Place Bonaventure Place Bonaventure is an office, exhibition, and hotel complex in Downtown Montreal, Quebec, Canada, adjacent to the city's Central Station. At in size, Place Bonaventure was the second largest commercial building in the world at the time of its ...

Place Ville-Marie Place Ville Marie (PVM for short) is a large office and shopping complex skyscraper in Downtown Montreal, Quebec, Canada, comprising four office buildings and an underground shopping plaza. It serves as the main and official headquarters for Roy ...

Maison Alcan Maison Alcan (English: Alcan House) is a building complex located on Sherbrooke Street in the Golden Square Mile district of Montreal, Canada. The complex was used to house the world headquarters for Alcan, now part of Rio Tinto Alcan, until 20 ...

Ray Affleck Raymond Tait (Ray) Affleck (20 November 1922 – 16 March 1989) was a Canadian architect. He was born on 20 November 1922 in Penticton, British Columbia. He died in Montreal on 16 March 1989.Fred Lebensold and

Hazen Sise Hazen E. Sise (1906–1974) was a Canadian architect, educator, and humanitarian. Early life and education Sise was born in 1906 in Montreal, Quebec. His father was president of the Northern Electric Company, and his uncle president of the Bel ...

, all graduates and/or professors at the

McGill School of Architecture The McGill School of Architecture (officially the Peter Guo-hua Fu School of Architecture since 2017) is one of eight academic units constituting the Faculty of Engineering at McGill University in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Founded in 1896 by ...

. In 1959, after the departure of Michaud and the addition of

Dimitri Dimakopoulos Dimitri Dimakopoulos (born 14 September 1929 – 7 November 1995) was a Greek-Canadian architect. He was best known for having been involved in the design of several notable buildings in Downtown Montreal. Early life Dimakopoulos was born in ...

, another McGill Architecture graduate, the firm was renamed Affleck, Desbarats, Dimakopoulos, Lebensold, Sise which it maintained for a decade afterward. The company did not adopt the name Arcop, which stands for "Architects in Co-Partnership", until 1970. The concept of the firm was to pool together knowledge from multiple individual architects and was based upon the principles of The Architects' Collaborative, founded in 1945 by eight architects in

Cambridge, Massachusetts Cambridge ( ) is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. As part of the Greater Boston, Boston metropolitan area, the cities population of the 2020 United States Census, 2020 U.S. census was 118,403, making it the fourth most ...

, including

Walter Gropius Walter Adolph Georg Gropius (18 May 1883 – 5 July 1969) was a German-American architect and founder of the Bauhaus School, who, along with Alvar Aalto, Ludwig Mies van der Rohe, Le Corbusier and Frank Lloyd Wright, is widely regarded as one ...

. During the 1960s, Arcop was the largest architecture firm in Canada and at its peak in 1966, it employed over 150 people. In 1970, Ray Affleck, Fred Lebensold and Arthur Boyd Nichol, an associate at the firm for over a decade, founded Arcop Associates, which continued to thrive for decades later until 2014, when the firm merged with five other architecture firms to form one national firm, Architecture49.

History

Arcop began as the architectural office of Affleck, Desbarats, Lebensold, Hasen & Sise in

Montreal Montreal ( ; officially Montréal, ) is the second-most populous city in Canada and most populous city in the Canadian province of Quebec. Founded in 1642 as '' Ville-Marie'', or "City of Mary", it is named after Mount Royal, the triple- ...

,

Quebec Quebec ( ; )According to the Government of Canada, Canadian government, ''Québec'' (with the acute accent) is the official name in Canadian French and ''Quebec'' (without the accent) is the province's official name in Canadian English is ...

in 1953 when a partnership was formed between three graduates from the

School of Architecture This is a list of architecture schools at colleges and universities around the world. An architecture school (also known as a school of architecture or college of architecture), is an institution specializing in architectural education. Africa ...

at

McGill University McGill University (french: link=no, Université McGill) is an English-language public research university located in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Founded in 1821 by royal charter granted by King George IV,Frost, Stanley Brice. ''McGill Universit ...

,

Ray Affleck Raymond Tait (Ray) Affleck (20 November 1922 – 16 March 1989) was a Canadian architect. He was born on 20 November 1922 in Penticton, British Columbia. He died in Montreal on 16 March 1989.Hazen Sise Hazen E. Sise (1906–1974) was a Canadian architect, educator, and humanitarian. Early life and education Sise was born in 1906 in Montreal, Quebec. His father was president of the Northern Electric Company, and his uncle president of the Bel ...

