Discovering Architect Arthur Erickson’s 1960 Alberta ‘Dyde House’

Posted on by janice williamson

Architecture, as I see it, is the art of composing spaces in response to existing environmental conditions to answer a client’s needs … the building becomes the resolution between its inner being and the outer conditions.

Arthur Erickson
Arthur Erickson’s sketch of the Dyde House and landscape, 1960

In mid-October I was fortunate to be able to visit and tour the Dyde House and property on the edge and of the Devonian Botanical Gardens outside of Edmonton. The event, organized by the Arthur Erickson Foundation introduced designers and architects and interested members of the public to this jewel of a house. It is reached by a walk through the woods just beyond the Japanese Garden and the spectacular new Islamic Garden that was generously funded by the Aga Khan Foundation.

The Dyde House now owned by the University of Alberta is in need of donations for restoration “after six decades of exposure to Alberta’s harsh winters.”

Bobby and Sandy Dyde

Bobby (left) and Sandy Dyde (photo from the Arthur Erickson Foundation)

Dorothy “Bobby” Reynolds Plaunt (1906-1979) married Edmonton lawyer H.A. (Sandy) Dyde (1896-1976) in 1949 while he was working in Ottawa for the federal government. They returned to Edmonton in 1949 and became involved in the Edmonton arts community, with Bobby acquiring paintings by noted Canadian artists. and serving as the first female trustee of the National Gallery of Canada. The Dydes donated the land for Devonian Garden in 1959. [The house was later donated by the heirs of the Dyde family.] (From the Alberta Provincial Archives)

Lawyer and civil servant, Henry Alexander “Sandy” Dyde was a member of an Edmonton family prominent in law, politics and religion…. He was a partner in the law firm Milner, Steer, Dyde in Edmonton from 1924 to 1969. [He fought in WWI.] During World War II, he acted as Military Secretary to the Minister of Defence. He was a lecturer in law and political science at the University (1920s-1940s). Throughout his life he was active in the Liberal Party, supported several local arts organizations, and was a benefactor to the University. [From the University of Alberta Library Archives.]

The Canadian art collecting Dyde family – Sandy along with Bobby, his talented art historian wife – summered with their family and friends here.

The Dyde’s desire to maintain the privacy of their summer residence meant that this third private residence by Canadian West Coast architect Arthur Erickson was never documented in the articles and books about his achievements. While he also designed the University of Lethbridge, this is the sole residential building Erickson designed on the prairies. Three years later he would design Simon Fraser University. And later, the Museum of Anthropology at the University of British Columbia, the Washington D.C. Canadian Embassy, Toronto’s Roy Thomson Hall , the Abu Dhabi Etisalat Tower, and the San Diego Convention Centre.

Every detail of the Dyde House was carefully planned. Sandy and Bobby Dyde and Arthur Erickson walked the fifty-acre property searching for the perfect spot for the house. At the top of a long incline descending to a pond, they found their vantage point and building site. Erickson also designed the changes to the landscape around the house. An original berm created by Erikson and visible in his pencil drawing above was flattened by the Dydes at a later date and thus not visible in my photographs of the building.

While the University of Alberta Administration recently shamefully bulldozed three beautiful historical “Ring Houses” at the centre of main campus in spite widespread opposition and public outcry, it is hoped they will find the wherewithal to restore the Dyde House. So if you know of any individual donors or wealthy benefactors interested in architectural history, send them to the fundraising page.

My tour in October introduced me to a very special space in Alberta’s history. And I offer a few photographs and captions to give you a sense of the Dyde House.

Entering in: October 2023

Then low-slung Dyde house almost disappears in the conifer grove, the sand-coloured low wall in front provides a second horizon. The interior of the house opens onto the landscape with wide sliding doors. A second set of sliding doors constructed of fibreglass once shielded the house from winter weather and light.
Entering from the west side of the house, the front wall extends into a curved area surrounding a base possibly topped by a sculpture during an earlier period. The original house was simply the wider structure at the front that included the living room area and the kitchen and bathroom. Secondary bedrooms were a later addition.
The walls of the Dyde House are composed almost entirely of concrete blocks, sandy/clay coloured probably manufactured in Medicine Hat. Here the carpenter mimicked the geometric pattern of the blocks with wood. The window built of asbestos panels is the first use of asbestos for window treatments on the prairies.
The view outside from the side entry.
Entering through the sided door and turning left, this is the first glance of the house. A characteristic of Erickson buildings, this delayed surprise entry gives much pleasure. The house extends out towards a long open field and a pond below.
The screen in the living area above the fireplace is a premonition of this era’s omnipresent big-screen TV presence in the same spot. The white screen was used by the Dyde’s to display slides of their impressive and valuable collection of Canadian art.
The raised dining area on the opposite wall is lined with painted linen or silk walls where the Dyde family hung their original artworks. Above, the skylight is muted by the application of translucent rice paper.

