Collection search - Ronald Keenberg fonds [multiple media (some electronic)]

Record information – Brief
1
Ronald Keenberg fonds [multiple media (some electronic)]

Hierarchical level:

Fonds

Date:

1964-2005.

Reference:

R11582-0-7-E

Type of material:

Architectural and technical drawings, Photographs, Textual material, Objects (including medals and pins)

Found in:

Archives / Collections and Fonds

Item ID number:

181740

Context of this record:

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Ronald Keenberg fonds
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Record information – Details
Fonds includes:

2 lower level description(s)
View lower level description(s)

Date(s):

1964-2005.

Place of creation:

Canada

Extent:

6,971 architectural and technical drawings.
10 presentation panels.
ca. 45.3 GB text, spreadsheets, images, architectural, technical drawings 5944 images, 16786 drawings, 17727 text files.
ca. 5.8 m of textual records.
1 maquette.
ca. 11,215 photographs : 136 b&w and 1627 col. prints; 7174 col. slides; 660 contact proofs, 917 col. negatives, 501 col. transparencies

Language of material:

English
Accession:

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[Architectural drawings and other material relating to the IKOY Partnership and its principal partner, Ronald Keenberg] [multiple media]

[Architectural drawings and other material relating to the IKOY Partnership and its principal partner, Ronald Keenberg] [multiple media]

[Architectural drawings and other material relating to the IKOY Partnership and its principal partner, Ronald Keenberg] [architectural, technical drawing]
Scope and content:

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The fonds consists of records belonging to two main categories: business files and personal files. The very complex structure of the electronic records however makes it virtually impossible to create distinct series in the fonds.

Office files consists of one main block of projects and proposals, which includes the bulk of the drawings, photographs and text files on any support and two less voluminous blocks dealing, one with administrative and accounting and the other with awards and certificates. The Personal files includes one block containing images concerned with student work, influences and study trips and one block concerned with Ron Keenberg's correspondence and writings, especially the drafts, proofs and correspondence re. his autobiographical "Sex, VIolence and Architecture".

By far the largest is the Projects and Proposals block of records as it covers, to varying degrees, Ronald Keenberg's involvement in some 350 projects and proposals with IKOY from 1968 to his retirement, in 2005. Documents include technical and architectural drawings, photographs, correspondence, schedules and financial records. Many projects, especially during the period up to the early 1980s, are only minimally documented with one or just a few photographs. Later proposals often carry limited documentation, typically a résumé expressing the firm's interest in a potential client's project. A few other proposals include draft design proposals and fewer still will include more elaborate plans and presentation drawings. Some projects are more extensively covered by photographs. For some projects the full creation and construction processes are illustrated by a wealth of drawings and supporting documents. The following projects are more extensively covered: Visitor Reception Centre in Batoche, SK (GG award); William Davis Computer Building, Waterloo, ON; London Aquatic Centre, London, ON (Keenberg's MA thesis); 1st Royal Regiment Canadian Horse Artillery, Shilo, MB; National Archives building in Gatineau, QC (GG award), Emerson Land Crossing, Emerson, MB; Officer's Accommodations & Mess Facility, CFB Esquimalt, BC; School of Information Technology and Engineering, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON; Advanced Technology Academic Centre, Lakehead University, Thunder Bay, ON; Canadian Joint Operation Group, CFB Kingston, ON; Gas Turbine Environmental Research Centre, NRC, Montreal Road, Ottawa, ON; George Street/York Street Development, Ottawa, ON; Tielmann Residence, Winnipeg, MB.

Provenance:

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Keenberg, Ron, 1941-

Biography/Administrative history:

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Keenberg, Ron, 1941- : Ronald Douglas Keenberg was born December 31, 1941 in Winnipeg, Manitoba. The son of a local physician, he considered entering medical school before opting at age 21 to study design at the Pratt Institute in New York. After graduating in 1965 with a BFA in Interior Design, he returned to Winnipeg to work in a local architect's office. In 1968, Keenberg with Roy Izen, Stan Osaka and James Yamashita founded the IKOY partnership, a trade name Keenberg would call his own after the departure of James Yamashita in 1993. Izen had left the firm in 1970 and Osaka in 1977.

