Peter Coffman
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Peter Coffman
@petercoffman.bsky.social
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Architectural Historian; Supervisor of History & Theory of Architecture program @carleton.ca‬. https://carleton.ca/aah/people/peter-coffman/ Photographer. Pilgrim. Occasionally a writer. Chief of Staff to two cats. Photos mine unless otherwise credited.
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Peter Coffman @petercoffman.bsky.social · 18d
I’m getting ready to co-teach our new course on Canadian architecture.

So, What *is* Canadian architecture?

Well, it’s a long story. Or rather, *many* long stories.
A lone, weathered grain elevator sits against a rolling, undulating, barren mandscape. A singloe road winds around it and into the distance. A slightly warm-tinted black & white photograph of an ornate, three-story wooden building. The lower two stories are white with pronounced dark trip around all of the many windows. The upper story is darker and has very large Serliana windows. The roof has a robust and picturesque skyline of towers and turrets, silhouetted against a dark sky with stormy grey clouds that seem to be in motion. A wooden gabled building facade with a gently sloping roof is perfectly bisected by a tall and very ornately carved totem pole. The sky behind is dark with billowy white clouds. A curvilinear, undulating, sheer white building facade contrasts starkly with the dark sky above. The facade is without any features such as window or ornament, Its white mass sits like an iceberg on the street.
petercoffman.bsky.social
I got to spend some time with Colleen Jones in 2009 when she did a story for the CBC about a historic Nova Scotian church that was being dismantled and sold to an American buyer. She was smart, kind, energetic, funny, curious and empathetic. RIP.

👇 She interviews the rector who authorized the sale.
Colleen Jones, dressed in blue jeans, a bright red coat and matching beret, looks thoughtful as she speaks with a man in a black coat and grey cap. The latter has his back to the viewer. Behind them is a small, historic wooden church that has been stripped of its siding and is most of the way to being completely dismantled.
November 26, 2025 at 2:52 AM
petercoffman.bsky.social
Finally some good news from a Canadian university:
November 26, 2025 at 1:35 AM
petercoffman.bsky.social
Well this is… complicated.
www.theglobeandmail.com/gift/e94a79c...
A most inconvenient Indian
At 82, I feel as though I’ve been ripped in half, a one-legged man in a two-legged story. Not the Indian I had in mind. Not an Indian at all
www.theglobeandmail.com
November 25, 2025 at 12:13 PM
Reposted by Peter Coffman
jpwarchaeology.bsky.social
My first online talk for nearly a year will take place tomorrow evening (Tue 25 Nov). It will look at how we can use archives, archaeology and dendrochronology to date ancient buildings.

This will be a brand new bespoke talk & I hope you can join us...

