Identity area
Reference code
Title
Date(s)
- 1898-1971 (Creation)
Level of description
Extent and medium
9,509 architectural drawings
15.68 m of textual records
13 photographs
Context area
Name of creator
Administrative history
Thompson, Berwick, Pratt and Partners was founded in 1908 in Vancouver by British architects George Lister Thornton Sharp (1880-1974) and Charles Joseph Thompson (1878-1961) as Sharp and Thompson. When the University of British Columbia was created by the Provincial Legislature as the province's first public institution for higher education in 1908, Sharp & Thompson won an international competition for the Point Grey campus in Vancouver in 1912. Sharp and Thompson produced a master plan in 1913 and building was begun, only to be interrupted by the outbreak of World War I. Not until 1922 was building resumed and the central part of the library completed. The firm based their early designs on medieval and classically inspired commercial, institutional, and residential buildings. In 1937, recent University of Toronto graduates Robert A.D. Berwick (1909-1974) and Charles Edward Pratt (1911-1996) joined the firm. Through the influence of Berwick and Pratt the firm’s design increasingly reflected the principles of European modernism. The firm’s name changed to Sharp, Thomson, Berwick and Pratt in 1945 and ten years later changed again to Thompson, Berwick and Pratt. Over the course of the firm’s first five decades it was the leading architectural firm in Vancouver, and more broadly played a key role in the development of Canadian architecture. The firm designed hundreds of projects over the course of its eight decades of existence and several notable Canadian architects started their careers at the firm, including Barry Downs, Arthur Erickson, Richard Mann, Paul Merrick, and Ron Thom. One of the most significant projects by the firm is the BC Electric Building (1957), a 22-storey office building in Vancouver. Designed by Pratt, working with Ron Thom and Ted Watkins, the building is among the earliest modernist office buildings in Canada. The firm eventually merged with two engineering companies and the name of the firm was subsequently changed to Thompson, Berwick, Pratt and Partners. The firm was reorganized and renamed Hemingway Nelson Architects in 1990.
Repository
Archival history
Acquired by donation to the CAA by Thompson, Berwick, Pratt and Partners in 1977, 1978, 1981, and 1982.
Accession 2016.90 was donated to the CAA by Robert G. Hill in 2016. This material was originally owned by Mrs. W. S. Brooks, the owner of the Brooks house designed by Sharp, Thompson Berwick and Pratt. It ended up in Cambridgeshire, England, was placed for sale on eBay and was purchased by Robert G. Hill and donated to CAA in November 2016.
Accession 321A/11.17 is of uncertain provenance. Likely donated by TBP but CAA is unsure. Consists of 3 Massey College drawings.
Immediate source of acquisition or transfer
Content and structure area
Scope and content
Fonds consists of architectural drawings and project files documenting the architectural practice of Thompson, Berwick, Pratt and Partners from 1908 to 1970. There are over 800 projects represented in the fonds, including many of the firm’s residential, commercial, and educational buildings both in Vancouver and more broadly across B.C. and the rest of Canada. The fonds is divided into two series: 1. Project records and 2. Additional donations. Series 1. Project records is divided into 7 subseries: 1. Banks - drawings; 2. Other Commercial and Civic Projects - drawings; 3. Residences - drawings; 4. Schools - drawings; 5. Banks - files; 6. Miscellaneous Correspondence; and 7. Schools - files.
Appraisal, destruction and scheduling
Accruals
System of arrangement
Conditions of access and use area
Conditions governing access
Open.
Conditions governing reproduction
The University of Calgary fulfills requests for materials in our collections in accordance with Canadian copyright laws. The University of Calgary does not hold the copyright for materials in the Thompson, Berwick, Pratt and Partners fonds, however has been authorized to grant permission for the use of Thompson, Berwick, Pratt and Partners’ materials for specific uses. The University of Calgary Libraries and Cultural Resources may provide materials for individual study and research purposes under fair dealing and library exceptions in the Canadian Copyright Act. And, upon request, may authorize the use of materials for exhibition and publication. Patrons are responsible for ensuring they use copyright-protected works in accordance with applicable laws.
Language of material
Script of material
Language and script notes
Physical characteristics and technical requirements
Finding aids
Allied materials area
Existence and location of originals
Existence and location of copies
Related units of description
University of British Columbia Archives holds the Thompson, Berwick, Pratt and Partners fonds: https://www.library.ubc.ca/archives/u_arch/tbp&p.pdf
Notes area
Note
Includes accessions 8A/77.16, 11A/77.54, 30A/78.03, 45A/78.35, 101A/81.05, plus 321A/11.20 and 2016.90