vancouver to the gleaming skyscrapers of Toronto. Our newly updated guide brings Canada to life, transporting you there like no other travel guide does with expert-led insights and advice, detailed information on all the must-see sights, inspiring photography and our trademark illustrations. You'll discover: - our pick of Canada's must-sees, top experiences and hidden gems - the best spots to eat, drink, shop and stay - detailed maps and walks which make navigating the country easy - easy-to-follow itineraries - expert advice: get ready, get around and stay safe - color-coded chapters to every part of Canada, from Montreal to the Maritimes, the Canadian Rockies to the Prairies, Newfoundland to British Columbia Interior Want the best of Canada in your pocket? Try out DK Eyewitness Top 10 guides to Toronto, Vancouver and Vancouver Island and Montreal and Quebec City.

DK Pacific Northwest

DK Pacific Northwest
Author: DK Travel
Publisher: Penguin
Total Pages: 516
Release: 2022-07-19
Genre: Travel
ISBN: 0744069335

Marrying vibrant cities with impeccable wilderness, the Pacific Northwest is as rich as it is diverse. Straddling the USA and Canada, the Pacific Northwest is a region of epic proportions, dotted with deep gorges, lofty mountains and rolling vineyards. It's also a cultural colossus - think Seattle's musical legacy, Vancouver's rich Indigenous heritage and Portland's ever-evolving art scene. Whether you want to drive along epic coastal highways, hike the pristine paths of Yoho National Park, or tuck into succulent street food in Portland, your DK Eyewitness travel guide makes sure you experience all that the Pacific Northwest has to offer. Our updated guide brings the Pacific Northwest to life, transporting you there like no other travel guide does with expert-led insights, trusted travel advice, detailed breakdowns of all the must-see sights, photographs on practically every page, and our hand-drawn illustrations which place you inside the region's iconic buildings and neighbourhoods. We've also worked hard to make sure our information is as up-to-date as possible following the COVID-19 outbreak. DK Eyewitness Pacific Northwest is your ticket to the trip of a lifetime. Inside DK Eyewitness Pacific Northwest you will find: - A fully-illustrated top experiences guide: our expert pick of the Pacific Northwest's must-sees and hidden gems - Accessible itineraries to make the most out of each and every day - Expert advice: honest recommendations for getting around safely, when to visit each sight, what to do before you visit, and how to save time and money - Color-coded chapters to every part of the Pacific Northwest, from Seattle to Vancouver, Oregon to Washington - Practical tips: the best places to eat, drink, shop and stay - Detailed maps and walks to help you navigate the region easily and confidently - Covers: Portland, Oregon, Seattle, Washington, Vancouver and British Columbia Touring the USA or Canada? Try our DK Eyewitness USA and DK Eyewitness Canada. About DK Eyewitness: At DK Eyewitness, we believe in the power of discovery. We make it easy for you to explore your dream destinations. DK Eyewitness travel guides have been helping travellers to make the most of their breaks since 1993. Filled with expert advice, striking photography and detailed illustrations, our highly visual DK Eyewitness guides will get you closer to your next adventure. We publish guides to more than 200 destinations, from pocket-sized city guides to comprehensive country guides. Named Top Guidebook Series at the 2020 Wanderlust Reader Travel Awards, we know that wherever you go next, your DK Eyewitness travel guides are the perfect companion.

Birth of A City: Prince Rupert To 1914

Birth of A City: Prince Rupert To 1914
Author: Sue Harper Rowse
Publisher: Lulu.com
Total Pages: 204
Release: 2005-09-14
Genre: History
ISBN: 1411685180

On March 10th, 2010 Prince Rupert will be celebrating its 100th Birthday. Carved from the wilderness, it was envisioned in 1905 by Charles Hays,Manager of the Grand Trunk Pacific Railway that this northern BC city would rival that of Vancouver in just a few short years.From the first landing of surveyors on the shores of Kaien Island, to the construction of the Grand Trunk Pacific Railway,"Knoxville" wars, building of the townsite on "stilts and planks", development of a huge fishing industry and port. This volume leads you through an era of human struggle, determination and dreams of what the future could bring.It is the amazing story of Prince Rupert and its pioneers between 1905 and 1914,who battled against all odds to develop this unique northern community. Packed with interesting information and early photographs, this volume is a delightful journey through time.

A Thousand Blunders

A Thousand Blunders
Author: Frank Leonard
Publisher: UBC Press
Total Pages: 354
Release: 2011-11-01
Genre: Transportation
ISBN: 0774842598

In A Thousand Blunders, Frank Leonard looks at why the 'Road of a Thousand Wonders' failed to live up to the expectations forecast by company president Charles M. Hays and other senior managers. Not only was the railway built through a sparsely settled region, which generated little immediate traffic, but its economic difficulties were also compounded by the numerous mistakes made by managers at all levels: for example, their failure to respond adequately to labour shortages caused serious delays and prevented the company from proving Prince Rupert as an effective alternative harbour before World War I broke out. For this book, Frank Leonard had access to a wealth of original documents, among them the GTP legal department files, providing him with insights into the decisions that formed the basis for policies in townsites and on Indian reserves. A Thousand Blunders is a provocative account of one of the greatest failures in Canadian entrepreneurial history. Richly detailed and thoroughly documented, it makes an important contribution to the fields of railway and business history, as well as to the study of the history of northern British Columbia.