Sub-series
Miscellanea
CI001.S2.D6
Description:
The portfolio 'Oeuvre de C. Rohault de Fleury', published in 1884 (DR1974:0002:029), is introduced by a succinct 'Notice Biographique', the author of which remains unknown. It provides valuable information on his family background and a narrative description of his major works (including unexecuted projects), illustrated by the accompanying unbound prints. The commentary is particulary informative concerning Charles Rohault de Fleury's work at the Muséum national d'histoire naturelle, the 1859 opera house project for the Théâtre Imperiale de l'Opera, and his innovative use of iron (reinforced) floors and roof trusses in both his public and domestic projects. Another copy of this portfolio is located in the CCA library. Album DR1974:0002:026:001-038 (1854-1858) contains drawings of architectural ornament by Charles and/or Georges Rohault de Fleury. Some of the drawing are possibly studies of ornament for Charles' architectural projects of the 1850's such as Hôtel Soltykoff, although others appear to be typical student drawings of classical architecture and ornament executed by Georges. Included are twelve drawings of architectural ornament and sculpture submitted by Georges to a newly introduced 'dessin' Prix d'emulation at the École des beaux-arts (see series CI001.S1: Architetural Education).
[ca. 1825-1884]
Miscellanea
CI001.S2.D6
Description:
The portfolio 'Oeuvre de C. Rohault de Fleury', published in 1884 (DR1974:0002:029), is introduced by a succinct 'Notice Biographique', the author of which remains unknown. It provides valuable information on his family background and a narrative description of his major works (including unexecuted projects), illustrated by the accompanying unbound prints. The commentary is particulary informative concerning Charles Rohault de Fleury's work at the Muséum national d'histoire naturelle, the 1859 opera house project for the Théâtre Imperiale de l'Opera, and his innovative use of iron (reinforced) floors and roof trusses in both his public and domestic projects. Another copy of this portfolio is located in the CCA library. Album DR1974:0002:026:001-038 (1854-1858) contains drawings of architectural ornament by Charles and/or Georges Rohault de Fleury. Some of the drawing are possibly studies of ornament for Charles' architectural projects of the 1850's such as Hôtel Soltykoff, although others appear to be typical student drawings of classical architecture and ornament executed by Georges. Included are twelve drawings of architectural ornament and sculpture submitted by Georges to a newly introduced 'dessin' Prix d'emulation at the École des beaux-arts (see series CI001.S1: Architetural Education).
File 6
[ca. 1825-1884]
Sub-series
CI001.S2.D5
Description:
Charles Rohault de Fleury was architect for the Muséum national d'histoire naturelle from 1833 to 1862. His work for the Muséum is represented in the CCA collection by a diverse group of prints and drawings. In addition to documenting his built and unbuilt projects, the inclusion of prints and drawings of museum and zoo buildings by other architects record, if only partially, the resources available to Charles in designing his buildings. This reference material provides insight into the influences on Charles' work as well as the nature of the design process itself. His built works, with the exception of the 1854 addition to the greenhouses, are illustrated in a book of prints with a brief accompanying text - "Muséum d'histoire naturelle: serres chaudes, galeries de minéralogie, etc. etc." (published 1837) (DR1974:0002:004:001; a second copy is held by the CCA library) (1). While prints are included for the Galerie de minéralogie et de géologie, the monkey house and the reservoirs, the majority of the prints are of the greenhouses (serres chaudes) begun 1833 (2). Known for their technological innovations in iron construction, these greenhouses utilized the first multi-storey load-bearing cast-iron façades for the central pavilions as well as space frame roof structures and prefabricated parts. This structural system is well documented in the prints in the CCA collection. The design was apparently inspired by the English greenhouses - a plate of which are included in the book - that Charles saw on a tour of England. The use of prestressed beams and