Pierre Dionne fonds
1948-1976
Fonds
The Pierre Dionne fonds, 1948-1976, documents the professional career of architect Pierre Dionne. The archive comprises of materials relating to Dionne’s design and construction of religious, educational, residential, commercial, industrial and recreational buildings in the city of Salaberry-de-Valleyfield, Québec. Approximately 80% of Dionne’s work was produced in Salaberry-de-Valleyfield and its surrounding area; however, several important built projects, which can be found in this fonds, were executed in Montréal, Quebec and Ottawa, Ontario.
The fonds documents 467 of Dionne’s architectural works: 11 student projects (ca. 1948-1952), 437 professional projects (1951-1976) and 19 miscellaneous projects (various dates). This fonds contains an extensive number of drawings, consisting of sketches, preliminary designs, working, detail and presentation drawings. Photographic materials display presentation drawings, architectural models, construction sites, and the interior and exterior views of buildings from various perspectives. Slides also present the interior and exterior views of built projects, either completed or under construction.
Textual documentation consists mainly of correspondence, reports, building proposals, contracts, cost estimates, invoices and certificate of payments as well as notes specifications, construction schedules, time sheets, flow charts, clippings, and periodicals.
Objects in this archive include 1 model for each of the following built projects: Palais de Justice de Valleyfield, the Cité des Arts et des Sports de Valleyfield, the École normale Ignace Bourget in Montréal, the École Polyvalente Salaberry-de-Valleyfield, Église Paroissiale (Dionne’s final thesis), and the Pavillon de déshabillage for Parc Marsil in Valleyfield.
Pierre Dionne was born in Salaberry-de-Valleyfield, Québec on August 4, 1925. In 1937, Dionne began studying classics at the Séminaire de Valleyfield and completed a B.A., in affiliation with the University of Montréal, in 1946. Dionne studied architecture at the École des Beaux-Arts de Montréal and graduated with distinction in 1952. While completing his studies, Dionne worked for the Montréal architectural firm, Duplessis & Labelle and Valleyfield architect, Jean-Marie Lafleur. In that same year, Dionne partnered with Jean-François Bélanger and founded the Groupe Forès (FOrme, Rythme, ESpace), an association which promoted the arts in architecture.
A reader of foreign periodicals and publications, such as Architecture Aujourd'hui, Art Aujourd'hui, Domus and CIAM (Congrès Internationaux d'Architecture Moderne), Dionne was heavily influenced by modernism in architecture. This modernist approach to architecture had a profound influence on his designs, both as an architecture student at the École des Beaux Arts and as a principal of his own architectural firm later on.
In 1953, Dionne was accepted to the Association des architectes de la Province de Québec after completing a one-year apprenticeship with Jean-Marie Lafleur. In that same year, Dionne established the firm Dionne & Bélanger with Jean-François Bélanger. Dionne & Bélanger became the first Valleyfield architectural firm that was committed exclusively to designing modern architectural works. One of Dionne & Bélanger’s earliest projects is a modern-inspired facade for the Brassard Medical Centre on Boulevard du Havre, Valleyfield (1953). Other notable projects completed by Dionne & Bélanger are the Théôret residence (1955) and the de Grandpré residence (1956).
The practice operated as by Dionne & Bélanger until 1955, when Bélanger accepted a position with an architecture firm in New York. From 1955 to 1976, Dionne worked independently; his first major project was the Église du Saint-Esprit in Valleyfield (1957). Other notable Valleyfield projects include the Séminaire de Valleyfield (1958), the Église Saint-Paul (1959), the Pavillon de déshabillage in Marcil Park (1962), the Église et presbytère de Saint-Augustin (1965), the École élémentaire Elizabeth Monette (1965), the École Edgar Hébert (1966), the Cité des Arts et des Sports de Valleyfield (1966), the Édifice Fédéral (1970), the École Polyvalente (now École Baie Saint-François) (1971), and the Palais de Justice (1974).
In 1960, Dionne established another office in Montréal, which remained open until 1970. Dionne’s notable projects in Montréal include the École normale Ignace Bourget (1965) (now the CÉGEP Bois-de-Boulogne) and the École élémentaire Saint-Zotique (1964). Dionne was also commissioned to create a stadium for the Montréal Alouette Football Club, but it was a project that was never realized.
Dionne retired in 1976; he subsequently accepted a position with the Service technique du ministère des Travaux publics et de l'Approvisionnement du Québec (région administrative de Montréal) as chief of their architecture division. Dionne passed away on July 9, 2015.
The Pierre Dionne fonds was donated to the Canadian Centre for Architecture on October 30, 1984 by Pierre Dionne. The CCA acquired the fonds in two accessions. The bulk of the documents arrived from the architect's residence and office in October 1984, and the second shipment was delivered from Dionne's subsequent residence in September 1988.
Valleyfield Québec Canada
When citing the collection as a whole, use the following citation:
Pierre Dionne fonds
Collection Centre Canadien d'Architecture/
Canadian Centre for Architecture, Montréal
When citing specific collection material, please refer to the object’s specific credit line.
French
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