, who joined in 1954. The earliest examples of projects from the firm's founding members include the Post Office in Town of Mount Royal by Affleck and Michaud from 1953–55, Pre-cut Housing for Beaugrand-Champagne in Montreal by Affleck, Michaud and Desbarats in 1954 and the Beaver Lake Pavilion on

Mount Royal Mount Royal (french: link=no, Mont Royal, ) is a large intrusive rock hill or small mountain in the city of Montreal, immediately west of Downtown Montreal, Quebec, Canada. The best-known hypothesis for the origin of the name Montreal is the hi ...

in Montreal by Sise and Desbarats from 1955-58. The first project that all members of the firm worked on together was an entry for a national competition to design the Vancouver Civic Auditorium in 1954, for which they won first place. This building was subsequently known as the

Queen Elizabeth Theatre The Queen Elizabeth Theatre is a performing arts venue in downtown Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. Along with the Orpheum, Vancouver Playhouse, and thAnnex it is one of four facilities operated by the Vancouver Civic Theatres on behalf o ...

in

Vancouver Vancouver ( ) is a major city in western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the city, up from 631,486 in 2016. Th ...

and was constructed from 1958-62. In 1954,

Dimitri Dimakopoulos Dimitri Dimakopoulos (born 14 September 1929 – 7 November 1995) was a Greek-Canadian architect. He was best known for having been involved in the design of several notable buildings in Downtown Montreal. Early life Dimakopoulos was born in ...

(1929-1995), another

McGill School of Architecture The McGill School of Architecture (officially the Peter Guo-hua Fu School of Architecture since 2017) is one of eight academic units constituting the Faculty of Engineering at McGill University in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Founded in 1896 by ...

graduate, joined the firm, and after becoming a full partner three years later, the architects consolidated as Affleck, Desbarats, Dimakopoulos, Lebensold, Michaud & Sise, and in 1959, with the departure of Jean Michaud, the firm became Affleck, Desbarats, Dimakopoulos, Lebensold, Sise and remained so for a full decade. In 1959,

Eva Vecsei Eva Hollo Vecsei (born 21 August 1930) is a Hungarian-Canadian architect. She began her career in Budapest and emigrated to Montreal in 1957, where she established Vecsei Architects with her husband in 1984. Biography Vecsei was born Eva Hollo in ...

, who would later become one of the most prominent female architects in Canada, joined the firm and continued to work there until 1971, when she left to join

Dimitri Dimakopoulos Dimitri Dimakopoulos (born 14 September 1929 – 7 November 1995) was a Greek-Canadian architect. He was best known for having been involved in the design of several notable buildings in Downtown Montreal. Early life Dimakopoulos was born in ...

' practice and in 1973, opened her own practice, Eva H. Vecsei Architect, in Montreal. The firm's prospectus around 1960 stated "The aim was to establish an organization that could carry out large and complex building projects; maintain a high level professional and technical competence; and above all develop to the utmost the social and aesthetic values that represent the highest contribution of architecture to our civilization". At this point, the firm had approximately 70 employees and was the largest architecture firm in Canada. Major projects in Montreal included

Place Ville-Marie Place Ville Marie (PVM for short) is a large office and shopping complex skyscraper in Downtown Montreal, Quebec, Canada, comprising four office buildings and an underground shopping plaza. It serves as the main and official headquarters for Roy ...

, where the firm partnered with I.M. Pei from 1958-64 as well as

Place des Arts Place may refer to: Geography * Place (United States Census Bureau), defined as any concentration of population ** Census-designated place, a populated area lacking its own municipal government * "Place", a type of street or road name ** Often ...

from 1962-65. Other major buildings followed, including

Place Bonaventure Place Bonaventure is an office, exhibition, and hotel complex in Downtown Montreal, Quebec, Canada, adjacent to the city's Central Station. At in size, Place Bonaventure was the second largest commercial building in the world at the time of its ...

(1964–68), two Theme Pavilions for

Expo 67 The 1967 International and Universal Exposition, commonly known as Expo 67, was a general exhibition from April 27 to October 29, 1967. It was a category One World's Fair held in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. It is considered to be one of the most su ...

(1964–67) and the

National Arts Centre The National Arts Centre (NAC) (french: Centre national des Arts) is a performing arts organisation in Ottawa, Ontario, along the Rideau Canal. It is based in the eponymous National Arts Centre building. History The NAC was one of a number of p ...

in

Ottawa Ottawa (, ; Canadian French: ) is the capital city of Canada. It is located at the confluence of the Ottawa River and the Rideau River in the southern portion of the province of Ontario. Ottawa borders Gatineau, Quebec, and forms the core ...

(1965–68). During this period the firm also designed churches, government buildings, exhibition pavilions, residential and cultural buildings, commercial and industrial buildings and educational buildings including the Georges-Vanier Library for Loyola College (now

Concordia University Concordia University (French: ''Université Concordia'') is a public research university located in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Founded in 1974 following the merger of Loyola College and Sir George Williams University, Concordia is one of the th ...

) (1962–64) and the Stephen Leacock Building (1962–64) and University Centre (Student Union Centre) (1963–66) at

McGill University McGill University (french: link=no, Université McGill) is an English-language public research university located in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Founded in 1821 by royal charter granted by King George IV,Frost, Stanley Brice. ''McGill Universit ...

. In 1968, Hazen Sise retired, Guy Desbarats departed and Dimitri Dimakopoulos left to open his own office, and in 1970, Ray Affleck, Fred Lebensold and Arthur Boyd Nichol (who had been an associate in the firm since 1956) founded Arcop Associates. The firm continued to design many buildings in Canada and other countries, such as

Le Centre Sheraton Hotel Le Centre Sheraton Hotel is a skyscraper hotel in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. It is located at 1201 René Lévesque Boulevard West in downtown Montreal, between Stanley Street and Drummond Street. Le Centre Sheraton has 825 rooms and stands tal ...

in Montreal in 1982, the

Maison Alcan Maison Alcan (English: Alcan House) is a building complex located on Sherbrooke Street in the Golden Square Mile district of Montreal, Canada. The complex was used to house the world headquarters for Alcan, now part of Rio Tinto Alcan, until 20 ...

in Montreal in 1983 and the

Legislative Building of Nunavut The Legislative Building of Nunavut is a structure in Iqaluit, Nunavut, Canada that serves as the seat of the Legislative Assembly of Nunavut. Designated Building 926, it consists of a three-storey glass and wood structure with a two-storey asse ...

in

Iqaluit, Nunavut Iqaluit ( ; , ; ) is the capital of the Canadian territory of Nunavut, its largest community, and its only city. It was known as Frobisher Bay from 1942 to 1987, after the large bay on the coast on which the city is situated. In 1987, its tr ...

in 1998-99. They also undertook the transformation of the Palais des civilisations (formerly the French pavilion of

Expo 67 The 1967 International and Universal Exposition, commonly known as Expo 67, was a general exhibition from April 27 to October 29, 1967. It was a category One World's Fair held in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. It is considered to be one of the most su ...

) into the

Montreal Casino The Montreal Casino (french: Casino de Montréal) is a casino on the Notre Dame Island in the borough of Ville-Marie in Montreal, Quebec, and is the largest casino in Canada. It is located in Jean-Drapeau Park, across from Montreal’s Old Por ...

in 1993. In 2011, Senior architect Robert La Pierre was recognized by his peers of the RAIC and introduce into the Royal College of Fellow. In 2011, Arcop and Montreal-based engineering consulting firm

Genivar Genivar Inc. was a Canadian engineering consulting firm. As of January 1, 2014, it became WSP Global. Its head office remains located at 1600 René Lévesque Boulevard West in Montreal, Quebec. On August 29, 2011, Genivar Inc. and Montreal-bas ...

announced a strategic alliance. In 2014, Arcop merged with five other architecture firms, namely AE Consultants, North 46, PBK, Smith Carter and WHW Architects to form one national firm, Architecture49.

Buildings

* Beaver Lake Pavilion, Montreal, QC, 1958 *

Confederation Centre of the Arts Confederation Centre of the Arts (french: Centre des arts de la Confédération) is a cultural centre dedicated to the visual and performing arts located in the city of Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island, Canada. History Construction of Confede ...

, Charlottetown, PEI, 1964 *

Le Centre Sheraton Hotel Le Centre Sheraton Hotel is a skyscraper hotel in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. It is located at 1201 René Lévesque Boulevard West in downtown Montreal, between Stanley Street and Drummond Street. Le Centre Sheraton has 825 rooms and stands tal ...

, Montreal, QC, 1982 *

Legislative Building of Nunavut The Legislative Building of Nunavut is a structure in Iqaluit, Nunavut, Canada that serves as the seat of the Legislative Assembly of Nunavut. Designated Building 926, it consists of a three-storey glass and wood structure with a two-storey asse ...

, Iqaluit, NU (with Full Circle Architecture), 1998–99 *

Les Cours Mont-Royal Les Cours Mont-Royal is an upscale shopping mall in the city's downtown core of Montreal, Quebec, Canada, which was converted from the former Mount Royal Hotel. Architecture The Mount Royal Hotel was designed by Ross and Macdonald, a prolific ar ...