curved roofs in the lateral wings attest to this influence. Charles' greenhouses, in turn, influenced the design of other greenhouses in Europe especially those at the Jardins Botanique in Liège and Ghent, Belgium (3). Although Joseph Paxton saw the greenhouses in 1833, it is unclear if they had an impact on the design of the Crystal Palace constructed 1850-1851 (4). The innovations of Charles' greenhouses continued to be acknowledged into the 20th century. Giedion in "Space, Time and Architecture", while erroneously attributing them to Rouhault (5)(6), refers to the greenhouses as "the prototype of all large iron-framed conservatories" (7). In addition to the greenhouses for the Muséum, the CCA collection includes three proposals (dated 1841) for a private greenhouse designed by Charles Rohault de Fleury (DR1974:0002:002:008 - DR1974:0002:002:013). The designs utilize the same curved roofs as the wings of the greenhouses at the Muséum combined with classically detailed stonework. An different aspect of Charles' work for the Muséum national d'histoire naturelle is represented in the album of unexecuted proposals -the only design drawings for the Muséum in the collection - for a Galerie de zoologie (DR1974:0002:024:001-079). Building on the typology of his earlier classical Galerie de minéralogie et de géologie (constructed 1833 -1841), the proposals, which date from between 1838 and 1862, illustrate a gradual enrichment of Charles' classical architectural vocabulary (8). They vary in their spatial configurations and façade treatments ranging from austere colonnaded designs with little ornament to more elaborate ones with richly encrusted facades, complex rooflines and more dramatic interior spaces characteristic of the Second Empire. The majority of the proposals consist of preliminary drawings illustrating the essential formal, spatial and ornamental aspects of the building. One proposal, dated January 1846, is substantially more developed than the others; in addition to general plans, sections and elevations, more detailed drawings are included for the layout of spaces, the elaboration of the facades, the configuration of the structure and even the designs for the specimen display cases. It is also worth noting that this album includes several plans outlining Rohault de Fleury's ideas for the overall development of the Muséum national d'histoire naturelle. In 1846, an album of prints of the Museo di fiscia e storia naturelle in Florence (DR1974:0002:005:001-018) was presented to Charles by the Grand Duke of Tuscany in response to his request for tracings of that building. These prints were probably used as reference material for the design of the new Galerie de zoologie described above. The portfolio of record drawings (ca. 1862) of the zoos in Antwerp, Brussels, Marseille and Amsterdam (DR1974:0002:018:001-027) is probably a dummy for a publication on zoological gardens as well as background documentation for the renovation and expansion of the zoo at the Muséum national d'histoire naturelle in Paris. Both drawings of the facilities for the animals and visitors and general plans of the zoological gardens are included. The Paris zoo project was apparently never undertaken. (1) These prints were reused in the "Oeuvre de C. Rohault de Fleury, architecte" (published 1884) (DR1974:0002:029:001-044). (2) Rohault de Fleury's greenhouses were destroyed in the Prussian bombardments of 1870. The greenhouses, which now stand in their place, are similar in layout and appearance to the original design, but their structural system is different. (3) John Hix, 'The Glass House' (Cambridge, Mass.: The MIT Press, 1981), p. 115. (4) Ibid., p. 115. (5) This error has been repeated by other authors including Henry-Russell Hitchcock, 'Architecture: Nineteenth and Twentieth Centuries' (Baltimore, Maryland: Penguin Books, 1968), p. 120. (6) Leonardo Benevolo, 'History of Modern Architecture' Volume 1: The tradition of modern architecture (Cambridge, Mass.: The M.I.T. Press, 1971), p. 22. (7) Sigfried Giedion, 'Space, Time and Architecture; the growth of a new tradition' (Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 1941), p. 181. (8) Barry Bergdoll, "Charles Rohault de Fleury: Part two: Muséum d'Histoire Naturelle and Studies on analogous Constructions in Europe", 'CCA Research Report", n.d., p. 1.
