Ned Pratt

In that last 20th century I photographed quite a few architects. These were Arthur Erickson, Bing Thom, Ron Thom, Geoffrey Massey, Ned Pratt and Abraham Rogatnick. They are all now dead.

Because I photographed them many times, they became my friends.

Bing Thom

The exception was Ron Thom. He was a somber and depressed man when I photographed him for the first and last time. He died shortly after.

I soon discovered that our city architects were renaissance men. You could talk to them on any subject. Abraham Rogatnick, who never built anything, except a ramp to leave his house on his wheel chair a few months before he died, would join us for our Christmas Eve dinners and he befriended by two granddaughters. He made origami birds for our Christmas tree.

Ron Thom

In my present isolation in my little Kits home usually on my bed with my two cats, I reminisce how lucky I was to having met these men. I believe that I am a better man because of them.

Few now understand that when a photographer had access to architects they would sometimes tell me stuff they did not tell writers. I asked Erickson why he had built his little house out of a garage seeing he could have lived anywhere else and had a view of the mountains. He told me,"Alex, I did not want to live with a view assembled by God. I wanted to grow my own garden and view what was mine and hot His."

Arthur Erickson

Abraham Rogatnick

Geoffrey Massey