Maurice Desnoyers (1927 – 12 December 2022) was a French-Canadian architect and winner of the OAQ Medal of Merit and the Massey Medal. His projects include the Autostade, Musée de la civilization de Québec, and portions of the

Montreal Museum of Fine Arts The Montreal Museum of Fine Arts (MMFA) is an art museum in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. It is the largest art museum in Canada by gallery space. The museum is located on the historic Golden Square Mile stretch of Sherbrooke Street west. The MMFA ...

, among many others.

Early life

Desnoyers was born in 1927 in

Saint-Hyacinthe Saint-Hyacinthe ( , ) is a city in southwestern Quebec east of Montreal on the Yamaska River. The population as of the 2021 Canadian census was 57,239. The city is located in Les Maskoutains Regional County Municipality of the Montérégie regi ...

Quebec Quebec is Canada's List of Canadian provinces and territories by area, largest province by area. Located in Central Canada, the province shares borders with the provinces of Ontario to the west, Newfoundland and Labrador to the northeast, ...

, sixth in a family of 11 children. His father was a baker. He attended

McGill University McGill University (French: Université McGill) is an English-language public research university in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Founded in 1821 by royal charter,Frost, Stanley Brice. ''McGill University, Vol. I. For the Advancement of Learning, ...

and studied engineering and architecture, graduating in 1954.

Architecture career

In the 1950s he began his architecture career in Europe and worked as an associate on the UNESCO building in Paris. In 1957, he and André J. Mercure formed the firm Desnoyers Mercure & Associés. They renovated the Prince-Arthur Gardens in 1973, for which they earned the

Massey Medal The Royal Canadian Geographical Society (RCGS) awards the Massey Medal annually to recognize outstanding personal achievement in the exploration, development or description of the geography of Canada. The award was established in 1959, by the M ...

in 1975. Other projects included converting the warehouses of Religious Hospitallers of Saint Joseph into condominiums, the former

Shawinigan Shawinigan (; ) is a city located on the Saint-Maurice River in the Mauricie area in Quebec, Canada. It had a population of 49,620 as of the 2021 Canadian census. Shawinigan is also a territory equivalent to a regional county municipality (TE) ...

aluminum smelter into a contemporary art center, and a restoration of the

Library of Parliament The Library of Parliament () is the main information repository and research resource for the Parliament of Canada. The main branch of the library sits at the rear of the Centre Block on Parliament Hill in Ottawa, Ontario. The library survived th ...

in Ottawa. In the 1970s, he designed the unique mining town of Fermont, Quebec on behalf of Québec Cartier Mining Company. A single building ("Le Mur" or "The Wall") holds a majority of the town's life and serves as a massive windbreak for the rest of the town, which is battered by winter winds during the long Canadian season. Desnoyers frequently worked with

Moshe Safdie Moshe Safdie (; born July 14, 1938) is an architect, urban planner, educator, theorist, and author. He is well known for incorporating principles of socially responsible design throughout his six-decade career. His projects include cultural, ed ...

, another noted Canadian architect.

Later life and death

Desnoyers retired in 2010. He died on 12 December 2022, at the age of 95.Décès de l'architecte maskoutain Maurice Desnoyers

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Desnoyers, Maurice 1927 births 2022 deaths Canadian architects People from Saint-Hyacinthe