Building a Community. Estonian Architects in Post-War Toronto

VEMU has been working to prepare an exhibit about architects in Toronto with Estonian backgrounds in collaboration with the Museum of Estonian Architecture in Tallinn since 2015. The exhibit will celebrate both Canada’s 150th and Estonia’s 100th birthdays. The exhibit will be on display in Tallinn at the Museum of Estonian Architecture in 2018. The Compartriots Program (Estonia), Estonian Ministry of Education and Reseach, Estonian Ministry of Culture, Integration Foundation, and the Cultural Endowment of Estonia sponsored this collaborative project.

The curator and keeper of collections at the Museum of Estonian Architecture, Jarmo Kauge, has visited Toronto three times to research the lives and architectural heritage in their new homeland of architects that emigrated to Canada after the Second World War. The exhibit is a summary of the research, demonstrating the surprising influence Estonian-born architects had on the spread of modern architecture in Toronto and across Canada. The exhibit focuses first and foremost on the older generation of architects, those whose work and activity at universities have left a strong mark on Toronto’s cityscape, as well as on the quality of architectural education.

The work of Estonian architects in Canada has not been thoroughly researched until now. The most recent overview of the Estonian-born architectural community in Canada was published in 1994 in the book “Profiilid” (Profiles), which gave a detailed overview of the life and work of 43 architects. Information about the lives and works of architects who had successful careers in Estonia and left during the war, studying in Europe, but only beginning their practical careers in their new homeland, is very limited. Big name architects such as Elmar Tampõld or Uno Prii (educated at the University of Toronto), are not well-known in Estonia; therefore, this exhibit is a good opportunity to introduce them and other shining individuals, as well as their remarkable creations to the Estonian audience.