BOULANGER, Pierre Jules (1885-1950) was active in Victoria, B.C. as an architect and business partner with Stephen A. Jennings (see list of works under Jennings & Boulanger). Both were employed in 1912-13 by a local development company called Modern Homes Ltd., and they produced designs for large residences in the Uplands subdivision in Victoria, as well as for smaller detached houses in the Gonzales neighbourhood of that city.
Boulanger was born in Sin-le-Noble, Hauts-de-France on 10 March 1885 and studied fine art, but ended his studies and worked for the French military in 1906-08. He then emigrated to the United States in October 1908, landing at New York and travelling overland to Seattle, Washington, and he completed a similar journey from France to the USA in April 1912, and again travelling onward to his destination in Seattle. While there, he may have been employed in the Seattle office of S.A. Jennings as an assistant. By early 1913 he was living and working in Victoria, B.C. as a draftsman for the prominent architectural firm of Rochfort & Sankey (City of Victoria Directory, 1913, p. 413). However, the same Directory records his name in a newly-formed partnership of Jennings & Boulanger Architects, with an office on Douglas Street (City of Victoria Directory, 1913, p. 607).
Boulanger remained in Victoria until mid-1914, then returned to France and served with the French Army during WWI. In 1918 he joined the Michelin Tire Co. and later became the managing director of that company. When the Citroen Motor Co. declared bankruptcy in late 1934, it was acquired by the Michelin Co., and Boulanger became chief of the Engineering & Design division in 1935 and held that post until his untimely death in November 1950. His lasting contribution to the field of the architecture of the automobile was the design and development of the Citroen TPV (abbreviation for “Tres Petite Voiture” or “very small car“) which was later refined as the Citroen 2CV model in 1948. This car became famous for its compact size, its light weight and fuel efficiency, and for its plain, functional, unadorned appearance. It remained in production until 1990 after selling nearly four million cars around the world. A detailed analysis and historical review of the 2CV auto design was published in The Architect’s Journal [London], Vol. 184, 13 Aug. 1986, 20-32, illus. & descrip.
Boulanger died in an auto accident at Brout-Vernet, Allier, France on 11 November 1950 while travelling between Paris and the Michelin Co. headquarters (obituary New York Times, 12 Nov. 1950, 40; obituary Manchester Guardian, 13 Nov. 1950, 8; inf. Donald Luxton, Vancouver).