help on info on Wilfred Cantwell

My interview with him will be online on Irish-architecture.com next week. By the way, his name is Wilfrid not Wilfred.

Which one?
My interview may not be of more use – its all to do with his work with Michael Scott

Wilfrid Cantwell was born in 1921 and died on 26 December 2000. According to the Prestel book on Irish architecture (1997), which incorrectly calls him Wilfred, he was educated at DIT, Bolton Street, completing the the-then 3-year (Part 1) course in 1944. Not true. He received his B Arch (ie, Part 2) from UCD in 1944. He was elected to membership of the RIAI (ie, Part 3) in 1946 and was President in 1966 and 1967. Prestel says he worked with Michael Scott (1944-45) and J N Kidney (1946-47), before practising privately (1947-75). From 1976, he specialised as a consultant in church design and in the legal aspects of building.

My parent’s generation, who were a bit younger than Wilf (as they called him), seemed to be in awe of him in the 1950s and ’60s. They used to joke that he was so rational (or his thought processes were so logical) that a cross-section through his brain would look like a Miesian plan. Good, huh?

In his inaugural address as President of the Architectural Association of Ireland (delivered on 3 November 1959, it was titled “A Programme of Work”) Wilf seemed to acknowledge this perception, if a little obliquely: “Here, almost entirely,” he said, “our [architectural] art remains on an intuitive basis, for the strongly individualistic temper of the profession, its habits of quick generalisation and empirical rationalisations, its correctly conservative attitude toward clients’ funds, and its subjection to a pace of performance inimical to preliminary or fundamental experiments [of research] have all discouraged the adoption of orderly and comprehensive investigation . . . Another cause of resistance may be the fear that logical criteria might become intolerable restrictions on inspiration. Although some enthusiasts seem to desire to transform design into mathematical calculation, this is impossible. Far from seeking any curtailment of creative synthesis – that mysterious, ultimate act which must remain the province of the designer’s intuition – research is intended to clarify and order the considerations upon which this intuition acts.”

In the same address, he began by stating his impression of the position of the AAI and Irish architecture at the beginning of the Whittaker/Lemass era. It’s good:

“For many years the affairs of the Association have been organised and supported, most effectively and enthusiastically, by a generation of architects which, though still young in heart, was educated and trained, before the last World War, in an atmosphere imbued with the philosophy of ‘Functionalism’; with the teachings and examples of great men such as Le Corbusier, Gropius, Wright, Aalto and many other only slightly less well known personalities. It was a period in which the architect was a pioneer, fighting for recognition of the new aesthetic movement against the established decadence of the previous century; a battle for the survival of the art of Architecture and, in Ireland, even for the recognition of the existence of architects . . .

“But it is an acknowledged fact of human experience that even brilliant men, as they advance in years and experience, become less flexible and sensitive in their approach to new problems and to conditions which require the fresh energetic approach that only the younger generation can supply. The major battles have been won; except in the fields of Church and Bank building, where the defences of the old order are noticeably crumbling. The modern movement in Architecture is everywhere accepted . . .”

Shortly after his death, John E O’Reilly and Richard Hurley wrote an appreciation of Wilf for the RIAI:

“Wilfrid Cantwell graduated from the School of Architecture, UCD, in 1944 and, thereafter, tirelessly devoted his life to the pursuit of perfection in his own architectural work, to the advancement and promotion of architecture, to the betterment of performance within the profession generally and, not least, to helping his fellow architects and their families in cases of hardship brought about by ill-health, disability or premature death.

“In the context of helping the less fortunate, he promoted and was a founder member of the Irish Architects Benevolent Society (IABS) and, in 1958, drafted the original rules of that body. With selfless commitment and dedication, he served as a Director of IABS for 40 years, for most of which time he acted as Honorary Treasurer. He remained a Trustee of the Society up to his recent death on 26th December.

“Wilfrid’s dual concern with the promotion of architecture and the improvement of standards of performance within the profession inevitably led him to involvement and leadership in a number of organisations which espoused these objectives. He held office as President of the Architectural Association of Ireland in 1959/60, was Honorary Secretary of the RIAI in 1955 and 1956, was Vice-President of the RIAI in 1962, 1964 and 1965, becoming President for the years 1966 and 1967.

