FRESH BRICK: WORTH SINGING OVER

Thursday, May 17, 2018

WORTH SINGING OVER

Over the years I have discovered FreshBrick fans are gaga for mid-century modern! And a legend in #HamOnt MCM design was Joe Singer.

Joseph Baronislaw Singer was born in Kracow, Poland on March 5, 1924. His father was an officer in the Polish army and was taken prisoner and killed by Nazi Germany. His family escaped death and became refugees. Later, Singer volunteered for the air force as a navigator. During training one of his legs brought him to Malton, Ontario where he had his first taste of Canada and eventually settled with his family in 1954.

Adas Israel Synagogue

In 1952, just before his move to Hamilton, Joe published the book Plastics in Building which enabled him to get a job in England with the Herfordshire County Architects Department, a prestigious firm pioneering in innovative techniques and designs. And so began his architectural legacy…

Hamilton Board of Education

For the next 50 years Joe designed many buildings in the Hamilton area, including the featured, 5 Penge Court (recently sold) and 140 York Road (currently for sale), plus the Adas Israel Synagogue and Shalom Village Nursing Home. In the years prior to his retirement, he also worked as the head of the buildings and maintenance department for the Hamilton Board of Education, which was then housed in a building of his design (now demolished).