Banff National Park Pavilion
Encyclopedia
The Banff National Park Pavilion, was designed by Frank Lloyd Wright
and Francis Conroy Sullivan, Wright's only Canadian student. Designed in 1911, in the Prairie School
style, construction began in 1913 and was completed the following year. The pavilion
was built on the Recreation Grounds near the south end of the Bow River
Bridge on the edge of the town of Banff
, itself located within Banff National Park
in Alberta
. The last of only two Wright designs in Canada
, the pavilion was demolished in 1939.
the area became the first national park in Canada, and the second in North America behind Yellowstone. As a national park the controlling authority became the Federal Government of Canada
, rather than the province of Alberta.
Sullivan, unrelated to Wright's previous employer Louis Sullivan
, had worked in Wright's Oak Park Studio
before leaving for Ottawa
in 1908 to work for the government as an architect for, as it was then known, the Department of Public Works.
By the 1900s Banff National Park, as it had become known, was increasing in popularity and had become accessible by automobile in 1911. A visitor pavilion was commissioned by government officials in Ottawa. A concept plan had been submitted by residents of Banff to Ottawa, but officials rejected it. Envisioning a more refined structure Wright and Sullivan were hired. The building contract was awarded to Bennett, Debman, & Co., of Calgary
who aimed to use local labour and purchase building supplies from local merchants.
After completion, in 1914 during World War I
, the pavilion was used as a Quartermaster's store by the Department of National Defence
. After the War the main function of the pavilion became a gathering area for tourists waiting on trains.
Wright and Sullivan worked together on four built projects. While the Banff National Park Pavilion is attributed to Wright with Sullivan's assistance, the other three are attributed to Sullivan with Wright's assistance.
style over a frame construction, and was an elongated visitor shelter of wood and stone. Supported by low stone walls the length of the building was constructed of wood, in a board-and-batten
fashion. Steel beams supported the cantilever
ed roof.
The interior was primarily an assembly lounge 100ft by 50 ft in size. A row of art glass
windows ran the entire length of the wall opposite the main entrance, and three cobblestone fireplaces featured on the remaining three. Clerestory
windows contributed additional light, through the exposed beams of the roof.
A ladies' powder room was at one end of the lounge, with a gentlemen's retiring room at the other. Each room measured 50 ft by 25 ft. The pavilion also featured public lockers.
The finished product was only usable four months of the year, suitable only for a few summer sports, and as a picnicers' lounging area.
Similar in design to the River Forest Tennis Club, in River Forest, Illinois
, the pavilion is also considered comparable to the Lake Geneva Hotel, in Lake Geneva, Wisconsin
, also designed in 1911 and itself demolished 1970.
, on swampy ground, the pavilion was subject to flooding, severe frost, and consequent decay.
The Banff Crag and Canyon reported in July 1920 that;
The pavilion suffered severe flood damage in 1933, and deterioration progressed to the point that the building was torn down in 1939. Ruins of the pavilion were visible until the early 1960s, but by 1965 all traces had been washed away or sunk into the bog
.
and ice hockey
, calling for a building that could be used year round. Those plans were overseen by locals and approved by Banff residents after a public meeting at the National Park Theatre. In December 1913, just months after construction began the Banff Crag and Canyon reported that;
Years later, in July 1920, the Banff Crag and Canyon reported of the building and grounds that;
Frank Lloyd Wright
Frank Lloyd Wright was an American architect, interior designer, writer and educator, who designed more than 1,000 structures and completed 500 works. Wright believed in designing structures which were in harmony with humanity and its environment, a philosophy he called organic architecture...
and Francis Conroy Sullivan, Wright's only Canadian student. Designed in 1911, in the Prairie School
Prairie School
Prairie School was a late 19th and early 20th century architectural style, most common to the Midwestern United States.The works of the Prairie School architects are usually marked by horizontal lines, flat or hipped roofs with broad overhanging eaves, windows grouped in horizontal bands,...
style, construction began in 1913 and was completed the following year. The pavilion
Pavilion (structure)
In architecture a pavilion has two main meanings.-Free-standing structure:Pavilion may refer to a free-standing structure sited a short distance from a main residence, whose architecture makes it an object of pleasure. Large or small, there is usually a connection with relaxation and pleasure in...
was built on the Recreation Grounds near the south end of the Bow River
Bow River
The Bow River is a river in the Canadian province of Alberta. It is a tributary of the South Saskatchewan River, and is considered the headwater of the Nelson River....
