Markus, Isadore

MARKUS, Isadore (1888-1969), active in Toronto, Ont. from 1913 where he was one of the first Jewish architects to practise in that city. Unlike his colleagues Benjamin Brown and Benjamin Swartz, however, Markus chose not to pursue a career designing major buildings. Instead, his reputation derives from his interest in architectural publishing. He was the very first publisher of the Journal of the Royal Architectural Institute of Canada from its inception in 1924 until 1927, and was an active member of the Editorial Board for this journal. He was appointed Editor of the Journal in 1929, and held this position until 1937 when he resigned and was succeeded by Eric Arthur . He was also Secretary of the national organization of the R.A.I.C. for several years, and owned and operated a company called Architectural Publications Ltd.
Born in Manchester, England on 12 June 1888, Markus was educated at Bradford Technical School, then emigrated to Canada in 1909 where he attended classes in architecture and construction at the Toronto Technical College in 1909-11. During this period, he worked as an architectural draftsman in the offices of William R. Gregg, and with Smith & Gemmell. He also studied architecture for two years as a student at the Atelier Lyle, a school organized for young architects by John M. Lyle. Markus opened an office under his own name in Toronto in 1913, but no references to his built works from this period have been found. He later held the position of General Secretary of the National Construction Council of Canada after 1933. Markus died in Toronto on 16 October 1969 (death notice Globe & Mail [Toronto], 17 Oct. 1969, 40; Toronto Star, 17 Oct. 1969, 42; biog. Canadian Who’s Who., Vol. ii, 1936-37, 1185-86; biog. and port. R.A.I.C. Journal, xxii, Dec. 1945, 270; inf. Ontario Association of Architects).