Gordon Atkins

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Gordon Atkins (born 5 March 1937) is a retired Canadian architect. During a career lasting from 1960 to 1999, he practiced primarily in Calgary, although he designed several projects elsewhere in Alberta. Along with contemporaries including Peter Hemingway, Jack Long, and Douglas Cardinal, Atkins is credited with developing a distinct Canadian prairie style of architecture. In 1967 Atkins became the first Albertan to receive the Massey Medal for Architecture.

Biography

Atkins was born Gordon Lee Kearl on 5 March 1937 in Calgary. Shortly after his birth his parents divorced and he moved to Cardston with his mother, living with her and his grandparents. Later he changed his last name to his mother's.

After a suggestion by his high school principal, Atikins decided to study architecture in university. Choosing to attend the University of Washington, he studied there from 1955 to 1960. Upon graduation Atkins took a job in Winnipeg with the firm Green Blankstein and Russell. After working a year in Winnipeg, in 1961 Atkins moved to Calgary where he joined the partnership Alton McCaul Bowers. In 1963 he opened his own practice under his own name. For his Melchin Summer Homes, in 1967 he became the first Albertan architect to win the Massey Medal for Architecture. In 1977 he formed a partnership with Robert E. Weston called Gordon Atkins and Associates Architects.

Atkins lived in a home at 1008 Durham Avenue South West in the Mount Royal neighbourhood in Calgary. He used the house to experiment ideas on, significantly modifying it during his residence. The house was demolished circa 2011. A Mormon, he has twice served as a bishop in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Atkins's drawings are held at the Canadian Architectural Archives at the University of Calgary.

Works

  • Merle Derochie Residence, 1964-1965 (6725 Laird Crescent South West, Calgary)
  • Bloch Residence, circa 1964 (Seattle, Washington)
  • Melchin Summer Homes, 1964-1966 (Windermere, British Columbia)
  • Addition to Eugene Coste Elementary School, 1966 (10 Hillgrove Crescent South West, Calgary)
  • Alberta Government Telephones Building, 1966 (800 34th Avenue South West, Calgary)
  • Drahanchuk Studio, 1966-1967 (Bragg Creek, Alberta)
  • Mayland Heights Elementary School, 1967-1969 (2324 Maunsell Drive North East, Calgary)
  • Leavitt Residence, 1969-1970 (920 Prospect Avenue South West, Calgary)
  • Pinebrook Golf and Country Club, 1971-1973 (166 Pinebrook Way South West, Calgary)
  • Stoney Tribal Administration Building, 1976-1980 (Morley, Alberta)
  • Falconridge Condominiums, 1977-1978 (2200 Varsity Estates Drive North West, Calgary)
  • Shouldice Athletic Change Pavillion, 1979-1982 (Shouldice Athletic Park, Calgary)
  • Grande Prairie Regional College Electrical Training Facility, 1980-1982 (10609 104th Avenue, Grande Prairie)
  • Southern Alberta Youth Development Centre, 1980-1983 (630 Westchester Road, Strathmore)
  • Medicine Hat Provincial Building, 1981-1983 (346 3rd Street South East, Medicine Hat)
  • Indian Friendship Centre, 1978-1980 (140 2nd Avenue South West, Calgary)

References

  • "Gordon Lee Atkins." In The Canadian Encyclopedia. Retrieved from http://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/gordon-lee-atkins/.
  • Guimond, Pierre S.; Sinclair, Brian R. Calgary Architecture: The Boom Years, 1972-1982. Detselig Enterprises, 1984.
  • Livesey, Graham. Gordon Atkins: Architecture 1960-95. Calgary: University of Calgary Press, 2005.
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