www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/dating-anc...
November 24, 2025 at 11:19 AM
petercoffman.bsky.social
Oh no. This is the one thing that could make an already devastating loss even more painful. I can barely process this information, it’s so awful.
shawnmicallef.bsky.social Shawn Micallef @shawnmicallef.bsky.social · 2d
St Anne’s, the magnificent Anglican church that burned June 2024, has released a statement saying it’s being treated as arson.
NEWS & EVENTS ST. ANNE'S, TORONTO An Important Update Dear St. Anne's parishioners, Earlier this week, we let the parish know that we would be holding a meeting today after our Sunday worship service. At this meeting we were joined by Detective Patrick Stewart of the Toronto Police Service. It is with great sadness that I now share with you that Det. Stewart informed us that the fire that destroyed our historic church building on June 9, 2024, is being treated as suspected arson. The parish, together with the Diocese of Toronto, has released a public statement that you can read on our website. This is very difficult news, on top of what has already been a painful season for St. Anne's in the wake of the fire. I am available for pastoral care and conversation with any of St. Anne's parishioners who would like support. Please don't hesitate to reach out to me over the coming days and weeks, if speaking with someone would be helpful. The community of St. Anne's has shown remarkable resilience and faith in this difficult time. I trust that, strengthened by our faith in a God who makes all things new, we will continue to worship, serve and witness to hope in this neighbourhood for many years to come. In faith, Hannah + St. Anne's Land Acknowledgement Sacred covenants of mutual respect and relationship, made in solemn witness of spiritual leaders from Indigenous Nations and from the Anglican Church, began to be broken after the War of 1812, when the Anglican Church allowed itself to be absorbed into the British imperialist programme. These covenants reflected the primacy of sustainability, mutual regard, and sharing; and acknowledged this to be the territory of Indigenous Nations since time immemorial. The members of the congregation of St. Anne's Anglican Church, Diocese of Toronto, honour these covenants made by our forebears, and hold them to be the best hope for our future generations. We pray that all Canada will restore this sacred relationship.
November 24, 2025 at 4:27 AM
petercoffman.bsky.social
And much deeper blue than a Great Blue Heron actually is!
November 23, 2025 at 2:02 PM
petercoffman.bsky.social
Well, this should be fun!
A screen with the words The Paradoxes of Trinity College Chapel/Peter Coffman” in front of a chapel apse with a rib vault and gothic windows.
November 20, 2025 at 1:20 PM
petercoffman.bsky.social
On my way to Toronto, looking forward to taking part in the conference “Sacred Space: Conflicts and Convergences” at Trinity College. I’ll be speaking first thing in the morning and again at the end of the event.
www.trinity.utoronto.ca/study-theolo...
Sacred Space: Conflict and Convergences - Nov 19-20, 2025 - Trinity College
Trinity College Chapel is one of the last significant examples of historicist Gothic revival architecture from the twentieth century. Completed in 1955 and designed by Sir Giles Gilbert Scott, the arc...
www.trinity.utoronto.ca
November 19, 2025 at 4:10 PM
petercoffman.bsky.social
I have to admit I find it a bit creepy that MS Word is now offering to help me summarize, find key insights and questions in, and prepare me to discuss a document that I’ve written myself. I suppose that if I’d used AI to write it, I’d also need AI to tell me how to discuss it. 🤷‍♂️
An on-screen computer prompt offering help to “summarize this document”, “Find key insights and questions”, and “Prep me to discuss this document"
November 13, 2025 at 3:48 PM
Reposted by Peter Coffman
coolckcu.bsky.social
It's official! @ckcufm.bsky.social
www.newswire.ca/news-release...
City of Ottawa proclaims Nov. 15 as "CKCU 93.1 FM" Day in honour of the station's 50th anniversary
/CNW/ - The City of Ottawa has officially proclaimed November 15, 2025 as "CKCU 93.1 FM Day", recognizing the 50th anniversary of one of Canada's most enduring...
www.newswire.ca
November 13, 2025 at 4:18 AM
petercoffman.bsky.social
I still don’t understand how this ridiculous story gained so much traction in the media, but @picardonhealth.bsky.social puts it in its proper place:
www.theglobeandmail.com/opinion/arti...
Opinion: The ostrich saga was for the birds
Government’s decision to cull 300 birds in B.C. was for the public good
www.theglobeandmail.com
November 12, 2025 at 2:22 PM
petercoffman.bsky.social
Scott was also, very late in his career, architect of Trinity College Chapel at the University of Toronto. Nov. 20 will mark the 70th anniversary of the consecration of the chapel, and the College will host the symposium "Sacred Space: Conflicts and Convergences”. I will be one of the speakers.
An austerely impressive Gothic chapel viewed from the back through a pointed arch toward the altar and three stained glass windows.The walls are plain and unadorned, with emphatic vertical articulation between bays. The vault is a simple quadripartite rib vault.
November 9, 2025 at 3:03 PM
Reposted by Peter Coffman
stillots1.bsky.social
Amazing photos. I'd take this course in an instant. Lucky Carleton students!

"Canadian architectural eye candy" is not a phrase that often comes to mind.

But here it is!

#cdnhist
petercoffman.bsky.social Peter Coffman @petercoffman.bsky.social · 18d
I’m getting ready to co-teach our new course on Canadian architecture.

So, What *is* Canadian architecture?

Well, it’s a long story. Or rather, *many* long stories.
A lone, weathered grain elevator sits against a rolling, undulating, barren mandscape. A singloe road winds around it and into the distance. A slightly warm-tinted black & white photograph of an ornate, three-story wooden building. The lower two stories are white with pronounced dark trip around all of the many windows. The upper story is darker and has very large Serliana windows. The roof has a robust and picturesque skyline of towers and turrets, silhouetted against a dark sky with stormy grey clouds that seem to be in motion. A wooden gabled building facade with a gently sloping roof is perfectly bisected by a tall and very ornately carved totem pole. The sky behind is dark with billowy white clouds. A curvilinear, undulating, sheer white building facade contrasts starkly with the dark sky above. The facade is without any features such as window or ornament, Its white mass sits like an iceberg on the street.
November 8, 2025 at 1:33 PM
Reposted by Peter Coffman
petercoffman.bsky.social
And that candy comes in a huge variety of shapes and sizes that would take most people by surprise. And the stories behind them…. That’s what inspired my #VacationInCanada posts and blogs.
carleton.ca/aah/category...
'Vacation in Canada' Archives - Art and Architectural History
carleton.ca
November 8, 2025 at 1:37 PM
petercoffman.bsky.social
I had a really good conversation with someone from the Mi’kmawey Debert Cultural Centre yesterday about this exhibition. I can’t wait to go and see it.
www.historymuseum.ca/exhibitions/...
Wi'k+palu'k Sam Glodeo'q ta'n wetapeksitaq: Honouring the Belonging of Sam Glode | Canadian Museum of History
www.historymuseum.ca
November 8, 2025 at 1:34 PM
petercoffman.bsky.social
I’m getting ready to co-teach our new course on Canadian architecture.

So, What *is* Canadian architecture?