The firm quickly found a niche in public housing, completing projects in and around the city of Winnipeg. Soon after, and partly due to government commissions, IKOY broadened its work to other cities in the Prairies and to other types of buildings. Eventually, as business grew, IKOY opened offices in Regina, Thunder Bay and Ottawa, and worked on projects ranging from the private dwelling to large public buildings, including airport terminals, schools, university buildings, military facilities and commercial outlets.

Through his education and readings, Ron Keenberg developed his own personal architectural philosophy and, according to his own account, a 1976 study trip in Europe to meet architects Larson, Hidimark and Rodgers (creator of the Centre Pompidou in Paris) was a determining factor in shaping his views. His autobiographical "Sex, Violence and Architecture" provides a colourful first person account of his apprenticeship, set-backs and successes from the early 1970s to the opening years of the twenty first century.

Although not initially a registered architect, Ron Keenberg obtained his licenses by special resolutions and has achieved widespread recognition, winning major design competitions as well as national and provincial awards in architectural design. Among the awards received are three Governor General's Medals: in 1982 for the IKOY Office Building in Winnipeg (his first "signature" building, designed and built in 1978), in 1986 for the Red River Automotive Diesel Shop in Winnipeg and in 1999 for the National Archives Building; as well he was the recipient of as two Governor General's Awards, in 1986 for the Northwest Recreation Centre in Regina and in 1990 for the Delta Marsh Retreat, in northern Manitoba. His work has also been reviewed in publications and has been exhibited on various occasions in Canada and abroad.

Ron Keenberg also taught architecture at the University of Waterloo from 1982 to 1990 and he eventually obtained a Masters in Architecture from the University of Manitoba in 1989. He served as director of the Royal Architectural Institute of Canada and as its President in 2002-2003.

After designing the National Archives building and the dissolution of the original partnership, Ron Keenberg moved east to make Ottawa his main place of business and to work on projects and proposals mainly situated in Ontario and Québec. He retired from the architectural profession during the summer of 2005.

Finding aid:

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All media (Electronic) The finding aid is a list organized by series and projects or files Prepared by LAC staff. (90: Open)

Architectural drawings (Electronic) Separate items lists are available for architectural drawings of each accession. Drawings of accession 1998-01665-X have been indexed according to building type and architect. Created by LAC staff. (90: Open)

Digital photographs (Paper) Three binders with printed colour thumbnails of electronic images. Arranged by CD as originally received by LAC. Images were thereafter transferred to LAC server and names were often changed to avoid confusion. Located in volume 1 of the fonds. Initially an index of photographes used in the donor's office. A few pages bear markings by donor or members of his staff. Some of the images depicted were never transferred to LAC. LAC staff completed the index and annotated the list with changes of file names and indicating whether slides were available. (90: Open)

Additional information:

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Physical description note:

ca. 41,000 electronic files in ca. 4,300 file folders: ca. 6,000 images, either scans of analog images or born-digital images; ca. 16,800 architectural or technical drawings; ca. 17,700 text files or spreadsheets

Custodial history:

All the records were transferred directly from the IKOY offices to LAC in three distinct accessions. The first one occurred when IKOY offices were situated in Winnipeg, Manitoba, the last two took place after the offices had moved to Ottawa, Ontario. The records transferred mainly cover projects under Ronald Keenberg's supervision for the IKOY Partnership. Many early drawings and textual records were destroyed prior to negotiations with the National Archives/LAC.

Source:

Private

Related control no.:

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1998-01665-X
1998-01665-X CA
2003-02507-3
2005-01025-1
Ordering and viewing options

Conditions of access:

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Architectural,technical: electronic

[Consultation99 Closed pending processing]

Graphic (photo)

[Consultation90 Open]

Textual records

[Consultation18 Restricted]

Architectural: technical drawings

[Consultation99 Closed pending processing]

Object

[Consultation90 Open]

Terms of use:

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Copyright: photographs. unknown, Ronald Keenberg, Gerry Kopelow, Simon Scott, Steven Evans, Pierre Soulard.
Copyright: architectural drawings: Ronald Keenberg
Copyright: text: Ronald Keenberg, unknown
Credit: Library and Archives Canada

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Date modified:: 2024-05-10