[1837-ca. 1862]
Muséum nationale d'histoire naturelle
CI001.S2.D5
Description:
Charles Rohault de Fleury was architect for the Muséum national d'histoire naturelle from 1833 to 1862. His work for the Muséum is represented in the CCA collection by a diverse group of prints and drawings. In addition to documenting his built and unbuilt projects, the inclusion of prints and drawings of museum and zoo buildings by other architects record, if only partially, the resources available to Charles in designing his buildings. This reference material provides insight into the influences on Charles' work as well as the nature of the design process itself. His built works, with the exception of the 1854 addition to the greenhouses, are illustrated in a book of prints with a brief accompanying text - "Muséum d'histoire naturelle: serres chaudes, galeries de minéralogie, etc. etc." (published 1837) (DR1974:0002:004:001; a second copy is held by the CCA library) (1). While prints are included for the Galerie de minéralogie et de géologie, the monkey house and the reservoirs, the majority of the prints are of the greenhouses (serres chaudes) begun 1833 (2). Known for their technological innovations in iron construction, these greenhouses utilized the first multi-storey load-bearing cast-iron façades for the central pavilions as well as space frame roof structures and prefabricated parts. This structural system is well documented in the prints in the CCA collection. The design was apparently inspired by the English greenhouses - a plate of which are included in the book - that Charles saw on a tour of England. The use of prestressed beams and curved roofs in the lateral wings attest to this influence. Charles' greenhouses, in turn, influenced the design of other greenhouses in Europe especially those at the Jardins Botanique in Liège and Ghent, Belgium (3). Although Joseph Paxton saw the greenhouses in 1833, it is unclear if they had an impact on the design of the Crystal Palace constructed 1850-1851 (4). The innovations of Charles' greenhouses continued to be acknowledged into the 20th century. Giedion in "Space, Time and Architecture", while erroneously attributing them to Rouhault (5)(6), refers to the greenhouses as "the prototype of all large iron-framed conservatories" (7). In addition to the greenhouses for the Muséum, the CCA collection includes three proposals (dated 1841) for a private greenhouse designed by Charles Rohault de Fleury (DR1974:0002:002:008 - DR1974:0002:002:013). The designs utilize the same curved roofs as the wings of the greenhouses at the Muséum combined with classically detailed stonework. An different aspect of Charles' work for the Muséum national d'histoire naturelle is represented in the album of unexecuted proposals -the only design drawings for the Muséum in the collection - for a Galerie de zoologie (DR1974:0002:024:001-079). Building on the typology of his earlier classical Galerie de minéralogie et de géologie (constructed 1833 -1841), the proposals, which date from between 1838 and 1862, illustrate a gradual enrichment of Charles' classical architectural vocabulary (8). They vary in their spatial configurations and façade treatments ranging from austere colonnaded designs with little ornament to more elaborate ones with richly encrusted facades, complex rooflines and more dramatic interior spaces characteristic of the Second Empire. The majority of the proposals consist of preliminary drawings illustrating the essential formal, spatial and ornamental aspects of the building. One proposal, dated January 1846, is substantially more developed than the others; in addition to general plans, sections and elevations, more detailed drawings are included for the layout of spaces, the elaboration of the facades, the configuration of the structure and even the designs for the specimen display cases. It is also worth noting that this album includes several plans outlining Rohault de Fleury's ideas for the overall development of the Muséum national d'histoire naturelle. In 1846, an album of prints of the Museo di fiscia e storia naturelle in Florence (DR1974:0002:005:001-018) was presented to Charles by the Grand Duke of Tuscany in response to his request for tracings of that building. These prints were probably used as reference material for the design of the new Galerie de zoologie described above. The portfolio of record drawings (ca. 1862) of the zoos in Antwerp, Brussels, Marseille and Amsterdam (DR1974:0002:018:001-027) is probably a dummy for a publication on zoological gardens as well as background documentation for the renovation and expansion of the zoo at the Muséum national d'histoire naturelle in Paris. Both drawings of the facilities for the animals and visitors and general plans of the zoological gardens are included. The Paris zoo project was apparently never undertaken. (1) These prints were reused in the "Oeuvre de C. Rohault de Fleury, architecte" (published 1884) (DR1974:0002:029:001-044). (2) Rohault de Fleury's greenhouses were destroyed in the Prussian bombardments of 1870. The greenhouses, which now stand in their place, are similar in layout and appearance to the original design, but their structural system is different. (3) John Hix, 'The Glass House' (Cambridge, Mass.: The MIT Press, 1981), p. 115. (4) Ibid., p. 115. (5) This error has been repeated by other authors including Henry-Russell Hitchcock, 'Architecture: Nineteenth and Twentieth Centuries' (Baltimore, Maryland: Penguin Books, 1968), p. 120. (6) Leonardo Benevolo, 'History of Modern Architecture' Volume 1: The tradition of modern architecture (Cambridge, Mass.: The M.I.T. Press, 1971), p. 22. (7) Sigfried Giedion, 'Space, Time and Architecture; the growth of a new tradition' (Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 1941), p. 181. (8) Barry Bergdoll, "Charles Rohault de Fleury: Part two: Muséum d'Histoire Naturelle and Studies on analogous Constructions in Europe", 'CCA Research Report", n.d., p. 1.