Bridge on the edge of the town of Banff
Banff, Alberta
Banff is a town within Banff National Park in Alberta, Canada. It is located in Alberta's Rockies along the Trans-Canada Highway, approximately west of Calgary and east of Lake Louise....
, itself located within Banff National Park
Banff National Park
Banff National Park is Canada's oldest national park, established in 1885 in the Rocky Mountains. The park, located 110–180 kilometres west of Calgary in the province of Alberta, encompasses of mountainous terrain, with numerous glaciers and ice fields, dense coniferous forest, and alpine...
in Alberta
Alberta
Alberta is a province of Canada. It had an estimated population of 3.7 million in 2010 making it the most populous of Canada's three prairie provinces...
. The last of only two Wright designs in Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
, the pavilion was demolished in 1939.
History
Banff National Park had been established in 1885 as Banff Hot Springs Reserve. Expanded in 1887 as Rocky Mountains Park under the Rocky Mountains Park ActRocky Mountains Park Act
The Rocky Mountains Park Act was enacted on June 23, 1887, by the Parliament of Canada, establishing Banff National Park which was then known as "Rocky Mountains Park". The act was modelled on the Yellowstone Park Act passed by the United States Congress in 1881. The Rocky Mountains Park Act...
the area became the first national park in Canada, and the second in North America behind Yellowstone. As a national park the controlling authority became the Federal Government of Canada
Government of Canada
The Government of Canada, formally Her Majesty's Government, is the system whereby the federation of Canada is administered by a common authority; in Canadian English, the term can mean either the collective set of institutions or specifically the Queen-in-Council...
, rather than the province of Alberta.
Sullivan, unrelated to Wright's previous employer Louis Sullivan
Louis Sullivan
Louis Henri Sullivan was an American architect, and has been called the "father of skyscrapers" and "father of modernism" He is considered by many as the creator of the modern skyscraper, was an influential architect and critic of the Chicago School, was a mentor to Frank Lloyd Wright, and an...
, had worked in Wright's Oak Park Studio
Frank Lloyd Wright Home and Studio
The Frank Lloyd Wright Home and Studio at 951 Chicago Avenue in Oak Park, Illinois, has been restored by the Frank Lloyd Wright Preservation Trust to its appearance in 1909, the last year Frank Lloyd Wright lived there with his family. Frank Lloyd Wright purchased the property and built the home in...
before leaving for Ottawa
Ottawa
Ottawa is the capital of Canada, the second largest city in the Province of Ontario, and the fourth largest city in the country. The city is located on the south bank of the Ottawa River in the eastern portion of Southern Ontario...
in 1908 to work for the government as an architect for, as it was then known, the Department of Public Works.
By the 1900s Banff National Park, as it had become known, was increasing in popularity and had become accessible by automobile in 1911. A visitor pavilion was commissioned by government officials in Ottawa. A concept plan had been submitted by residents of Banff to Ottawa, but officials rejected it. Envisioning a more refined structure Wright and Sullivan were hired. The building contract was awarded to Bennett, Debman, & Co., of Calgary
Calgary
Calgary is a city in the Province of Alberta, Canada. It is located in the south of the province, in an area of foothills and prairie, approximately east of the front ranges of the Canadian Rockies...
who aimed to use local labour and purchase building supplies from local merchants.
After completion, in 1914 during World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
, the pavilion was used as a Quartermaster's store by the Department of National Defence
Department of National Defence (Canada)
The Department of National Defence , frequently referred to by its acronym DND, is the department within the government of Canada with responsibility for all matters concerning the defence of Canada...
. After the War the main function of the pavilion became a gathering area for tourists waiting on trains.
Wright and Sullivan worked together on four built projects. While the Banff National Park Pavilion is attributed to Wright with Sullivan's assistance, the other three are attributed to Sullivan with Wright's assistance.
