Over the next few weeks, the E.R.A. Office blog will be presenting a series of brief biographies of Toronto’s modernist architects. The first in this series is Irving Grossman.
Beth David B’nai Israel Beth Am Synagogue, 1959
Born in Toronto in 1926, Irving Grossman earned his Bachelor of Architecture at the University of Toronto in 1950. In this period, the University was transitioning from a Beaux Arts into a high-modernist institution under the direction of Eric Arthur. Upon graduation, Grossman received the Pilkington Glass Fellowship, which allowed him to work and travel abroad for three years. He worked first with the MARS group in London, England, and then with R.M. Schindler in Los Angeles.
Flemingdon Apartments, 1962
The ‘Flemingdon Park Concept’ of vehicular traffic separation.
Diagram from Norbert Schoenauer, McGill University.
Edgeley in the Village, 1967
Mr. Grossman commenced private practice in 1954, and designed many major urban renewal and large scale planning works in Toronto. His Sultan Street studio was a vibrant heart of Toronto’s artistic and cultural scene in the nineteen sixties. Buildings to his credit include Edgeley Village, the Somerset, Flemingdon Park, the Administration Building for Expo67, and many private houses and synagogues.
Expo67 Administration Building, 1966. Photo from the Claude Latour collection.
Betel Residence, 1953
Fogel Residence, 1959 (demolished). Photo from TOBuilt.
Irving Grossman was awarded the Massey Medal and the Centennial Medal in 1967, and a 2009 landmark award for his contribution to the design of Toronto’s St. Lawrence Neighbourhood.
