As one of Québec's most celebrated architects, Ernest Cormier has left his mark in Canada. He collaborated with Jean-Omer Marchand on Montréal's École des Beaux-Arts, (shown here) which Eleanor Milne attended in 1947–48. Perhaps he is best known for designing the University of Montréal. He also designed the Supreme Court of Canada building in Ottawa

Born in 1885, he grew up in Montréal and began attending Montréal's École Polytechnique at the age of 17. After graduating from the civil engineering program, Cormier left for Paris to pursue a career in architecture. By 1911 he had enrolled in l'École des Beaux-Arts in Paris as a student of architecture. After learning about rationalism as well as classicism, Cormier returned to Montréal in 1918 to begin his career as an architect.

Cormier was heavily involved with the Association des Architectes de la Province de Québec (AAPQ) and was elected president in 1929. He had his own firm, Ernest Cormier, Architecte et Ingénieur, and he designed many of Québec's most recognized buildings. In addition to his work as an architect, Cormier also worked as a professor of Engineering at his alma mater, l'École Polytechnique de Montréal.

References:
Cohen-Rose, Sandra. Northern Deco—Art Deco Architecture in Montreal. Montreal: Corona Publishers, 1996.
Gournay, Isabelle. Ernest Cormier et l'Université de Montréal. Montreal: CCA, 1990.
Kalman, Harold. A History of Canadian Architecture. Toronto: Oxford University Press, 1994.

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