John Rule, Peter Rule, and Gordon Wynn

In 1938 two brothers and their classmate established the architectural firm of Rule Wynn and Rule in Edmonton. The three friends met at the University of Alberta’s short-lived Architecture School. Cecil Burgess was the primary instructor of this program, and although many high profile architects graduated from the School it was subject to budget cuts and closed in the late 1930s. The architectural scene in Alberta was rather forlorn because of the far-reaching effects of the First World War; for this reason it was difficult for architects to find employment. Thus, under the watchful tutelage of Peter Rule, successful architect and father to John and Peter Rule, the three men established their own practice. The firm’s early commissions included designing cinemas for central and northern Alberta towns. The cinemas boasted a modernist style, a fine example of which is the Varscona Theatre (1940). Despite their European-inspired architectural training, which included the English variant of the French Beaux-Arts methods, Rule Wynn and Rule favoured modern architectural styles. Modern features include box-like stucco buildings that are streamlined; emphasis on horizontal elements, such as banded surfaces or windows; extensive use of glass, brick, or portal windows; and the use of wings. At times, the buildings resembled transportation machinery. Shortly after the completion of the Varscona Theatre, the three men were called off to war. Once they returned, Rule Wynn and Rule continued crafting designs for buildings that included Alberta’s Lieutenant Governor’s House (1946), the Legislature Annex Building (1953), the Edmonton World Trade Centre (1951), and the Milner Building (1958), as well as several buildings in Calgary like the Elveden House (1960), Guinness House (1964), and Iveagh House (1961).