Twin library alcoves look onto the grounds

Two bookshelves front either side of the living area and look towards the expansive grounds and pond. One side is dedicated to the political books of Mr. Sandy Dyde and the other dedicated to the art books of Mrs. Bobby Dyde who curated the first Venice Biennale for Canada. This what is left in place of Bobby Dyde’s library.
Bobby Dyde’s books
Sandy Dyde’s library of political and military history books now gone.

Kitchen Delight

The galley kitchen is made surprisingly roomy by the counter-top window that tops the countertop on the external wall.
The concrete block walls inside and outside the house. Designed solely for summer warmth, these inside/outside walls would be frozen and frosted in winter.

The Bedrooms

The master bedroom was built as a rear addition after the original house. Note the many bookshelves. And the fireplace. There is no furnace in the house as it was used only in the summer.
Ample additional bookshelves on the opposite side of the master bedroom.
This corridor from the side entrance leads to the second bedroom and a small lounge area.

A Quick Tour of the Living Area

My knowledge of the house from architectural writer and historian Trevor Boddy informs this post. Boddy, native of Edmonton and resident of Vancouver, and Edmonton architect Barry Johns have been spearheading the campaign to restore this beautiful house. Trevor narrates the tour in the two videos below.

My first video surveys the living area which was comprised the original house along with the bathroom, hallway with storage, and kitchen. The speaker is Trevor Boddy. Originally, the Dyde’s displayed their remarkable collection of Canadian art on the walls during the summer when they were in residence here. They packed them into a van and drove them back and forth – spring and fall – to Edmonton where they lived.
On each side of this main living area is a row of skylights covered with rice paper to illuminate the room with subdued soft light.

Details

Dyde house detail – closet door
Dyde House detail: closet door
The fine floors in the living area. The raised areas are polished terrazzo, typical of the period and of Italy. The lower level is lined in the Manitoba Tyndal stone saturated with fossils. This material also comprises the outer walkways and deck – unfortunately in that this stone does not hold up to elements and has disintegrated outside.
The furniture and even the lovely shades of silk cushions are original to the house.
This panelled alcove outside the bathroom is also illuminated by the beautiful rice-paper covered skylights.
Decorative mosaic in the Dyde House bathtub alcove.

The Landscape and Pond

Descending the incline towards the pond
The windswept waves of grasses and reeds lining the pond.
The pond at the bottom of the long hillside field expanse. Where the view from the Dyde House ends.

Note

A new documentary film by Sticks & Stones Production supported by the Edmonton Historical Board Arthur Erikson’s Dyde House premiered in October 2023 at the Art Gallery of Alberta, Edmonton.

Dr. Lee Foote, former Director of the Devonian Botanical Gardens, was interviewed in 2016 about the Dyde House:

Dr. Lee Foote on the Dyde House, 2016.

Former Edmonton Journal columnist now Senator Paula Simons wrote about the Dyde House in 2015.

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Published by janice williamson

A writerly subject. Lover of ideas, politics, social justice, and yoga. Schooled during second-wave feminism. Enlivened by my splendid daughter’s insights and energy. Retired after 32+ years as university professor into the creative splendour of time. Passionate late-blooming yoga teacher.

2 thoughts on “Discovering Architect Arthur Erickson’s 1960 Alberta ‘Dyde House’”

  1. Janice.williamson@ualberta.caSent from my GalaxyThis is such an appropriate post, Janice, regarding the Devonian landscape and its treasures. This time I, Sharon and Jenny went and spent a good part of the day roaming and admiring the beauty of it. If you haven’t sent this post to Sharon, please do. She would enjoy it so much.Thinking of you so muchFlorence 😊💕

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    1. So good to hear from you Florence…will send to Sharon. Chat soon via zoom. I’ve got the 12 hour time difference organized in my schedule now!

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