Poivert, Jules

POIVERT, Jules (1867-1955) was an architect in Paris, France and later an influential educator in Montreal, Que. Born in Bordeaux on 30 April 1867 he studied at the Ecole des Beaux Arts in Paris under Victor A.F. Laloux, and practiced with him, collaborating on the design of the City Hall in Tours, France (1898-1900). In 1901 Poivert was among thirty-nine competitors who submitted an entry in the competition for the City Hall at Sens, France. The firm of DuPont & Poivert was awarded First Premium for their flamboyant Renaissance Revival design which still stands today (Monuments Historiques [Paris], No. 193, Aug.-Sept. 1994, 78-81, illus. & descrip.). Poivert moved to Montreal, Que. in 1909 and was appointed head of the Dept. of Architecture at the Ecole Polytechnique in Montreal, influencing a whole generation of French-speaking architectural students who were studying in that city. When the new Ecole des Beaux-Arts was established there in 1923, he accepted the position as professor and head of the school and remained there until his retirement in 1951. Poivert died in Montreal on 3 April 1955 (obit. Gazette [Montreal], 5 April 1955, 27; La Presse [Montreal], 4 April 1955, 5; biog. I. Gournay & F. Vanlaethem, Montreal Metropolis 1880-1930, 1998, 207)