Last year would have been the 100th birthday of one of Canada’s best-known starchitects, who passed away in 2009. To mark this centennial, a wave of commemorations (many of them supported by the Arthur Erickson Foundation) encouraged fresh reassessment of a seemingly familiar figure. Vancouver’s Museum of Anthropology at UBC kicked things off in June when it reopened after an 18-month closure. Updated seismic codes had required the Great Hall — Erickson’s thoughtful adaptation of the post-and-beam architecture practised by coastal First Nations people — to be completely demolished and rebuilt to new standards. Architect Nick Milkovich, a disciple of Erickson’s, executed a remarkably faithful update, installing base isolators beneath the main floor slab while staying true to his former boss’s original vision.

In the months that followed, Erickson’s legacy underwent a similarly bold reconstruction. Arthur Erickson: Beauty Between the Lines, a documentary by Ryan Mah and Danny Berish, headlines the 2024–2025 edition of the Architecture and Design Film Festival, which closes in Chicago in February. A rare exploration of Erickson’s gay identity, the film highlights his personal and professional relationship with interior designer Francisco Kripacz; photos of lavish parties and sunny Fire Island getaways are juxtaposed with tales of working through the AIDS epidemic and a discussion of Erickson’s bankruptcy (evidently, the flowers for all those parties didn’t come cheap). Further Erickson insights came during historian Trevor Boddy’s Eras-esque tour of public lectures last fall, and from recent exhibitions at the West Vancouver Art Museum and Canadian Centre for Architecture, which delved into the designer’s domestic life and travel photography, respectively.

All of which raises the question: Just how well do you know Canadian architect Arthur Erickson? Here’s a quiz to find out.

Photo by Michael Elkan, courtesy of the Museum of Anthropology at UBC

1

What are some markers of Erickson’s signature style?

A. An integration of architecture and nature
B. “Flying beams” that extend out from a building’s walls
C. Waterfalls and cascading forms
D. All the above (Yes, we’re starting off with an easy one.)

2

Erickson was the first Canadian architect to have received which accolade?

A. The Pritzker Prize
B. An Academy Award for Best Production Design
C. The AIA Gold Medal
D. An AZURE AZ Award

3

How old was Erickson when his paintings were featured in a gallery show at the Vancouver Art Gallery?

A. 6
B. 16
C. 19
D. 21

4

What inspired Erickson to become an architect rather than pursue his original plan for a career in diplomacy?

A. A Fortune magazine story about Frank Lloyd Wright
B. A trip to the 1939 New York World’s Fair
C. The Fountainhead
D. Metropolis

5

Who played a cinematic stand-in for Erickson in the 1994 film Intersection?

A. Donald Sutherland
B. Michael Douglas
C. Richard Gere
D. Harrison Ford

6

Pierre Trudeau picked Erickson to design the Canadian Embassy in DC. Which firm had his jury selected instead?

A. Zeidler Roberts Partnership
B. Moriyama & Teshima
C. Smith Carter
D. Moshe Safdie

Answers:

Photo by Selwyn Pullan, 1972, collection of the West Vancouver Art Museum

_{1: D | 2: C | 3: B | 4: A | 5: C | 6: A}

How many did you get correct?

1: You’ve been to a concert at Roy Thomson Hall, but that’s about it.
2–3: The selection committee is still out on your qualifications.
4–5: Good, but not quite AIA Gold Medal–worthy.
All 6: You’re pretty EPPICH.