Theatre Architects

Born: 1876 (Odessa, Russia)

Died: 1931 (Winnipeg, Canada)

Max Zev Blankstein was born in 1876 in Odessa, Russia. He was the son of Mayer "Zisy" Kritchmar and Vichna "Vera" Dorfman. Max came of age during a dangerous time for Jewish people in the Russian empire, facing violence from pogroms, beginning in 1881. Russian law also discriminated against its Jewish citizens, who were disproportionately conscripted for military service while being excluded from educational institutions. To avoid military service, Mayer would buy papers off a "macher" (paper seller) sometime in the 1860s, changing the family name to Blankstein and their nationality to Austrian. Max’s education likely came from an apprenticeship under his father, which is more probable given the barriers to work and education faced by Russian Jews at the time. He would marry his wife, Esther (Goldin) Blankstein, the daughter of a family of prominent building contractors, on May 6, 1902.

In 1904 war erupted between the Russian and Japanese empires in Russia’s far east territories. Wishing to avoid military service, Max emigrated to Canada. Max established an architectural practice in Winnipeg at a time of growth, particularly within the city’s Jewish community. The closeness of this community gave Max privileged access to a regular clientele.

Max would also establish close ties with up and coming members of the business community. As a product of these relationships, his works would adorn the streets of Winnipeg’s important business, commercial, and industrial districts, including Main Street, Selkirk Avenue, and Jarvis Avenue. These connections would prove to be even more valuable than credentials, as Max’s first registered project came in 1907, roughly three years before he was accredited to practice architecture in Manitoba. He would establish his closest ties with the housing and apartment magnates Rueben Cohen and Abraham Cohen, as well as Jacob "Jake" Miles (later partnered with Nathan Rothstein) of Allied Amusement/Allied Theatres, one of the city’s leading theatre developers.

Max Blankstein would have five more children with Laika: Cecil, Eva, Evelyn, Fred (Ingy) and Morley. Evelyn, would become an architect in 1935, first working with her brother, Cecil, then Hobbs Glass. Evelyn was also amongst the first female architects to practice in Manitoba. Wolfe would work as a general contractor with Ladco. Morley would also graduate from architecture, founding the notable Winnipeg firm Blankstein Coop Gillmor Hanna. Perhaps the most notable of Max’s children to become an architect was Cecil, who helped to found the firm Green Blankstein Russell (GBR), which, amongst other projects, designed Winnipeg City Hall, Polo Park Shopping Centre, and Shaarey Zedek Synagogue. Younger generations of Blanksteins continue to practice architecture and design.

Max Blankstein was on the cutting edge of architecture in Winnipeg, exploring the Edwardian, arts and crafts, and art deco styles. The imagination and ornateness of his designs testify to Winnipeg’s willingness to take risks, something that fuelled rapid growth in Blankstein’s era. During the course of his twenty-five year practice in Canada, he would design at least two-hundred buildings. This figure is likely higher, as it is possible that Max was not listed as the architect on some projects in order to work around official procedures. He was a member of the Royal Architectural Institute of Canada, and is said to be the first registered Jewish architect in western Canada. He would pass away December 31, 1931, seven days after the opening of his last project, the Uptown Theatre.

Information sourced from the Winnipeg Architecture Foundation .

Theatres on this website in which this architect was involved:

Lido Theatre, The Pas, Manitoba, Canada

Roxy Theatre, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada

Uptown Theatre, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada