Arthur Townend (architect)
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Sidney Arthur Townend, (November 8, 1924 – July 9, 2005) was a Cuban-born Canadian
architect An architect is a person who plans, designs, and oversees the construction of buildings. To practice architecture means to provide services in connection with the design of buildings and the space within the site surrounding the buildings that h ...
. Based in
Sudbury, Ontario Sudbury, officially the City of Greater Sudbury, is the largest city in Northern Ontario by population, with a population of 166,004 at the 2021 Canadian Census. By land area, it is the largest in Ontario and the List of the largest cities and t ...
, he designed a number of Sudbury buildings, such as Fielding Memorial Chapel of St. Mark, the Sudbury Civic Square and the Laurentian Hospital (now known as the north tower of
Health Sciences North Health Sciences North is a teaching hospital in Greater Sudbury, Ontario, Canada. HSN offers a variety of programs and services, with regional programs in the areas of cardiac care, oncology, nephrology, trauma and rehabilitation. Patients visit H ...
).


Education and personal life

Townend was born in
Cuba Cuba, officially the Republic of Cuba, is an island country, comprising the island of Cuba (largest island), Isla de la Juventud, and List of islands of Cuba, 4,195 islands, islets and cays surrounding the main island. It is located where the ...
in 1924. He spent his early childhood in
Jamaica Jamaica is an island country in the Caribbean Sea and the West Indies. At , it is the third-largest island—after Cuba and Hispaniola—of the Greater Antilles and the Caribbean. Jamaica lies about south of Cuba, west of Hispaniola (the is ...
where he studied at
Munro College Munro College is a boarding school for boys in St Elizabeth, Jamaica. It was founded in 1856 as the Potsdam School (named for the city of Potsdam), a school for boys in St. Elizabeth as stipulated in the will of plantation owners Robert Hugh Munr ...
. In 1942 he arrived to
Montreal, Canada Montreal is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest in Canada, and the ninth-largest in North America. It was founded in 1642 as '' Ville-Marie'', or "City of Mary", and is now named after Mount Royal, the triple-pe ...
, and was sent to the
Prairies Prairies are ecosystems considered part of the temperate grasslands, savannas, and shrublands biome by ecologists, based on similar temperate climates, moderate rainfall, and a composition of grasses, herbs, and shrubs, rather than trees, as the ...
to contribute to the
war effort War effort is a coordinated mobilization of society's resources—both industrial and civilian—towards the support of a military force, particular during a state of war. Depending on the militarization of the culture, the relative si ...
of
World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
. The same year, he was infected by
polio Poliomyelitis ( ), commonly shortened to polio, is an infectious disease caused by the poliovirus. Approximately 75% of cases are asymptomatic; mild symptoms which can occur include sore throat and fever; in a proportion of cases more severe ...
and received treatments at the
Montreal General Hospital The Montreal General Hospital (MGH) () is a hospital in Montreal, Quebec, Canada established in the years 1818–1820. The hospital received its charter in 1823. It is currently part of the McGill University Health Centre (MUHC) and is located ...
. He attended McGill University School of Architecture in 1943 where he graduated in 1948. He then moved to Sudbury where he married Mary Evelyn Sheahan in 1950. He practiced architecture in Sudbury until his retirement in 1988. He was a member of many social clubs around Sudbury, including the Sudbury
Yacht Club A yacht club is a boat club specifically related to yachting. Description Yacht clubs are mostly located by the sea, although there some that have been established at a lake or riverside locations. Yacht or sailing clubs have either a mar ...
and the Idylwylde
Golf Club A golf club is a club used to hit a golf ball in a game of golf. Each club is composed of a shaft with a grip and a club head. Woods are mainly used for long-distance fairway or tee shots; irons, the most versatile class, are used for a variety o ...
. Arthur Townend died on July 9, 2005 in
Sudbury, Ontario Sudbury, officially the City of Greater Sudbury, is the largest city in Northern Ontario by population, with a population of 166,004 at the 2021 Canadian Census. By land area, it is the largest in Ontario and the List of the largest cities and t ...
.


