Title and statement of responsibility area
Title proper
School of Architecture fonds
General material designation
- Textual record
- Photographic material
Parallel title
Other title information
Title statements of responsibility
Title notes
- Source of title proper: The title is based on the contents of the fonds.
Level of description
Fonds
Repository
Reference code
Edition area
Edition statement
Edition statement of responsibility
Class of material specific details area
Statement of scale (cartographic)
Statement of projection (cartographic)
Statement of coordinates (cartographic)
Statement of scale (architectural)
Issuing jurisdiction and denomination (philatelic)
Dates of creation area
Date(s)
Physical description area
Physical description
5.7 m of textual records.
39 photographs.
3 scrapbooks.
Publisher's series area
Title proper of publisher's series
Parallel titles of publisher's series
Other title information of publisher's series
Statement of responsibility relating to publisher's series
Numbering within publisher's series
Note on publisher's series
Archival description area
Name of creator
Administrative history
In 1945, the Vancouver Board of Trade passed a resolution urging UBC to establish an architecture department. Concurrently, second and third-year Applied Science students formed a Pre-Architecture Club to lobby for implementing an architectural program. The Department of Architecture was subsequently established in 1946 within the Faculty of Applied Science under the direction of Frederick Lasserre. In 1950, the department was reorganized as the School of Architecture. Lasserre, who became director of the School, continued until his tragic death in 1961. He was succeeded in turn by Henry Elder (1961-75), Robert K. Macleod (1975-79), Charles A. Tiers (acting, 1979-80), Douglas Shadbolt (1980-91), and Sanford Hirshen (1991- ). Initially housed in several old army huts, in 1962, the School moved, together with the Department of Fine Arts, into the Frederick Lasserre Building. The School initially offered a five-year undergraduate programme leading to a B.Arch degree. This developed into a three-year second degree B.Arch programme in the late 1950s, and further developed as a master's level programme in the early 1990s. The School also provides workshops to its students, both locally-based programmes and "study abroad" workshops in foreign cities.
Custodial history
All but one folder of the School of Architecture records were transferred directly to the University Archives. File #1-11 was originally donated by the School to the Vancouver City Archives in 1976, and subsequently transferred to the University Archives.
Scope and content
Fonds consists of correspondence, reports, committee minutes, budget and other financial records, clippings, course materials, drawings, and photographs. The records document the evolution of the School of Architecture, its activities and programmes, and its relations with other architectural institutions and professional bodies. They are arranged in the following series: Historical Files, Building of Fine Arts Centre / Lasserre Building, Director's Files, Possible Closure of School, Director Search, UBC Library Bookplate Competition, Course and Programme Materials, and Scrapbooks. The fonds also includes three sous-fonds (sub-groups): the papers of former director Douglas Shadbolt, records of the Architectural Undergraduate Society, and the papers of former student Peter Cotton.
Notes area
Physical condition
Immediate source of acquisition
The materials were received in six separate accessions, the first in 1975 and the most recent in 1997. File #1-11, originally donated to the Vancouver City Archives by the School in 1976, was transferred to the University Archives later that year.
Arrangement
The original order of the textual materials has been retained or restored as nearly as possible.
Language of material
Script of material
Location of originals
Availability of other formats
Photographs are described and stored separately. Oversized scrapbooks are stored separately in the University Archives storage area in the Rare Books and Special Collections vault.
Selected photographs have been digitized and included in the UBC Library Open Collections.
Restrictions on access
These are institutional records and subject to the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act. Researcher access to these records is subject to review. To organize access please contact us at UBC Archives.
Terms governing use, reproduction, and publication
Finding aids
Online Finding Aid
Please see finding aid for the file list.
Uploaded finding aid
Associated materials
Records dealing with the development of the UBC Campus may also be found in the fonds of Physical Plant and the Department of Facilities Planning.
Accruals
Further accruals are expected.
Alternative identifier(s)
Standard number area
Standard number
Access points
Subject access points
Place access points
Name access points
- Cotton, Peter Neve (Subject)
- Shadbolt, Douglas (Subject)
- University of British Columbia. Architectural Undergraduate Society (Subject)
- University of British Columbia. Dept. of Architecture (Subject)
- Shaw, Michael (Subject)
- Rogatnick, Abraham (Subject)