Jerome Markson

Jerome Markson (1929 – November 18, 2023) was a Canadian architect based in Toronto, Ontario. He was perhaps best known for his multi-family urban housing projects such as Alexandra Park Public Housing.

Life

Early life Above their father's street-level medical practice, Markson and his siblings were raised between two booming immigrant neighbourhoods, Kensington Market and the (no longer existent) Ward. His parents Etta and Charles were eastern European immigrants from Lithuania and Poland respectively. He, along with the rest of his first year peers began their studies in a building which had been used as a bomb-making facility during WWII in Ajax, Ontario. Looking upward at the Group Health Centre in Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario Markson also attended summer courses at the Cranbrook Academy of Art, where his design style and philosophy was greatly impacted by Eliel Saarinen, a long-time director of the school. It was here where he would also meet ceramics artist, and his soon-to-be spouse Mayta Silver.

Death Markson died in Toronto on November 18, 2023, at the age of 94.

Career Markson began his architecture career working in smaller positions for architects Eugene G. Faludi, James Murray, George Robb and Venchiarutti & Venchiarutti. He worked independently under the name Jerome Markson Architect for the majority of his career, except for two occasions in which he partnered with Ernie Hodgson and Ronji Borooah from 1992-1999 and 1992-2005, respectively.

Style Markson was known for his innovative use of lightwells, atriums, courtyards and greenspaces to blur the line between the interior and exterior. Goldblatt II was built in 1957 for Malcolm and Sondi Goldblatt Bathurst Jewish Centre, 1961 Group Health Centre, 1962 Alexandra Park, 1965 David B. Archer Co-operative Housing, 1976 Market Square Condominiums, 1980

Awards In 2022, Markson's contributions as a Canadian architect were recognized when he received the Gold Medal by the Royal Architectural Institute of Canada.