Ernest Cormier

Ernest Cormier was a Canadian architect and engineer who was born in Montreal in 1885. He studied civil engineering at the École Polytechnique in Montreal and architecture at the École des Beaux-Arts in Paris, where he graduated with honours in 1917. He also received the British Prix de Rome in Architecture in 1914 and spent two years in Rome studying the ancient monuments. He worked in Sweden and England before returning to Canada and joining the firm of Shore & Moffat in 1918. He became a partner of the firm in 1921 and led many projects in Canada and abroad, such as the Montreal Court House, the École des Beaux-Arts, the Dubrule office building, and the Casault pavilion of Université Laval. His major work is the central building of the Université de Montréal (now known as the Roger Gaudry Building), which he designed and built between 1927 and 1943. This huge example of the Art Deco style was recognized as the first modern building in Quebec. He also designed the Supreme Court of Canada Building in Ottawa, which was completed in 1946. He was a member of the international team that designed the Headquarters of the United Nations in New York in 1947. He was a professor at the École Polytechnique in Montreal from 1921 to 1954. He received many awards and honours for his achievements, such as the Massey Medal, the Molson Prize, the AIA Gold Medal, the RAIC Gold Medal, the Order of Canada, and the Order of Quebec. He was also a fellow of the Royal Architectural Institute of Canada, an honorary fellow of the American Institute of Architects, and an honorary member of the Royal Institute of British Architects. He died of cancer in 1980.