Career

Arthur Townend practiced architecture from 1948 until his retirement in 1988. In 1948 he started his career as a draftsman for Louis Fabbro where he worked on the Sudbury
St. Joseph's Health Centre St. Joseph's Health Centre is a large teaching hospital in western Toronto, Ontario. It is located west of downtown Toronto, along the Lake Ontario shore at the intersection of The Queensway and Sunnyside Avenue, just west of Roncesvalles Avenu ...
. In 1955, Townend became partner at Fabbro's firm, which became Fabbro & Townend. He left the firm in 1964 and shortly after partnered with John Stefura to form the firm Townend and Stefura (now known as
Bélanger Salach architecture Bélanger Salach Architecture is a bilingual, full-service Architecture, architectural firm that is located in Greater Sudbury, Sudbury, Ontario. The firm was founded in 1964 by Arthur Townend (architect), Arthur Townend along with his partner Jo ...
). He is recognized as the architect partner in charge of many buildings in Sudbury ranging from civic to cultural public buildings, and 17 private residences. He was a member of the governing council of the
Ontario Association of Architects The Ontario Association of Architects (OAA) is the regulatory body responsible for registering and licensing all architects legally entitled to practice the scope of architecture in the Province of Ontario, Canada Canada is a country in N ...
.


Projects

* 1957 : Sudbury Hydro Building, located in downtown Sudbury at the corner of Larch and Young street * 1958 : Federal Building, build for the
Government of Canada The Government of Canada (), formally His Majesty's Government (), is the body responsible for the federation, federal administration of Canada. The term ''Government of Canada'' refers specifically to the executive, which includes Minister of t ...
, located in downtown Sudbury, along Lisgar street, between Cedar and Elm street * 1960 : Sudbury
Yacht Club A yacht club is a boat club specifically related to yachting. Description Yacht clubs are mostly located by the sea, although there some that have been established at a lake or riverside locations. Yacht or sailing clubs have either a mar ...
Building, which is a A-frame building located by
Ramsey Lake Ramsey Lake () is a lake in Greater Sudbury, Sudbury, Ontario, located near the city's downtown core. Until 2001, Ramsey Lake was listed by the Guinness Book of World Records as the world's largest lake located entirely within the boundaries of ...
* 1966 : Northern Ontario Health Sciences School (NOHSS) Building, located on Regent street by Lily Creek * 1969 : Thorneloe Chapel, now known as the Fielding Memorial Chapel of St. Mark * 1969 : Our Lady of Hope Church, which was made to resemble Noah's Ark * 1974 : Laurentian Hospital, now known as the north tower of
Health Sciences North Health Sciences North is a teaching hospital in Greater Sudbury, Ontario, Canada. HSN offers a variety of programs and services, with regional programs in the areas of cardiac care, oncology, nephrology, trauma and rehabilitation. Patients visit H ...
* 1977 : Civic Centre, now known as
Tom Davies Square Tom Davies Square () is the city hall of Greater Sudbury, Ontario. History Built in the late 1970s and originally known as Civic Square or 'Place-Civique' in French, the building was part of an urban renewal movement toward transforming the city ...
* 1977 : Taxation Data Centre, in partnership with
Page and Steele Page + Steele, formerly known as Page and Steele, is an architecture partnership created in 1926 by Forsey Pemberton B. Page (1885–1970) and W. Harland Steele (1900–1996) in Toronto, Ontario. It is now part of the IBI Group of architectural and ...
, located at the corner of Notre-Dame and Lasalle boulevard * 1984 :
Science North Science North is an interactive science museum in Sudbury, Ontario, Canada.Helga Loverseed, "Impressive science museum symbolizes the new Sudbury". ''The Globe and Mail'', May 9, 1987. The science centre, which is Northern Ontario's most popula ...
, in partnership with
Moriyama & Teshima Raymond Junichi Moriyama (October 11, 1929 – September 1, 2023) was a Canadian architect. The private practice in Toronto he co-founded with Ted Teshima, Moriyama & Teshima Architects, was renowned for designing many major buildings across ...
* 1991 : Northeastern Ontario Regional Cancer Centre, now part of
Health Sciences North Health Sciences North is a teaching hospital in Greater Sudbury, Ontario, Canada. HSN offers a variety of programs and services, with regional programs in the areas of cardiac care, oncology, nephrology, trauma and rehabilitation. Patients visit H ...


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Townend, Arthur 1924 births 2005 deaths McGill University alumni Canadian people of Cuban descent Cuban expatriates in Canada 20th-century Canadian architects