Peter Coffman
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Peter Coffman
@petercoffman.bsky.social
2K followers 1.1K following 1.2K posts
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 · Nov 8
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
St. Paul’s Church, Birchtown, NS, built 1888-1905 for a Black Anglican Loyalist community.

The story of the Black Loyalists in Birchtown is a difficult one, replete with exploitation, racism, violence and cruelty. But we must bear witness, and buildings like this help us do so.
#BlackHistoryMonth
February 11, 2026 at 12:24 AM
Reposted by Peter Coffman
reblambert.bsky.social
c.org/PF8TzLkNcQ
We Can Make an Impact.
Save William Blake’s last London house
c.org
February 11, 2026 at 12:07 AM
Reposted by Peter Coffman
michelechampagne.com
If you’re in Ottawa, don’t miss Miroyama Teshima’s extraordinary architecture for the Canadian War Museum.
petercoffman.bsky.social Peter Coffman @petercoffman.bsky.social · 3h
Some of our students get a good look at the Moriyama Regeneration Hall during an excellent tour of the Canadian War Museum today.
A line of people listen to a tour guide inside a very striking interior space in which steep, skeletal walls stretch up to a sharp point. A very tall, thin, tapering window lights the far end of the
February 10, 2026 at 11:44 PM
petercoffman.bsky.social
Some of our students get a good look at the Moriyama Regeneration Hall during an excellent tour of the Canadian War Museum today.
A line of people listen to a tour guide inside a very striking interior space in which steep, skeletal walls stretch up to a sharp point. A very tall, thin, tapering window lights the far end of the
February 10, 2026 at 11:17 PM
petercoffman.bsky.social
"Trump Steaks, Trump University, Trump International Airport? This Has to Stop.

Trump may be realizing that he will never win broad public adulation. Then again, maybe he’s operating out of pure, untethered vanity."

I favour a simpler explanation.
www.nytimes.com/2026/02/10/o...
A cartoon depicting an aggressive-looking dog urinating on a fire hydrant. A photograph showing the addition of Trump’s name to the JFK Center for the Performing Arts.
February 10, 2026 at 3:21 PM
petercoffman.bsky.social
I think a lot of the world can identify with this right now.
#StareDown
A close-up of a Bald Eagle’s face as it stares straight at the viewer from above.
February 9, 2026 at 11:16 PM
Reposted by Peter Coffman
fakehistoryhunter.net
What I'm going to be like when I become a ghost:
February 9, 2026 at 11:08 PM
petercoffman.bsky.social
I hadn’t seen this rendering before. My first impression is that it seems to understand Classicism as a set of ornamental forms, not as a coherent, harmonious visual language. And I’m not that surprised.
jgbollard.bsky.social Neil Flanagan 🧱🗃️ @jgbollard.bsky.social · 3d
The Epstein Ballroom is such a postmodernist building:

The north facade is a clean copy of Hoban's windows. The portico mirrors one on the Treasury Department, and they've just bumped it from six to eight columns to match exactly. None of this has much relation to the interior.

Decorated shed.
February rendering of the Epstein Ballroom
February 8, 2026 at 4:04 PM
petercoffman.bsky.social
For #AncientSiteSunday: Head-Smashed-In Buffalo Jump, near Fort MacLeod, Alberta. Used for millennia by the Blackfoot to drive bison off the cliff, making possible the harvest of meat, bone, hide, etc. A @unesco.org World Heritage Site since 1981.
A jagged, rocky cliff recedes into the distance, marking an abrupt change in elevation between the broad plain on one side of it and another below.
February 8, 2026 at 3:06 PM
petercoffman.bsky.social
Waiting for the launch of @grahamlindsey.bsky.social’s new album at Red Bird.
A stylized red maple leaf with the words’Tune Machine’ written inside.
February 8, 2026 at 12:47 AM
petercoffman.bsky.social
I’m grateful to @arieltroster.com for shining some light on the problem of demolition by neglect. It’s a cynical and destructive manipulation of legal loopholes.
www.arieltroster.com/swm_65
Demolition by Neglect, transit compensation, shelter diversion, new zoning bylaw, and more!
Somerset Ward
www.arieltroster.com
February 7, 2026 at 2:21 PM
petercoffman.bsky.social
A splendid book, highly recommended!
jpwarchaeology.bsky.social James Wright @jpwarchaeology.bsky.social · 3d
Here's a thread which follows my last book - Historic Building Mythbusting. Its a look at the stories we tell about ancient buildings, a debunking of some of those tales, and what we can learn about ourselves through folklore... the stories behind the stories 1/12🧵
February 7, 2026 at 2:15 PM
petercoffman.bsky.social
As we head into Week 2 of #BlackHistoryMonth, some thoughts on Oro African Methodist Episcopal Church, a national historic site in Oro Medonte, Ontario.

I’m thinking out loud in this blog, and would welcome any thoughts or suggestions.
carleton.ca/aah/2024/oro...
Oro African Methodist Episcopal Church - Art and Architectural History
In Ontario’s Simcoe County, at the intersection of Old Barrie Road and Line 3, is a modest log building that is also a symbol. It’s a symbol of freedom,
carleton.ca
February 7, 2026 at 2:12 PM
petercoffman.bsky.social
Something a bit different for #CastleSaturday: Casa Loma, Toronto, desogned by E.J. Lennox for Sir Henry Pellatt, begun 1911.

