Esther Marjorie Hill (May 29, 1895 – January 7, 1985) was a

Canadian Canadians () are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of their being ''C ...

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 ...

and the first woman to graduate in architecture from the University of Toronto (1920).

Early life

Hill was born in

Guelph, Ontario Guelph ( ; 2021 Canadian Census population 143,740) is a city in Southwestern Ontario, Canada. Known as The Royal City, it is roughly east of Kitchener, Ontario, Kitchener and west of Downtown Toronto, at the intersection of Ontario Highway 6, ...

. Her father, E. Lincoln Hill, was a teacher and

librarian A librarian is a person who professionally works managing information. Librarians' common activities include providing access to information, conducting research, creating and managing information systems, creating, leading, and evaluating educat ...

for the

Edmonton Public Library The Edmonton Public Library (EPL) is a public library system in the city of Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. Library cards are free to all Edmontonians; as part of its centennial in 2013, the Edmonton Public Library eliminated membership fees. Universi ...

(where he served as Chief Librarian, 1912-1936), and her mother, Jennie Stork Hill, was one of the first 10 women to study at the

University of Toronto The University of Toronto (UToronto or U of T) is a public university, public research university whose main campus is located on the grounds that surround Queen's Park (Toronto), Queen's Park in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It was founded by ...

. After earning her Bachelor of Arts degree at the

University of Alberta The University of Alberta (also known as U of A or UAlberta, ) is a public research university located in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. It was founded in 1908 by Alexander Cameron Rutherford, the first premier of Alberta, and Henry Marshall Tory, t ...

in 1916, Hill started taking classes in architecture at the same institution, until the program was canceled and she had to transfer to the University of Toronto. She graduated in 1920, becoming the first woman from the University of Toronto to receive a university degree in architecture. Esther Hill graduation procession

Career

Hill struggled during her early career because of her gender. Backlash was felt from men in the architecture business, and opportunities were lacking for Hill. Upon graduation Hill was only able to find one job opportunity: as an

interior designer Interior design is the art and science of enhancing the interior of a building to achieve a healthier and more aesthetically pleasing environment for the people using the space. With a keen eye for detail and a Creativity, creative flair, an ...

Eaton's The T. Eaton Company Limited, later known as Eaton's, was a Canadian department store chain that was once the largest in the country. It was founded in 1869 in Toronto by Timothy Eaton, an immigrant from what is now Northern Ireland. Eaton's g ...

department store. Eventually she returned to

Edmonton Edmonton is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Alberta. It is situated on the North Saskatchewan River and is the centre of the Edmonton Metropolitan Region, which is surrounded by Central Alberta ...

. In 1920 and 1921 she authored a series of articles in the journal Agricultural Alberta, describing her functional approach to domestic architecture and her belief in designing to allow in as much natural light as possible. Her application to join the Alberta Association of Architects may have been declined because she lacked the mandatory one year experience. Despite struggles, she found a job as a

drafter A drafter (also draughtsman / draughtswoman in British English, British and English in the Commonwealth of Nations, Commonwealth English, draftsman / draftswoman, drafting technician, or CAD technician in American English, American and Canadia ...

at MacDonald and Magoon Architects in Edmonton. In the fall of 1922, she started taking classes in

urban planning Urban planning (also called city planning in some contexts) is the process of developing and designing land use and the built environment, including air, water, and the infrastructure passing into and out of urban areas, such as transportatio ...

from the University of Toronto. She went to

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

and studied at

Columbia University Columbia University in the City of New York, commonly referred to as Columbia University, is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Churc ...

, apprenticing under Anna Schenck,

Marcia Mead Marcia Mead (1879–1967) was an early 20th century American architect known for taking a neighborhood-centered approach to the design of low-cost housing. With Anna Pendleton Schenck, Anna P. Schenck (1874–1915), she was a partner in the firm ...

, and Katharine Budd. Upon returning to Canada, she reapplied to the Alberta Association of Architects. In 1925, Esther Hill became the first Canadian woman to be a registered architect. She returned to New York to work with another woman architect but moved back to Edmonton in 1928. She once more worked part-time for MacDonald and Magoon and continued to struggle to find full-time work. The

Great Depression The Great Depression was a severe global economic downturn from 1929 to 1939. The period was characterized by high rates of unemployment and poverty, drastic reductions in industrial production and international trade, and widespread bank and ...

hit, making things worse. Hill turned to anything she could to bring in income: teaching, weaving, making

gloves A glove is a garment covering the hand, with separate sheaths or openings for each finger including the thumb. Gloves protect and comfort hands against cold or heat, damage by friction, abrasion or chemicals, and disease; or in turn to provide a ...

and

greeting cards A greeting card is a piece of card stock, usually with an illustration or photo, made of high quality paper featuring an expression of friendship or other sentiment. Although greeting cards are usually given on special occasions such as birthda ...

. She moved to

Victoria, British Columbia Victoria is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of British Columbia, on the southern tip of Vancouver Island off Canada's Pacific Ocean, Pacific coast. The city has a population of 91,867, and the Gre ...

in 1936 with her parents, and after World War II she founded her own

architectural firm In the United States, an architectural firm or architecture firm is a business that employs one or more licensed architects and practices the profession of architecture; while in South Africa, the United Kingdom, Ireland, Denmark and other countr ...

. She still continued to weave, joining the Victoria Handweavers' and Spinners' Guild. She won first prize in weaving at the

Canadian National Exhibition The Canadian National Exhibition (CNE), also known as The Exhibition or The Ex, is an annual fair that takes place at Exhibition Place in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, on the third Friday of August leading up to and including Labour Day (Canada), ...

in 1942. In 1953, she joined the

Architectural Institute of British Columbia The Architectural Institute of British Columbia (AIBC) is the regulatory body responsible for registering and licensing all architects in the Province of British Columbia in Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and ...

and served on the

city planning Urban planning (also called city planning in some contexts) is the process of developing and designing land use and the built environment, including air, water, and the infrastructure passing into and out of urban areas, such as transportatio ...

committee for five years. Working out of her parents' home, drafting designs on their dining room table, she became an independent architect in Victoria, until her retirement in 1963. Hill's work was described as "utterly alone" in the male dominated world of architecture. While in Victoria, she designed houses, churches, apartment buildings, retirement homes, and kitchens. She died in 1985. Some of her drawings are in the Archives of the

References

External links

"Esther Marjorie Hill"
''Library and Archives Canada''
"Esther Marjorie Hill"
''Victoria's Read'', 05/02/2009
"Hill, Esther Marjorie"
Architects in Canada
"Architect E.M.Hill"
''The Montreal Gazette'', January 14, 1985
Canadian Women Artists History InitiativeE. Marjorie Hill archival papers
held at th
University of Toronto Archives and Records Management Services
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hill, Esther 1895 births 1985 deaths Canadian urban planners Canadian weavers People from Guelph University of Toronto alumni Women urban planners Canadian women architects 20th-century Canadian architects 20th-century Canadian women textile artists 20th-century Canadian textile artists

Early life

Career

References

Further reading

External links