Police and Fire Station No 10, Montreal

I was interested to learn of the practice in Montreal, and perhaps elsewhere in Canada, of combining police stations and fire stations in a single building.

This is former Police and Firs Station No 10, now just Fire Station No 25. It was designed by Harold Edgar Shorey and Samuel Douglas Richie.

The doors to the separate police & fire sections of the building are marked with simple block letters. Police on one side of the building with the bays for the fire engines around the corner.

A frieze above the Police Station door depicts city buildings in one section and shipping activity it two others.


The building was constructed in 1931 and won first prize in the public building category from the Royal Architectural Institute of Canada the same year.



Reference:
Centre-Ville tour booklet, 10th World Congress on Art Deco, Montreal

former Bank of Montreal, Ottawa

This is the former Bank of Montreal building across the road from the Parliament buildings in Ottawa. It was built in 1930 to designs by architect Ernest I Barott. While the overall structure is quite classical the building is ringed by a series of wonderful deco friezes.

Reference:
Ottawa Tour Guide Book, Montreal World Congress on Art Deco

Apartments, Montreal

Jones Heward Building, Montreal

Although the Jones Heward Building at 249-251 Rue Saint-Jacques, Montreal is an older building, the doors, according to Art Deco Montreal, date from 1929 and were designed by N I Chipman. Each of the doors has one of these plaques depicting a ship, a train, a factory and a gasometer.

I really like how the steam (at the top) and the pilot or cowcatcher, if you want to be agricultural about it, (at the bottom) have been represented.

Reference:
Buildings, Art Deco Montreal

Église St-Esprit (interior), Rosemont

Yesterday on my post about the Église St-Esprit, I promised to show you the interior of this gorgeous church.

The interior was designed by Toussait-Xénophon Renaud and some of the elements such as the flooring and the wall lights could be just as appropriate in a cinema. On the other hand the pews, seating on the main alter, the confessional boxes and the stained glass windows by Guido Nincheri do not belong anywhere but a church.

The pews at the front of the church are enclosed by these decorated Art Deco wooden panels.

Each of the panels and the door are stepped at the top. I can see floral or sunburst forms in the decoration and, of course, a cross on the door providing access to the seating. You can also see that elements of the seating are also decorated with similar Art Deco patterns.

Similar patterns have been used in the backs of these chairs and I think it looks more like a sunburst here.

Again we have a a representation of a cross on the large central chair which seems to employee more stepped forms than a chair can bear. Besides the stepped wooden slats below the seat, the armrest and the back supports are also stepped.

The confessionals are also decorated but not as richly as the other woodwork. The leadlight windows do make up for it though.

The ceiling is dominated by this cross. Again the stepped elements can be seen in this piece of decoration.

Suspended from the cross is a large round light fitting. Definitely could be found in a cinema or theatre foyer.

And if it wasn't for the cross below this wall light it could be in a cinema auditorium.

The flooring is no less spectacular. I suppose it is terazzo but I don't know. It could be part of a theatre foyer.

If you missed them on the way in, you can't miss the pair of lights on the way out. Perhaps about 2m tall standing each side of the door in the entrance foyer.

Reference:
Rosemont Tour Booklet, Tenth World Congress on Art Deco, Montreal, 2009

Église St-Esprit, Rosemont

This is the Église St-Esprit in Rosemont, Montreal. It was designed by architect Joseph-Églide-Césaire Daoust, constructed in 1932 and according to the Rosemont Tour Booklet from the Tenth World Congress on Art Deco in Montreal in 2009, it is the only pure Art Deco church in Canada.

I especially liked the stacking of geometric shapes on this part of the church buildings.

There are these angels on either side of the main doors.

The detailling is exquisite.

Finally there are three of these incredible lights in front of the church. Originally there were four of these bronze torchieres but one was stolen in 2003 and melted down after it had fallen over.

I haven't seen many churches in Canada I can well beleive that this is the most Art Deco of them.

But wait there's more. Tomorrow, I'll post some pictures of the interior.

Reference:
Rosemont Tour Booklet, Tenth World Congress on Art Deco, Montreal, 2009

Interior, Supreme Court of Canada, Ottawa

I've previously written about the exterior of the Supreme Court of Canada designed by Ernest Cormier and constructed in 1939. I also showed you the Judges' Gallery which is tucked in below these magnificent pair of staircases leading from the Grand Entrance Hall up to the Main Courtroom.

Natural light comes into the Grand Entrance Hall through a number of these stylish windows but the main feature is undoubtably the staircases.

The lights are another feature of the Supreme Court building with this style in the Grand Entrance Hall and the first floor.

While this amazing construction is in the Main Courtroom.

And of course there is more deco in the Main Courtroom with the wall lamps and furniture.

Reference:
Supreme Court of Canada website

Horse Palace, Toronto

Tomorrow, the first Tuesday in November, sees the running of the Melbourne Cup. A horse race. Indeed the 'race that stops the nation'. And those of us who work in the Melbourne metropolitian area get a Public Holiday to enjoy the celebration. 2010 marks the 150th running of the Melbourne Cup so it has a long tradition in this town and so I'd like to show you some ...

Not just any horses, these beautiful Art Deco reliefs come from the Horse Palace in Toronto.

This massive complex was erected in 1931 as part of the Exhibition Place grounds where various agricultural fairs and exhibitions have been held since 1878.

It was designed by City of Toronto architect, John James Woolnough, and his team including Kenneth S Gillies, assistant architect and Stanley T J Fryer, designer.

Today, still considered one of the finest equestrian facilities in Canada it is used by the Riding Academy, the Toronto Police Mounted Unit and Toronto Animal Services.

Besides the representation of horses, the building has many other Art Deco features.

There are wonderful sets of red, black and glass doors and pairs of copper lights sitting on columns above the entrances.

Sections with geometric designs such as these three semi-circular areas on this part of the facade.

Chiselled lines create a series of horizontal or vertical elements separating and highlighting other features of the design such as the windows and relief carvings.

All over the building bricks are used to provice contrasting horizontal bands to the grey stonework.

In one particular section, three porthole windows are included in a relatively large expanse of brickwork.

An octagonal tower topped with a copper dome forms an inportant part of the Horse Palace. The facade below the tower features a large vertical setback area that has a large window and zig-zag decoration at its top which is semi-circular thereby mirroring the tower. This setback is flanked on each side by a pair of curious, squat columns.

There appears to be no reference to to horses at this end of the building but this incorrect. The blocks at the corners at the base of the tower are actually stylised horses heads.

So in honour of the 24 horses that will enter the starting gates for the 150th Melbourne Cup tomorrow, I present a palace for horses on the other side of the world.

References:
Horse Palace History, The Riding Academy website
Art Deco Architecture in Toronto, by Tim Morawetz