A Concise History of Candian Architecture

As in the original work, Harold Kalman presents a panorama of Canadian building as rich as it is vast, from the dwellings of pre-contact Native peoples and the first European settlers to the revolutionary structures of the Modernist period and the renewed apprediation of the past that marks much of the architecture created on the eve of the new millennium. Emphasizing social and cultural contexts, he brings to light several distinctive characteristics of Canadian architects and their work. Among them are a respect for nature, natural forms, and local materials; a tendency to absorb ideas from abroad and then simplify or restrain them; a preference for the middle ground between extreme modernism; and a flair for innovation in response to social needs. Offering all the authority of the original edition, which was awarded the Sir John A. Macdonald Prize given by the Canadian Historical Association, this landmark work will appeal to everyone with an interest in Canadas history, in which architecture has been a fascinating thread.