“In 1959 he joined the Institute of Arbitrators which, in 1979, became the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators. In 1976 he was accepted as a member of the Panel of Arbitrators of that Institute, being one of only four Irishmen ever to have been so accepted. He was a founder member of the Irish Branch of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators, which was inaugurated in 1982, and he was elected Chairman of the Irish Branch for the year 1985/1986.

“Wilfrid’s passion for the improvement of professional performance in architecture led him to the selfless sharing of his expertise and ideas through lecturing and teaching. From 1952 to 1970 he taught in the School of Architecture in Bolton Street where, in addition to tutorial work in the studios, he also lectured in the History of Architecture.

“He was also a frequent lecturer and contributor at CPD courses on various aspects of Practice Management. About 1958, he was recommended to the Specifile Information Service (SfB) as a likely consultant for the development of the service in Ireland. He acted in this capacity until the service was taken over by the RIBA Library Service and Barbour Index in 1964. By this time he had become a partner with Ron Baden Hellard in the management consulting practice of Polycon Building Industry Consultants.

“Notwithstanding his involvement with the organisation of the profession and the promotion of architecture, he still found time to practise and to excel in his work as Architect and Designer whilst simultaneously developing his skills and talents as an Expert Witness and Arbitrator. Shortly after graduation, he joined the practice of Michael Scott and, with other architects of distinction, Kevin Roche, Kevin Fox and Robin Walker, worked with Scott on the only major Irish building of the time – what is now Busáras. His significant contribution to the work of that team has always been generously and deservedly acknowledged by his colleagues. However, it was in the area of church architecture and in his own practice that he attained the distinction for which he will long be remembered.

The eclectic state of Irish Church Architecture in the middle of the twentieth Century prompted Wilfrid to persuade the RIAI to establish a Church Exhibition Committee in 1956. The Committee immediately set to work and, spurred on by Wilfrid’s enthusiasm, undertook a heavy workload, in which he was continually engaged whilst also acting as Honorary Secretary of the Institute. The main activities can be summarised as follows:

1957: Exhibition, “Eglises de France Réconstruites”, Maynooth College
1958: Exhibition, “German Post-War Sacred Art and Architecture”
1958, 1960 and 1962: Exhibition of Ireland’s entry in Salzburg Biennale
1962: Exhibition, “Modern Churches of Germany”, Dublin, Cork, Belfast, Glenstal
1962: Liturgical Congress, “Our Churches”, Glenstal Abbey.

“The Committee was wound up in 1965 when, as part of wider Church renewal in the wake of Vatican II, the Irish Episcopal Liturgical Commission established the Advisory Committee on Sacred Art and Architecture. Wilfrid served with distinction on this Committee until his retirement in 1993. During this time, three important documents were published: “The Church Edifice and its Appointments” in 1966; “The Building and Reorganisation of Churches” in 1972; when, in 1994, the most significant publication, “The Place of Worship”, appeared, he did not allow his name to appear in the list of acknowledgements, because of the theological thrust of the Directory. All his life he set himself very high standards and nobody ever doubted his integrity. In 1985, he was co-author with Richard Hurley of the highly successful book, now out of print, “Contemporary Irish Church Architecture”.

“Amongst his many Church projects, his own favourite was his renovation of the Pugin Chapel in Ushaw College, Durham. His diverse architectural skills are aptly demonstrated in his two major religious buildings – the Jewish Synagogue in Terenure in 1960 and the Church of the Holy Spirit, Ballycullane, Co. Wexford in 1971. This church, together with numerous re-ordering and renewal projects, is a lasting testimony to the important role Wilfrid played in the renewal of Irish Church Architecture in the era of Vatican II. No history of the period would be complete without acknowledging the importance of his contribution.

“Architect, arbitrator, expert witness, teacher, jurist, liturgist, self-effacing philanthropist and indefatigable worker in the cause of architecture, Wilfrid Cantwell was a pioneer who, through the second half of the twentieth century, paved the way to the attainment of the position which Irish architecture and the RIAI now proudly occupy at the beginning of the twenty-first century.”

For the record
Interview 12 March 1996 Wilfrid Cantwell
http://www.irish-architecture.com/busaras/interview_cantwell.html