While not one of the big names in architecture, Arthur James Donahue, known to friends as A.J., Jim and James, is worth knowing about, and the Winnipeg Architecture Foundation’s newest online exhibit is here to help.
Donahue was born to a wealthy family in Regina in 1917.
After the Second World War, he designed prefabricated homes as a way to relieve the urgent shortage of housing for returning veterans and their families.
Because the new homes required places to sit, Donahue turned his hand to designing furniture. The most notable examples of his furniture designs are the plastic Winnipeg Chair and the Coconut Chair (see the picture of Martha Stewart lounging in it).
Donahue designed two homes for his family that were very modern for their time, in the Winnipeg suburbs of River Heights and Tuxedo.
His most notable commercial designs – still in use – are the J.A. Russell Architecture Building on the Fort Garry campus of the University of Manitoba, and the Monarch Life building (now Workers Compensation Board of Manitoba) on Broadway downtown.
Donahue led an interesting life, as readers will discover.
Take a look.
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