Well, it’s a long story. Or rather, *many* long stories.
A lone, weathered grain elevator sits against a rolling, undulating, barren mandscape. A singloe road winds around it and into the distance. A slightly warm-tinted black & white photograph of an ornate, three-story wooden building. The lower two stories are white with pronounced dark trip around all of the many windows. The upper story is darker and has very large Serliana windows. The roof has a robust and picturesque skyline of towers and turrets, silhouetted against a dark sky with stormy grey clouds that seem to be in motion. A wooden gabled building facade with a gently sloping roof is perfectly bisected by a tall and very ornately carved totem pole. The sky behind is dark with billowy white clouds. A curvilinear, undulating, sheer white building facade contrasts starkly with the dark sky above. The facade is without any features such as window or ornament, Its white mass sits like an iceberg on the street.
November 8, 2025 at 1:05 PM
Reposted by Peter Coffman
jgbollard.bsky.social
Gift link:
White House Architecture Was an Honor System. Trump Noticed.
For 125 years, informal norms constrained what a president could do to one of the nation’s most famous landmarks.
www.theatlantic.com
November 1, 2025 at 3:54 PM
petercoffman.bsky.social
Our latest departmental blog is by one of our students, Danielle Dickson! it’s always great to experience one of our events through a student’s eyes. Special thanks to Andrew Waldron.
carleton.ca/aah/2025/dis...
Discovering Ottawa’s Hidden Modernist Gems - Art and Architectural History
HTA student Daniella Dickson experiences the ideals and the beauty of Mid-Century Modern neighbourhoods firsthand. Adjunct Professor Andrew Waldron leads
carleton.ca
November 5, 2025 at 9:11 PM
Reposted by Peter Coffman
jleiper.bsky.social
Lansdowne 2.0 doesn’t give Ottawa what it needs. The plan is built around the limits of a public-private deal that leaves the city with hundreds of millions in new debt for a project that won’t serve residents well.
As women's hockey climbs to new heights, the City of Ottawa says think smaller | Opinion
PWHL executives Jayna Hefford and Amy Scheer write that it's not too late to change the story on Lansdowne 2.0.
ottawacitizen.com
November 4, 2025 at 6:31 PM
petercoffman.bsky.social
"It's only been six months since the election”, complains CPC MP Aaron Gunn.

That would be the same election in which the people of Battle River-Crowfoot elected Damien Kurek, right?

www.cbc.ca/news/politic...
MP Chris d'Entremont says he joined Liberals because of Poilievre's leadership style | CBC News
Nova Scotia MP Chris d'Entremont said Wednesday he left the Conservative caucus because he didn't feel represented in leader Pierre Poilievre's party anymore and bristled at his "negative" approach to...
www.cbc.ca
November 5, 2025 at 4:20 PM
petercoffman.bsky.social
Happy Day of the Dead, if that’s not too paradoxical a sentiment.

👇Hillside Cemetery, Dawson City, Yukon.
In the foreground, a simple wooden grave marker with the name “John Carpenter” leans to one side, weathered with age. Beyond it, several similar markers are softly out of focus. The lawn below is covered in flowering weeds.
November 2, 2025 at 2:26 PM
petercoffman.bsky.social
Not an original idea, but I used ‘Moving Surfaces’ to frame the Aberdeen Pavillion for the ‘Lansdowne’ photo in Andrew Waldron’s architectural guidebook, ‘Exploring the Capital’. The piece does act as a visual and imaginative anchor for the place.
A rhythmically undulating arc of steel in the foreground frames a brightly sunlit traditional, barn-like building in the distance.
November 2, 2025 at 1:53 PM
petercoffman.bsky.social
In which @sproudfoot.bsky.social says what we are all thinking, but not everyone dares say. And she adds a bit of history about the most odious ‘diplomat’ in living memory, for good measure.
www.theglobeandmail.com/politics/opi...
Opinion: U.S. Ambassador’s outburst is one more punch in the face from the neighbourhood bully
Pete Hoekstra’s aggression toward David Paterson underlines how obnoxious and abusive the Trump administration has become
www.theglobeandmail.com
November 2, 2025 at 1:19 PM
Reposted by Peter Coffman
sproudfoot.bsky.social
New from me. I don’t know about you, but I’m getting a little tired of Canada being treated like a toy at a spoiled rich kid’s birthday party, so I wrote about Pete Hoekstra’s public meltdown in Ottawa this week.
November 1, 2025 at 12:20 PM
Reposted by Peter Coffman
thevicsoc.bsky.social
David Winterton gives the sixth in our series of 🍁autumn online lectures on Frank Darling, Architect of Canada’s Imperial Age 🧵

Buy your ticket here: bit.ly/4oh6pWl

#FrankDarling #architect #architecturalhistory #Toronto #EdwardianBaroque #TorontoEdwardian #onlinelecture #heritage #booktalk
November 1, 2025 at 9:24 PM