Arthur Erickson’s Dyde House Film Screening

In 1959, an Edmonton couple named Sandy and Bobby Dyde built a house in the woods. They chose an unknown architecture professor to design it. Just a few years later, that architect, Arthur Erickson, would go on to become famous in Canada and beyond.

Books and magazine articles were written about his buildings, including houses, Simon Fraser University, the UBC Museum of Anthropology, the Canadian Embassy in Washington, and pavilions at Expo 67 and 70. But the Dydes did not like attention, so their house faded into obscurity, and even the architect himself thought it had been lost or demolished.

In 2016, the house was rediscovered in remarkably good condition. This small, secret early work holds the keys to understanding Arthur Erickson’s later career. The film tells the story of the house, the Edmonton context, and the architects fighting for its future.

Filmmaker in attendance. Panel discussion following the screening.