Mary Imrie
Photo of Mary Imrie
Born(1918-08-29)August 29, 1918
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
DiedApril 11, 1988(1988-04-11) (aged 69)
Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
NationalityCanadian
OccupationArchitect
Known forResidential projects during Edmonton's post-war construction boom
PartnerJean Wallbridge[1]

Mary Imrie (August 29, 1918 – April 11, 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.[10] 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.[11] 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.

In 1957, Imrie and Wallbridge built their own home "Six Acres" in Edmonton where they lived as a couple.[12]

Concerning her professional work, Imrie 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!"[13] She was a member of the Royal Architectural Institute of Canada and the Alberta Association of Architects.[14] A travel grant is named after her at The University of Alberta, called the "Mary Louise Imrie Graduate Student Award".[15] 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 "Imrie House", as well as the land located next to the North Saskatchewan River.[3]

References

  1. ↑ "Mary Imrie and Jean Wallbridge fonds". Archives Society of Alberta.
  2. ↑ Dominey, Erna. "Wallbridge and Imrie".
  3. 1 2 "Imrie House - AEP - Environment and Parks". aep.alberta.ca. Archived from the original on 2019-10-28. Retrieved 2018-03-29.
  4. ↑ Brennan, Elizabeth A.; Clarage, Elizabeth C. (29 March 1999). Who's who of Pulitzer Prize Winners. Greenwood Publishing Group. ISBN 9781573561112 – via Google Books.
  5. ↑ "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". The New York Times. 20 June 1942 – via NYTimes.com.
  6. ↑ "About Us - Edmonton Journal". www.edmontonjournal.com.
  7. ↑ Wallbridge & Imrie at The Canadian Encyclopedia, accessed September 4, 2019
  8. ↑ Goyette, Linda; Roemmich, Carolina Jakeway (1 April 2005). Edmonton in Our Own Words. University of Alberta. ISBN 9780888644497 – via Google Books.
  9. ↑ "Jean Louise Emberly Wallbridge & Mary Louise Imrie". 30 March 2016.
  10. ↑ Boxwell, Josephine (2022-07-02). "Imrie House: Home of Canada's First Female Architectural Firm". Edmonton City As A Museum Project. Retrieved 2023-05-23.
  11. ↑ Burgess, Cecil Scott (29 March 2018). Architecture, Town Planning and Community: Selected Writings and Public Talks by Cecil Burgess, 1909-1946. University of Alberta. ISBN 9780888644558 – via Google Books.
  12. ↑ "Mary Imrie and Jean Wallbridge fonds - Alberta On Record". albertaonrecord.ca. Retrieved 2023-06-10.
  13. ↑ Grierson, Joan (31 March 2008). For the Record: The First Women in Canadian Architecture. Dundurn. ISBN 9781770706415 – via Google Books.
  14. ↑ "Canadian Women Artists History Initiative : Artist Database : Artists : IMRIE, Mary". cwahi.concordia.ca.
  15. ↑ "Graduate travel support fund - Faculty of Education". www.ualberta.ca. Archived from the original on 2019-10-26. Retrieved 2018-03-29.
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