(renovation), Montreal, QC, 1989 *Life Sciences Centre,

Dalhousie University Dalhousie University (commonly known as Dal) is a large public research university in Nova Scotia, Canada, with three campuses in Halifax, a fourth in Bible Hill, and a second medical school campus in Saint John, New Brunswick. Dalhousie offer ...

, Halifax, NS, 1971 *

Maison Alcan Maison Alcan (English: Alcan House) is a building complex located on Sherbrooke Street in the Golden Square Mile district of Montreal, Canada. The complex was used to house the world headquarters for Alcan, now part of Rio Tinto Alcan, until 20 ...

, Montreal, QC, 1983 *Mughal Sheraton Hotel, Agra, India, 1978 * Maison Théâtre, Montreal, QC, 1982 * Man the Explorer and Man the Producer Theme Pavilions at

Expo 67 The 1967 International and Universal Exposition, commonly known as Expo 67, was a general exhibition from April 27 to October 29, 1967. It was a category One World's Fair held in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. It is considered to be one of the most su ...

, Montreal, QC, 1967 *

Montreal Casino The Montreal Casino (french: Casino de Montréal) is a casino on the Notre Dame Island in the borough of Ville-Marie in Montreal, Quebec, and is the largest casino in Canada. It is located in Jean-Drapeau Park, across from Montreal’s Old Por ...

, Montreal, QC, 1993 *

National Arts Centre The National Arts Centre (NAC) (french: Centre national des Arts) is a performing arts organisation in Ottawa, Ontario, along the Rideau Canal. It is based in the eponymous National Arts Centre building. History The NAC was one of a number of p ...

, Ottawa, ON, 1965 *Place Air Canada, Montreal, QC, 1983 *

Place Bonaventure Place Bonaventure is an office, exhibition, and hotel complex in Downtown Montreal, Quebec, Canada, adjacent to the city's Central Station. At in size, Place Bonaventure was the second largest commercial building in the world at the time of its ...

, Montreal, QC, 1964-1967 *

Place Ville-Marie Place Ville Marie (PVM for short) is a large office and shopping complex skyscraper in Downtown Montreal, Quebec, Canada, comprising four office buildings and an underground shopping plaza. It serves as the main and official headquarters for Roy ...

, Montreal, QC (with I. M. Pei & Partners), 1958-1964 *Quebecor Building, Tour II, Montreal, QC, 2008 *

Queen Elizabeth Theatre The Queen Elizabeth Theatre is a performing arts venue in downtown Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. Along with the Orpheum, Vancouver Playhouse, and thAnnex it is one of four facilities operated by the Vancouver Civic Theatres on behalf o ...

, Vancouver, BC, 1959 *

Place des Arts Place may refer to: Geography * Place (United States Census Bureau), defined as any concentration of population ** Census-designated place, a populated area lacking its own municipal government * "Place", a type of street or road name ** Often ...

(

Salle Wilfrid-Pelletier Salle Wilfrid-Pelletier is a large multipurpose venue in Montreal, Quebec equipped with sophisticated technical equipment. It seats 2,982 people and is part of the Place des Arts cultural complex in Montréal's Quartier des Spectacles entertainme ...

), Montreal, QC, 1963 *Stephen Leacock Building,

McGill University McGill University (french: link=no, Université McGill) is an English-language public research university located in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Founded in 1821 by royal charter granted by King George IV,Frost, Stanley Brice. ''McGill Universit ...

, Montreal, QC, 1962-1965 *St. John's Arts and Culture Centre, St. John's, NL, 1967 *University Centre,

McGill University McGill University (french: link=no, Université McGill) is an English-language public research university located in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Founded in 1821 by royal charter granted by King George IV,Frost, Stanley Brice. ''McGill Universit ...

, Montreal, 1962-1965 *

World Trade Centre Montreal The World Trade Centre Montreal (in French, ''Centre de Commerce mondial de Montréal'') is a shopping centre, office and hotel complex located in the Quartier international district of Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Completed in 1992 by Arcop, ...

, Montreal, QC, 1992

Gallery

File:Maison Lord-Atholstan 08.JPG,

Maison Alcan Maison Alcan (English: Alcan House) is a building complex located on Sherbrooke Street in the Golden Square Mile district of Montreal, Canada. The complex was used to house the world headquarters for Alcan, now part of Rio Tinto Alcan, until 20 ...

, (1983)

Montreal, Quebec Montreal ( ; officially Montréal, ) is the second-most populous city in Canada and most populous city in the Canadian province of Quebec. Founded in 1642 as '' Ville-Marie'', or "City of Mary", it is named after Mount Royal, the triple-p ...

