Architect Ruh’s reputation has grown with time

Posted: 1:00 AM CST Saturday, Nov. 14, 2009 Last Modified: 1:56 PM CST Tuesday, Nov. 17, 2009 | Updates

In his lifetime, Father Philip Ruh, the self-taught builder of so many Ukraininan Catholic churches in Manitoba, got little respect from the architectural community.

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In his lifetime, Father Philip Ruh, the self-taught builder of so many Ukraininan Catholic churches in Manitoba, got little respect from the architectural community.

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Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 14/11/2009 (5811 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

In his lifetime, Father Philip Ruh, the self-taught builder of so many Ukraininan Catholic churches in Manitoba, got little respect from the architectural community.

But David Butterfield, who has written extensively on Manitoba buildings and builders, thinks the Winnipeg architects of the day were wrong about Ruh.

“If these high society architects like Russell (of Presbyterian churches), who’s buried in the Elmwood Cemetery, could see the attention given to Ruh’s grave today, how venerated he is, they would be envious,” he said.

KEN GIGLIOTTI / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS
The Historic Ukrainian Catholic Church of the Resurrection, built in the Kievan style and completed in 1939, was designed by Rev. Phillip Ruh. It has five domes representing Christ and his four evangelists. The interior icons were painted by Theodore Baran in 1957-58, and the chandelier, with 1,600 pieces of Czech crystal, was purchased in 1962. — KEN GIGLIOTTI / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS The Historic Ukrainian Catholic Church of the Resurrection, built in the Kievan style and completed in 1939, was designed by Rev. Phillip Ruh. It has five domes representing Christ and his four evangelists. The interior icons were painted by Theodore Baran in 1957-58, and the chandelier, with 1,600 pieces of Czech crystal, was purchased in 1962.

“The thing about Ruh is he was working through design problems and issues and trying to change things. He wasn’t just a hack. He wasn’t just putting up the same thing all the time. He was stretching himself and trying to find new ways to build. There’s no denying he was a serious and creative designer,” Butterfield said.

“(Winnipeg architects) might not have liked people claiming Ruh was important but he was. Those buildings still stand today, people love them, and rightfully so, and they are so emotional, the colours, the various features—emotional in that the building can cause you to feel emotional. There’s no getting away from that.”