Born at Winnipeg on 10 August 1909, son of Cyril William Upton Chivers and Frances Anna Simpson (1882-1972), he graduated in Architecture from the University of Manitoba in 1931 and, except for three years of service overseas with the Royal Canadian Engineers in Italy and Holland, he practiced architecture most of his working life in Winnipeg, taking over his father’s architectural practice of Northwood and Chivers, downsizing it, and renaming it John A. Chivers Architect.
Late in his career he took up restoration work. Lower Fort Garry, Dalnavert Museum, Hecla Island, and buildings at the St. Norbert Heritage Park were projects that he supervised. For his body of restoration work, in 1970 he was awarded a Manitoba Centennial Medal by the Manitoba Historical Society. He served on the Historic Sites Advisory Board of Manitoba (c1977).
He married Margaret Alberta Attwood (1910-?), youngest daughter of Albert Edward Attwood, at Ottawa, Ontario. He served on the St. Vital School Board in the early 1950s and later designed a new school for it. He retired in 1979, and moved to Mill Bay, British Columbia.
He died at White Rock, British Columbia on 19 January 2004.
Some of his architectural works in Manitoba included:
Building
Location
Year
Status
50 Dunkirk Drive, Winnipeg
1954
Demolished (?)
505 Oakdale Drive, Winnipeg
1955
St. George School (expansion)
151 St. George Road, Winnipeg
1961
Thornhill, RM of Stanley
1961-1962
Demolished (?)
Obituary, Winnipeg Free Press, 24 January 2004.
Winnipeg Building Index, University of Manitoba.
We thank Doug Chivers for providing additional information used here.
This page was prepared by Gordon Goldsborough.
Page revised: 1 March 2024
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