File 5
[1837-ca. 1862]
archives
Level of archival description:
Fonds
Robert Duchesnay fonds
AP115
Synopsis:
Le Fonds Robert Duchesnay consiste en une série de photographies montrant les divers structure (principalement des dômes géodésiques) conçus ou influencée par R. Buckminster Fuller. Les photographies, prises par l'artiste et photographe montréalais Robert Duchesnay, ont été créées entre 1985 et 1992.
1985-1992
Robert Duchesnay fonds
Actions:
AP115
Synopsis:
Le Fonds Robert Duchesnay consiste en une série de photographies montrant les divers structure (principalement des dômes géodésiques) conçus ou influencée par R. Buckminster Fuller. Les photographies, prises par l'artiste et photographe montréalais Robert Duchesnay, ont été créées entre 1985 et 1992.
archives
Level of archival description:
Fonds
1985-1992
research
Visiting Scholars 1999–2000
Theme: The Baroque Phenomenon beyond Rome: Mark Dorrian, Department of Architecture, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, United Kingdom Topic: Baroque Deformation Martina Frank, Department of History, Università degli studi di Udine, Italy Topic: Luca Danesi et le baroque vénitien Indra McEwen, National Theatre School of Canada, Montreal, Canada Subject: The State of(...)
January 2000 to August 2000
Visiting Scholars 1999–2000
Actions:
Description:
Theme: The Baroque Phenomenon beyond Rome: Mark Dorrian, Department of Architecture, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, United Kingdom Topic: Baroque Deformation Martina Frank, Department of History, Università degli studi di Udine, Italy Topic: Luca Danesi et le baroque vénitien Indra McEwen, National Theatre School of Canada, Montreal, Canada Subject: The State of(...)
research
January 2000 to
August 2000
research
Visiting Scholars 2010
Nicholas Adams, Vassar College, Poughkeepsie, United States Topic: Being Modern, Being Swedish: Gunnar Asplund’s Law Court Extension, Göteborg (1934-1938) Frederick Bohrer, Hood College, Frederick, United States Topic: Photography, Architecture, Archaeology: The Image as Object Enrico Chapel, École nationale supérieure d’architecture de Toulouse, France Topic: Le(...)
9 March 2010 to 15 August 2010
Visiting Scholars 2010
Actions:
Description:
Nicholas Adams, Vassar College, Poughkeepsie, United States Topic: Being Modern, Being Swedish: Gunnar Asplund’s Law Court Extension, Göteborg (1934-1938) Frederick Bohrer, Hood College, Frederick, United States Topic: Photography, Architecture, Archaeology: The Image as Object Enrico Chapel, École nationale supérieure d’architecture de Toulouse, France Topic: Le(...)