File:Place Bonaventure 04.JPG,

Place Bonaventure Place Bonaventure is an office, exhibition, and hotel complex in Downtown Montreal, Quebec, Canada, adjacent to the city's Central Station. At in size, Place Bonaventure was the second largest commercial building in the world at the time of its ...

, (1964–67)

Montreal, Quebec Montreal ( ; officially Montréal, ) is the second-most populous city in Canada and most populous city in the Canadian province of Quebec. Founded in 1642 as '' Ville-Marie'', or "City of Mary", it is named after Mount Royal, the triple-p ...

File:Place Ville Marie.jpg,

Place Ville-Marie Place Ville Marie (PVM for short) is a large office and shopping complex skyscraper in Downtown Montreal, Quebec, Canada, comprising four office buildings and an underground shopping plaza. It serves as the main and official headquarters for Roy ...

, (1958–62)

Montreal, Quebec Montreal ( ; officially Montréal, ) is the second-most populous city in Canada and most populous city in the Canadian province of Quebec. Founded in 1642 as '' Ville-Marie'', or "City of Mary", it is named after Mount Royal, the triple-p ...

File:Queen Elizabeth Theater Vancouver BC.JPG,

Queen Elizabeth Theatre The Queen Elizabeth Theatre is a performing arts venue in downtown Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. Along with the Orpheum, Vancouver Playhouse, and thAnnex it is one of four facilities operated by the Vancouver Civic Theatres on behalf o ...

, (1958–62)

Vancouver, British Columbia Vancouver ( ) is a major city in western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the List of cities in British Columbia, most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the ...

File:Édifice leacock.jpg, Stephen Leacock Building, (1962–65),

McGill University McGill University (french: link=no, Université McGill) is an English-language public research university located in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Founded in 1821 by royal charter granted by King George IV,Frost, Stanley Brice. ''McGill Universit ...

,

Montreal, Quebec Montreal ( ; officially Montréal, ) is the second-most populous city in Canada and most populous city in the Canadian province of Quebec. Founded in 1642 as '' Ville-Marie'', or "City of Mary", it is named after Mount Royal, the triple-p ...

File:Place des Arts 15.jpg,

Place des Arts Place may refer to: Geography * Place (United States Census Bureau), defined as any concentration of population ** Census-designated place, a populated area lacking its own municipal government * "Place", a type of street or road name ** Often ...

(

Salle Wilfrid-Pelletier Salle Wilfrid-Pelletier is a large multipurpose venue in Montreal, Quebec equipped with sophisticated technical equipment. It seats 2,982 people and is part of the Place des Arts cultural complex in Montréal's Quartier des Spectacles entertainme ...

), (1963),

Montreal, Quebec Montreal ( ; officially Montréal, ) is the second-most populous city in Canada and most populous city in the Canadian province of Quebec. Founded in 1642 as '' Ville-Marie'', or "City of Mary", it is named after Mount Royal, the triple-p ...

File:NAC-CNA-2019.jpg,

National Arts Centre The National Arts Centre (NAC) (french: Centre national des Arts) is a performing arts organisation in Ottawa, Ontario, along the Rideau Canal. It is based in the eponymous National Arts Centre building. History The NAC was one of a number of p ...

, (1965),

Ottawa, Ontario Ottawa (, ; Canadian French: ) is the capital city of Canada. It is located at the confluence of the Ottawa River and the Rideau River in the southern portion of the province of Ontario. Ottawa borders Gatineau, Quebec, and forms the core ...

File:Leg Building Iqaluit 2000-08-27.jpg,

Legislative Building of Nunavut The Legislative Building of Nunavut is a structure in Iqaluit, Nunavut, Canada that serves as the seat of the Legislative Assembly of Nunavut. Designated Building 926, it consists of a three-storey glass and wood structure with a two-storey asse ...

,

Iqaluit, Nunavut Iqaluit ( ; , ; ) is the capital of the Canadian territory of Nunavut, its largest community, and its only city. It was known as Frobisher Bay from 1942 to 1987, after the large bay on the coast on which the city is situated. In 1987, its tr ...

, (1989–99)

References

External links

* *Finding aid for th
Affleck, Desbarats, Dimakopoulos, Lebensold, Sise fonds

Canadian Centre for Architecture The Canadian Centre for Architecture (CCA; french: Centre Canadien d'Architecture) is a museum of architecture and research centre in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. It is located at 1920, rue Baile (1920, Baile Street), between rue Fort (Fort Street ...

digitized items
{{authority control Architecture firms of Canada Companies based in Montreal Arcop buildings

History

Buildings

Gallery

See also

References

External links