Lennox Grafton facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Lennox Grafton
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|---|---|
| Born |
Daphne Lennox Grafton
3 December 1919 |
| Died | 24 March 2017 (aged 97) Lacombe, Alberta, Canada
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| Nationality | Canadian |
| Education | University of Toronto |
| Known for | Architecture |
Lennox Grafton (born December 3, 1919 – died March 24, 2017) was a Canadian architect. She was one of the very first women in Canada to be trained in architecture.
Lennox Grafton studied at the University of Alberta from 1938 to 1941. She then went on to graduate from the architecture program at the University of Toronto in 1950. In her early career, during the 1950s, Grafton designed many schools, churches, and commercial buildings. She worked for several architectural companies in Toronto at that time.
In 1960, Lennox Grafton decided to open her own architectural business. However, she eventually had to close it. It was hard to get enough money to make the business big enough for larger projects.
Designing Buildings for the Government
After her own business closed, Grafton joined Public Works Canada in 1967. This is a government department that manages public buildings. In the 1970s, she became responsible for designing schools for the Canadian government. These schools were often in remote communities, especially for Indigenous children in places like Attawapiskat and Kashechewan in Northern Ontario.
As a design and project architect, Lennox Grafton's work can be seen in many communities across Ontario. She found this work both challenging and interesting. She played a key role in designing the school in Attawapiskat. She also helped solve tough technical problems. For example, she figured out how to build on difficult soil and deal with the extreme weather and temperatures in that area.
Supporting Women in Architecture
During the 1980s and 1990s, Lennox Grafton was very active in a project called "For the Record." This project was organized by the Ontario Women Graduates. It received money from the Ontario Heritage Foundation.
The goal of "For the Record" was to find and document the stories of women architects. It focused on those who graduated from the University of Toronto's architecture program between the 1920s and 1960s. Grafton helped make sure these women's contributions were remembered.
