Ernest Cormier was born on 5 December 1885 and baptized the next day at Saint-Jacques-le-Majeur cathedral. [1][2] He was the son of Isaïe Cormier and Malvina Généreux. His godparents were Esprit Anaclet Généreux, his maternal grandfather, and Marie Sophie Perrault.
He married Berthe Leduc, daughter of Théodore Leduc and Monique Saint-Aubin, on 31 July 1908 in Montreal. [3][4] A marriage contract was signed on 29 July 1908: Notary Joseph Melanson in Montreal. [5]
At 91 years of age, he married 75-year-old Clorinthe Perron, on 1 June 1976 at Saint-Léon Church in Westmount, Montreal. [6][7]
Ernest passed away in 1980. [8][9]
"Ernest Cormier, born in Montréal in 1885, was one of the most renowned Canadian architects of the 20th century. Trained at the École des Beaux-Arts de Paris, he developed an innovative architectural vocabulary, employed new materials and the latest construction techniques, and mastered the entire design process right down to the smallest details of furnishing. He created an outstanding body of work, which includes a number of Canadian architectural milestones. Cormier was chosen to represent Canada for the design of the United Nations Headquarters in New York (1949-52). A notable figure of Montréal’s cultural and intellectual avant-garde, he advanced the concept of modernity between the wars. Through his professional commitment, he worked to improve the image of architects and to have better control over the practice of his profession in Quebec.
Cormier first studied civil engineering, then later attended the École des Beaux-Arts de Paris. In 1918, he became only the second French Canadian architect to receive a degree from this prestigious institution. Returning to Canada, he founded the Montréal firm of “Ernest Cormier, Architect and Engineer-Constructor”, a name which reflects his double training. Cormier went on to have a prolific career in Montréal in the 1920s and 1930s. His most noted accomplishment in this era was the main building at the Université de Montréal (today the Roger-Gaudry Building), built in two phases (1928-31 and 1941-42). During the same period, Cormier designed and built his home at 1418 Pine Avenue West (1930-31), which is renowned for being one of the best Art Deco buildings in Canada. Starting in the late 1930s, he gained a national reputation thanks to the design and construction of the Supreme Court of Canada building in Ottawa (1938-39). Later, he was invited by Government of Canada to join a multinational committee of ten prestigious architects responsible for designing the United Nations Headquarters in New York (1949-52), and was made an Officer of the Order of Canada in 1974.
In addition to his professional practice, Cormier also taught at McGill University (1919-20) and at the École polytechnique de Montréal (1925-54). He contributed to the architectural and engineering professions by becoming involved in a number of professional associations, including the Association des architectes de la province de Québec, of which he was president in 1929. Cormier received numerous awards, medals, and honours in recognition of his outstanding technical expertise and artistic skills which enabled him to design a complete building including its decorative elements and furnishings." [10]
"Ernest Cormier, né à Montréal en 1885, est l’un des architectes canadiens les plus célèbres du XXe siècle. Formé à l’École des Beaux-Arts de Paris, il met au point un vocabulaire novateur de l’architecture, utilise de nouveaux matériaux et les plus récentes techniques de construction, et maîtrise l’ensemble du processus de conception, jusqu’aux plus petits détails de l’ameublement. Il crée une œuvre d’exception, laquelle comprend plusieurs jalons architecturaux canadiens. Cormier est choisi pour représenter le Canada et participer à la conception du siège permanent de l’Organisation des Nations Unies à New York (1949-1952). Figure notable de la scène culturelle et intellectuelle avant-gardiste de Montréal, il fait progresser le concept de la modernité entre les deux Guerres mondiales. Par son engament professionnel, il travaille à rehausser l’image des architectes et à accroître le contrôle de l’exercice de sa profession au Québec.
Cormier étudie le génie civil avant de fréquenter l’École des Beaux-Arts de Paris. En 1918, il devient le deuxième architecte canadien-français à obtenir un diplôme de cette prestigieuse institution. À son retour au Canada, il fonde à Montréal son cabinet, « Ernest Cormier, architecte et ingénieur-constructeur », dont le nom évoque sa double formation. Cormier a une carrière prolifique à Montréal dans les années 1920 et 1930. Sa plus grande réalisation pendant cette période est le pavillon principal de l’Université de Montréal (aujourd’hui le pavillon Roger-Gaudry), qui est construit en deux phases (1928-1931 et 1941-1942). À la même époque, Cormier conçoit et réalise sa résidence du 1418, avenue des Pins Ouest (1930-1931), réputée comme l’un des plus beaux bâtiments Art déco au Canada. À la fin des années 1930, il acquiert une réputation nationale grâce à la conception et à la construction de l’édifice de la Cour suprême du Canada à Ottawa (1938-1939). Le gouvernement du Canada l’invite ultérieurement à se joindre à un comité multinational composé de dix éminents architectes chargés de la conception du siège permanent de l’Organisation des Nations Unies à New York (1949-1952). Il est désigné officier de l’Ordre du Canada en 1974.
Parallèlement à sa pratique, Cormier enseigne à l’Université McGill (1919-1920) et à l’École polytechnique de Montréal (1925-1954). Il contribue à la profession d’architecte et d’ingénieur en s’impliquant dans certaines associations professionnelles, dont l’Association des architectes de la province de Québec, qu’il préside en 1929. Cormier remporte de nombreux prix, médailles et honneurs pour ses compétences techniques et habiletés artistiques exceptionnelles qui lui permettent de concevoir la totalité d’un bâtiment, y compris ses éléments décoratifs et son ameublement." [10]
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