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A Work in Progress |
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Eric W. Hounsom
Eric Hounsom was born in 1904 in Toronto. He attended Central Technical School in Toronto and continued his studies in Detroit and Chicago, returning home to work for the architectural firm of Kaplan & Sprachman.
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Further study in New York led to a position as draftsman with architect Beverley S. King, for whom he designed country houses. Back in Toronto, he secured a permanent position with Kaplan & Sprachman, and in 1936 he was admitted to the Ontario Association of Architects.
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Circle Theatre, 2567 Yonge St, isometric drawing & details
[ca 1932]
Architect: Kaplan & Sprachman, Architects, Toronto
Delineator: Eric W. Hounsom
City of Toronto Archives,
Fonds 122, Series 881, File 413
Click image for larger version |
Competition for Canadian Building,
New York World’s Fair, concept sketch
[194-]
Architect: Eric W. Hounsom
City of Toronto Archives,
Fonds 1248, Series 1343, File 148, Item 1
Click image for larger version
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Hounsom continued to work intermittently for Kaplan & Sprachman for many years, but also formed his own practice. Hounsom's landmark building in Toronto was the University Theatre at 100 Bloor Street West, completed in 1949.
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University Theatre,
100 Bloor St W, concept sketch
1946
Architect: Eric W. Hounsom
City of Toronto Archives,
Fonds 1248, Series 1343, File 141, Item 1
Click image for larger version |
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University Theatre,
100 Bloor St W, interior, lobby
April 1949
Photographer: Panda Photography
City of Toronto Archives,
Fonds 1248, Series 1343, File 128, Item 1
Click image for larger version |
He also designed approximately sixty other theatres in Ontario, in addition to homes, churches, commercial buildings and schools.
From 1954 to 1957, Hounsom worked in partnership with Dutch architect Jan Albarda. In 1960 he joined the provincial Department of Public Works, where he worked until his retirement in 1968, designing hospitals and administrative structures throughout Ontario. He died in 1974.
The records of Eric W. Hounsom were acquired by the Toronto Archives in 2007.
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