Marjorie Hill

As CanadaÕs first women architect Marjorie Hill had to endure monumental challenges. Upon graduating from the University of Toronto in 1920 with a BA SC in architecture the chairman of the department refused to attend convocation because she was a women. She was then barred from the Alberta Association of Architects until 1925 due to a rule change prohibiting women. Despite such obstacles Hill was able to gain employment with EatonÕs interior design department as well as a draftsperson in the office of McDonald and Magoon Architects in Edmonton before the economic draught of the depression brought forth its crippling effect on firms. With the economic downturn and lack of professional work, Hill moved out west to Victoria and pursued other ventures such as writing a local column on domestic affairs and teaching weaving and glove making. It wasnÕt until after WWII, as the volume of work increased, that she regained full time practice here and was accredited as a member of the Architectural Institute of British Columbia. It was her that she completed numerous residential projects, most notably the apartment block of 1170 Fort St. before retiring in 1963. Marjorie Hill passed away in Victoria in 1985.

Projects Contained in this Site