research
9 March 2010 to
15 August 2010
Project
Une histoire
AP041.S1.1975.D1
Description:
UNE HISTOIRE is a project consisting of photographs, photomontages, drawings and a wooden sculpture. A photograph of a worker’s house near a pulp mill in Trois-Rivières became the focus of the series. In an attempt to understand the architecture of that house, and how industrialization was being reflected in the architecture of Québec, Charney went to visit the house in 1974, only to find it had already been torn down. Charney photographed its surroundings and tried to reproduce its likeness in drawings. Unsatisfied with the results, he built a wooden sculpture (UNE HISTOIRE…Le trésor de Trois-Rivières, 1975), a replica of the house, in an attempt to fully “know” and understand the structure. Source: Melvin Charney: Oeuvres 1970-1979. Montréal Musée d’art contemporain. (p. 29-36)
1975-1978
Une histoire
Actions:
AP041.S1.1975.D1
Description:
UNE HISTOIRE is a project consisting of photographs, photomontages, drawings and a wooden sculpture. A photograph of a worker’s house near a pulp mill in Trois-Rivières became the focus of the series. In an attempt to understand the architecture of that house, and how industrialization was being reflected in the architecture of Québec, Charney went to visit the house in 1974, only to find it had already been torn down. Charney photographed its surroundings and tried to reproduce its likeness in drawings. Unsatisfied with the results, he built a wooden sculpture (UNE HISTOIRE…Le trésor de Trois-Rivières, 1975), a replica of the house, in an attempt to fully “know” and understand the structure. Source: Melvin Charney: Oeuvres 1970-1979. Montréal Musée d’art contemporain. (p. 29-36)
Project
1975-1978
research
Visiting Scholars 2008
Vittoria Di Palma, Columbia University, New York, United States Topic: Wasteland Nikola Jankovic, ENSAPLV-École Nationale Supérieure dArchitecture de Paris-La Villette, Paris, France Topic: Biomodernisme ou le conditionnement de la vie. Une histoire critique (1928-1954) Juliet Koss, Scripps College, The Claremont Colleges, Claremont, United States Topic: The USSR in(...)
2 April 2008 to 29 September 2008
Visiting Scholars 2008
Actions:
Description:
Vittoria Di Palma, Columbia University, New York, United States Topic: Wasteland Nikola Jankovic, ENSAPLV-École Nationale Supérieure dArchitecture de Paris-La Villette, Paris, France Topic: Biomodernisme ou le conditionnement de la vie. Une histoire critique (1928-1954) Juliet Koss, Scripps College, The Claremont Colleges, Claremont, United States Topic: The USSR in(...)
research
2 April 2008 to
29 September 2008
research
TD Bank Group-CCA Collection Research Grant recipients Nuria Carton de Grammont (Concordia University); Dwayne Avery (McGill University); Victor Halim Nasr (Université de Montréal); Jenni Pace Presnell (University of British Columbia); Zubin Singh (McGill University); Ana Maria León (Massachusetts Institute of Technology); S. Faisal Hassan (Massachusetts Institute of(...)
May 2010 to December 2010
Doctoral Students Program 2010
Actions:
Description:
TD Bank Group-CCA Collection Research Grant recipients Nuria Carton de Grammont (Concordia University); Dwayne Avery (McGill University); Victor Halim Nasr (Université de Montréal); Jenni Pace Presnell (University of British Columbia); Zubin Singh (McGill University); Ana Maria León (Massachusetts Institute of Technology); S. Faisal Hassan (Massachusetts Institute of(...)
research
May 2010 to
December 2010
research
TD Bank Group-CCA Collection Research Grant recipients: Jordan Kauffman (Massachusetts Institute of Technology); Julia Tischer (McGill University); Mariana Mogilevich (Harvard University); Elizabeth McFarland (Cornell University); Alexandra Quantrill (Columbia University); Enrique Ramirez (Princeton University); Yoonchun Jung (McGill University); Mark Clintberg (Concordia(...)
February 2011 to November 2011
Doctoral Students Program 2011
Actions:
Description:
TD Bank Group-CCA Collection Research Grant recipients: Jordan Kauffman (Massachusetts Institute of Technology); Julia Tischer (McGill University); Mariana Mogilevich (Harvard University); Elizabeth McFarland (Cornell University); Alexandra Quantrill (Columbia University); Enrique Ramirez (Princeton University); Yoonchun Jung (McGill University); Mark Clintberg (Concordia(...)
research
February 2011 to
November 2011
Devices of Design
A collaboration between the CCA and the Daniel Langlois Foundation for Art, Science, and Technology, Devices of Design was initiated in response to the increasingly widespread use of digital media and software technologies in architectural design and construction. A colloquium and a subsequent roundtable discussion address both the consequences that this shift implies for(...)
Paul-Desmarais Theatre
18 November 2004 to 19 November 2004
Devices of Design
Actions:
Description:
A collaboration between the CCA and the Daniel Langlois Foundation for Art, Science, and Technology, Devices of Design was initiated in response to the increasingly widespread use of digital media and software technologies in architectural design and construction. A colloquium and a subsequent roundtable discussion address both the consequences that this shift implies for(...)
Paul-Desmarais Theatre