Mary Imrie
| Mary Imrie | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born |
August 29, 1918 Toronto, Ontario |
| Died |
April 11, 1988 (aged 69) Edmonton, Alberta |
| Nationality | Canadian |
| Occupation | Architect |
| Known for | Residential projects during Edmonton's post-war construction boom |
| Partner(s) | Jean Wallbridge[1] |
Mary Imrie (1918–1988) was a Canadian architect. She was one of the first women in Canada to establish an architectural firm.[2] She is also considered to be Edmonton's first female architect.[3]
Biography
Born in Toronto, Ontario to a well-to-do family, Imrie's parents moved to Edmonton, Alberta when she was three years old. Her father was John M. Imrie, an Edmonton newspaper publisher who won a Pulitzer prize.[4][5][6] She first studied architecture at the University of Alberta and then at the University of Toronto, studying under Eric Arthur and graduating in 1944.[7] From 1946-1949, she worked for the city of Edmonton as a draftsman, along with her future partner Jean Wallbridge. While there, the municipality sent both of them to Europe to study post-war reconstruction methods.[8]
In 1950, Imrie and Wallbridge formed a business partnership in Edmonton, working together until 1979, the time of Wallbridge's death. They built mostly homes that were known for their elegant yet modern lines. They were also able to procure several commercial contracts, such as elementary schools and housing for senior citizens.[9]
In 1957, their firm won a Canadian Housing Design Council award. Despite the high caliber of their work, as female architects they had a harder time obtaining larger commissions. Women in that era were often regulated to the less lucrative residential or interior design markets.[10] Imrie and Wallbridge also traveled extensively, visiting several continents, and writing about their experiences for a journal owned by the Royal Architectural Institute of Canada.
Concerning her professional work, Imbrie stated, "It was a grind, in a cold hard world. But I would like to add, it was also satisfying and a lot of fun!"[11] She was a member of the Royal Architectural Institute of Canada and the Alberta Association of Architects.[12] A travel grant is named after her at The University of Alberta, called the "Mary Louise Imrie Graduate Student Award".[13] Interested by Alberta's natural landscapes, Imrie bequeathed the bulk of her estate to the Parks Venture Fund of Alberta. She donated her home, the "Imirie House", as well as the land located next to the North Saskatchewan River.[3]
References
- ↑ "Mary Imrie and Jean Wallbridge fonds". Archives Society of Alberta.
- ↑ Dominey, Erna. "Wallbridge and Imrie".
- 1 2 "Imrie House - AEP - Environment and Parks". aep.alberta.ca.
- ↑ Brennan, Elizabeth A.; Clarage, Elizabeth C. (29 March 1999). "Who's who of Pulitzer Prize Winners". Greenwood Publishing Group – via Google Books.
- ↑ "JOHN ffl. IMRIE, 58, CANADIAN EDITOR; Retired Head of The Edmonton Journal, Who Won Pulitzer Prize for It, Is Dead UPSET ANTI-PRESS LAW A Defeat for Alberta's Social Credit RegimeuHe Had Held Many Important Posts". 20 June 1942 – via NYTimes.com.
- ↑ "About Us - Edmonton Journal". www.edmontonjournal.com.
- ↑ http://thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/wallbridge-and-imrie/
- ↑ Goyette, Linda; Roemmich, Carolina Jakeway (1 April 2005). "Edmonton in Our Own Words". University of Alberta – via Google Books.
- ↑ "Jean Louise Emberly Wallbridge & Mary Louise Imrie". 30 March 2016.
- ↑ Burgess, Cecil Scott (29 March 2018). "Architecture, Town Planning and Community: Selected Writings and Public Talks by Cecil Burgess, 1909-1946". University of Alberta – via Google Books.
- ↑ Grierson, Joan (31 March 2008). "For the Record: The First Women in Canadian Architecture". Dundurn – via Google Books.
- ↑ "Canadian Women Artists History Initiative : Artist Database : Artists : IMRIE, Mary". cwahi.concordia.ca.
- ↑ "Graduate travel support fund - Faculty of Education". www.ualberta.ca.
