Memorable Manitobans: Gilbert C. “Gil” Parfitt (1886-1966)

Gilbert C. Parfitt Click to enlarge

Architect.

Born in England on 22 December 1886, son of James Parfitt, he studied architecture there. He remained in Winnipeg after a visit in 1912, and worked with various local architectural firms. He became noted for his medieval churches, stately monuments, and buildings at the University of Manitoba. He sometimes worked in partnership with Edgar Prain.

By 1924, he had been appointed Provincial Architect, replacing Victor Horwood, and held the position until retirement in 1957, when he was succeeded by Basil Roy McPherson. He then served as head of Manitoba’s Office of Planning and Development until final retirement in March 1961. He was a Fellow of the Royal Architectural Institute of Canada and he served two terms as President of the Manitoba Association of Architects (1927-1928, 1939-1940).

On 22 March 1913, he married Edith Mary Voile (1887-1978) at Winnipeg and they had three children: Basil Parfitt (1915-?), Valerie Parfitt (1919-2000, wife of Ron Sukloff), and Maurice Parfitt (1924-2011). An amateur painter, he studied at the Winnipeg School of Art (1927-1928), serving on the Art Committee thereafter. He was also an ardent fly fisherman.

He moved to British Columbia in 1963 and died at his home at Vancouver on 24 May 1966.

Some of his architectural works in Manitoba included:

Building	Location	Year	Status
Dundas School No. 95 (alterations)	RM of Rockwood	1921
Stonewall War Memorial	Stonewall	1922
St. Martin in the Field Anglican Church	160 Smithfield Avenue, Winnipeg	1922
Brookdale Consolidated School	Brookdale, RM of North Cypress	1924	Destroyed by fire (?)
A. P. Paget Residence	229 Park Boulevard North, Winnipeg	1925
Cathedral Church of St. John	135 Anderson Avenue, Winnipeg	1926
Ninette School No. 1028	Ninette, RM of Riverside	1926
Shoal Lake School No. 458	Shoal Lake	1926	Demolished (1990s)
St. John’s Presbyterian Church	251 Bannerman Avenue, Winnipeg	1928
Winnipeg Cenotaph	Memorial Boulevard, Winnipeg	1928
Deloraine Consolidated School No. 490	Deloraine	1928	Demolished (early 1980s)
Lac du Bonnet School No. 1235	Lac du Bonnet	1931	Destroyed by fire (1945)
Arts Building	173 Dafoe Road, Winnipeg	1931-1932
Science Building	45 Chancellors Circle, Winnipeg	1931-1932
Women’s Pavilion	Brandon Hospital for Mental Diseases, First Street, Brandon	1931-1932
Manitoba School for Mental Defectives (addition)	3rd Street NE, Portage la Prairie	1937-1938
CKX Radio Building	220 Eighth Street, Brandon	1941
Brandon Land Titles Building	705 Princess Avenue, Brandon	1958
Vermette School No. 970	St. Anne’s Road, Winnipeg	?	Demolished (?)

Sources:

Marriage registration, Manitoba Vital Statistics.

1916 Canada census, Ancestry.

“Sealed Tenders,” Manitoba Free Press, 3 March 1924, page 18.

“Builders of Greater Winnipeg,” Winnipeg Tribune, 18 June 1931, page 35.

“Land Titles Office open,” Brandon Sun, 22 October 1958, page 5.

“He recalls 50 years in architecture,” Winnipeg Tribune, 27 March 1961.

“’Britisher,’ but her since ’12, re-retires,” Winnipeg Free Press, 1 April 1961, page 11.

Obituary, Winnipeg Free Press, 25 May 1966, page 30.

Death registration, British Columbia Vital Statistics.

Buildings at the Brandon Mental Health Centre by David Butterfield and Randy Rostecki, Manitoba Historic Resources Branch, November 1988.

Dictionary of Manitoba Biography by John M. “Jack” Bumsted, Winnipeg: University of Manitoba Press, 1999.

Obituary [Valerie Sukloff], The Globe and Mail, 10 June 2000.

Winnipeg Buildings Index.

We thank Nathan Kramer and George Penner for providing additional information used here.

This page was prepared by Gordon Goldsborough.

Page revised: 24 September 2023

Memorable Manitobans This is a collection of noteworthy Manitobans from the past, compiled by the Manitoba Historical Society. We acknowledge that the collection contains both reputable and disreputable people. All are worth remembering as a lesson to future generations. Search the collection by word or phrase, name, place, occupation or other text: Custom Search Browse surnames beginning with: A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | I | J | K | L | M | N | O | P | Q | R | S | T | U | V | W | Y | Z Browse deaths occurring in: 1984 | 1985 | 1986 | 1987 | 1988 | 1989 | 1990 | 1991 | 1992 | 1993 | 1994 | 1995 | 1996 | 1997 | 1998 | 1999 | 2000 | 2001 | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 Send corrections and additions to this page to the Memorable Manitobans Administrator at biographies@mhs.mb.ca Criteria for Memorable Manitobans | Suggest a Memorable Manitoban | Firsts | Acknowledgements Help us keep history alive!