And if you’re about to say “Hey, that’s not a *real* castle”, I suggest you examine your definition of “castle”….
A romantic, castle-like silhouette of towers, turrets and crenelations is glimpsed from a distance through foliage and branches.
February 7, 2026 at 2:09 PM
Reposted by Peter Coffman
saskajanet.bsky.social
trundle, trundle, trundle 😍
🌿
A close-up of a porcupine walking right to left across a snowy field.
February 1, 2026 at 11:09 PM
petercoffman.bsky.social
Oh no. His potential is off the scale - not just as a player but as a person. I have no information to share and no insight to offer. I just hope that things turn out alright for everyone.
www.cbc.ca/news/canada/...
Yukon-born hockey star Gavin McKenna charged with aggravated assault | CBC Sports
Yukon-born hockey player Gavin McKenna, 18, has been charged in the U.S. with assault, according to court documents obtained by CBC News.
www.cbc.ca
February 5, 2026 at 12:42 AM
petercoffman.bsky.social
So.… They were smart enough to invent their own weapon system, but not smart enough to realize that developing a weapon system at home and flogging it on Youtube would get them in trouble?

I simply do not understand humans any more.

www.cbc.ca/news/canada/...
3 accused in Ontario explosives investigation were developing anti-drone weapons system | CBC News
The three Ontario men accused of storing materials that could be made into explosives had been looking for money to back the production of a military system designed to prevent drone attacks.
www.cbc.ca
February 5, 2026 at 12:21 AM
petercoffman.bsky.social
A high-speed rail line could do a lot of environmental good. Why would you have than line undo much of its own good by having it slice through a UNESCO-designated biosphere? 🤦
www.cbc.ca/news/canada/...
Landowners, officials north of Kingston, Ont., fear 'devastation' from high-speed rail | CBC News
Property owners and elected officials in the Township of South Frontenac, Ont., say they were caught off guard by Alto's proposed southern route for high-speed rail, and fear what it will mean for the...
www.cbc.ca
February 4, 2026 at 9:42 PM
petercoffman.bsky.social
Grade inflation in high schools is undeniable, and it’s not a good trend. But how one senior education consultant can conclude "the onus should be on universities to tackle the problem” is beyond me. 🤷‍♂️
www.cbc.ca/news/canada/...
As Ontario high school grades keep rising, graduating students worry about their university future | CBC News
The numbers paint a stark picture of what it’s like to be a graduating student in the province right now, as university admissions ramp up and education experts call for an overhaul of both the high s...
www.cbc.ca
February 4, 2026 at 4:25 PM
petercoffman.bsky.social
Speaking of the abuse of heritage buildings….

He’s tearing it down. Because since he re-named it after himself, no one consequential wants to perform there, and no one sensible wants to be in the audience. It’s less embarrassing to just tear it down on some flimsy pretext.
atrupar.com Aaron Rupar @atrupar.com · 8d
Q: Do you plan on tearing the Kennedy Center down and how much will all of the renovations cost?

TRUMP: Probably around $200 million. I'm not ripping it down. I'll be using the steel. So we're using the structure. We're using some of the marble.
February 3, 2026 at 12:50 AM
petercoffman.bsky.social
A motion will be discussed by Ottawa’s Built Heritage Committee that would require 90% of buildings to meet heritage protection criteria (rather than the current 25%) in order to create a Heritage Conservation District.

This would make it essentially impossible to create HCDs.
A motion brought before Ottawa’s Built Heritage Committee reading: "6. Motions of Which Notice has been Previously Given 6.1 Motion – Member B. Bourns - Heritage Conservation District Criteria This item has attachments. File No. ACS2026-OCC-CCS-0009 – City-wide Motion That the Built Heritage Committee recommend Council approve that the Criteria for a Heritage Conservation District (HCD) be increased from 25 percent to 90 percent."
February 2, 2026 at 11:06 PM
petercoffman.bsky.social
Happy Feast Day of St. Brigid! Here’s the tower of St. Brigid’s Church, Ottawa, by James R. Bowes, 1890.
A shiny, metallic tower shaped like a bishop’s mitre is brightly sunlit against a dark, clear sky in a black & white photograph.
February 1, 2026 at 10:47 PM
petercoffman.bsky.social
Happy first day of #BlackHistoryMonth!

I wrote this blog about Africville, NS, during BHM a couple of years ago, and used it in a class for the first time a couple of days ago. At the bottom of the page, there’s a list of some good online resources about Africville.

carleton.ca/aah/2024/afr...
Africville, Nova Scotia - Art and Architectural History
The site of Africville, overlooking the Bedford Basin. If you visit Africville, Nova Scotia, the first thing you’ll notice is that it's not there anymore.
carleton.ca
February 1, 2026 at 3:01 PM
petercoffman.bsky.social
For #CeilingsOnSunday: The former Union Station, Ottawa, by Bradford Gilbert, 1912. Currently serving as the Senate of Canada building. Possibly to become the Ottawa hub for the planned high-speed rail line. Or possibly not.
View straight up to a curved ceiling covered with ornate round coffered recesses, supported by Corinthian capitals and fluted columns, flanked by semi-circular windows.
February 1, 2026 at 2:28 PM
Reposted by Peter Coffman
stillots1.bsky.social
Brutal massacre of an Acadian community in January 1759. The expulsion continued.
rosellam.bsky.social Rosella Melanson @rosellam.bsky.social · 9d
Janvier 1759 - Le lieutenant Moses Hazen et des miliciens arrivent à Ste-Anne-des-Pays-Bas (auj. Fredericton). Ils brûlent les 150 maisons, chapelles, granges &grain. Les Acadiens s’étaient enfuient mais sur le chemin de retour, ils
La destruction de Sainte-Anne-des-Pays-Bas
À l’automne 1758, le village de Sainte-Anne-des-Pays-Bas (sur le site de la ville actuelle de Fredericton) échappe à la destruction des établissements
www.acadienouvelle.com
February 1, 2026 at 2:14 PM