Design
The pavilion featured a rusticRustication (architecture)
thumb|upright|Two different styles of rustication in the [[Palazzo Medici-Riccardi]] in [[Florence]].In classical architecture rustication is an architectural feature that contrasts in texture with the smoothly finished, squared block masonry surfaces called ashlar...
style over a frame construction, and was an elongated visitor shelter of wood and stone. Supported by low stone walls the length of the building was constructed of wood, in a board-and-batten
Batten
A batten is a thin strip of solid material, typically made from wood, plastic or metal. Battens are used in building construction and various other fields as both structural and purely cosmetic elements...
fashion. Steel beams supported the cantilever
Cantilever
A cantilever is a beam anchored at only one end. The beam carries the load to the support where it is resisted by moment and shear stress. Cantilever construction allows for overhanging structures without external bracing. Cantilevers can also be constructed with trusses or slabs.This is in...
ed roof.
The interior was primarily an assembly lounge 100ft by 50 ft in size. A row of art glass
Leadlight
Leadlights or leaded lights are decorative windows made of small sections of glass supported in lead cames. The technique of creating windows using glass and lead came is discussed at lead came and copper foil glasswork...
windows ran the entire length of the wall opposite the main entrance, and three cobblestone fireplaces featured on the remaining three. Clerestory
Clerestory
Clerestory is an architectural term that historically denoted an upper level of a Roman basilica or of the nave of a Romanesque or Gothic church, the walls of which rise above the rooflines of the lower aisles and are pierced with windows. In modern usage, clerestory refers to any high windows...
windows contributed additional light, through the exposed beams of the roof.
A ladies' powder room was at one end of the lounge, with a gentlemen's retiring room at the other. Each room measured 50 ft by 25 ft. The pavilion also featured public lockers.
The finished product was only usable four months of the year, suitable only for a few summer sports, and as a picnicers' lounging area.
Similar in design to the River Forest Tennis Club, in River Forest, Illinois
River Forest, Illinois
River Forest is a suburban village in Cook County, Illinois, United States. Two universities make their home in River Forest, Dominican University and Concordia University Chicago. The village is closely tied to the larger neighboring community of Oak Park, Illinois. There are significant...
, the pavilion is also considered comparable to the Lake Geneva Hotel, in Lake Geneva, Wisconsin
Lake Geneva, Wisconsin
Lake Geneva is a city in Walworth County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 7,148 at the 2000 census. A resort city located on Geneva Lake, it is southwest of Milwaukee and popular with tourists from metropolitan Chicago and Milwaukee.-History:...
, also designed in 1911 and itself demolished 1970.
Destruction
Built on the shore of the Bow RiverBow River
The Bow River is a river in the Canadian province of Alberta. It is a tributary of the South Saskatchewan River, and is considered the headwater of the Nelson River....
, on swampy ground, the pavilion was subject to flooding, severe frost, and consequent decay.
The Banff Crag and Canyon reported in July 1920 that;
The pavilion suffered severe flood damage in 1933, and deterioration progressed to the point that the building was torn down in 1939. Ruins of the pavilion were visible until the early 1960s, but by 1965 all traces had been washed away or sunk into the bog
Bog
A bog, quagmire or mire is a wetland that accumulates acidic peat, a deposit of dead plant material—often mosses or, in Arctic climates, lichens....
.
Controversy
During its life residents saw the building as a symbol of Ottawa's contempt for their concerns. Wanting a building designed for local recreational needs, the original and unused plans included areas for curlingCurling
Curling is a sport in which players slide stones across a sheet of ice towards a target area. It is related to bowls, boule and shuffleboard. Two teams, each of four players, take turns sliding heavy, polished granite stones, also called "rocks", across the ice curling sheet towards the house, a...
and ice hockey
Ice hockey
Ice hockey, often referred to as hockey, is a team sport played on ice, in which skaters use wooden or composite sticks to shoot a hard rubber puck into their opponent's net. The game is played between two teams of six players each. Five members of each team skate up and down the ice trying to take...
, calling for a building that could be used year round. Those plans were overseen by locals and approved by Banff residents after a public meeting at the National Park Theatre. In December 1913, just months after construction began the Banff Crag and Canyon reported that;
Years later, in July 1920, the Banff Crag and Canyon reported of the building and grounds that;