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1945-1947 draftsman with M. F. Schurman Company Limited
At the time Keith was discharged from the Royal Canadian Air Force in 1945, there was a strong building market on PEI. Local construction was no longer restricted by the war effort, and new government programs helped employ veterans and build public facilities.
With his Prince of Wales College courses in drafting, Keith felt equipped to pursue work in this field. He was one of many veterans who succeeded in finding employment with the leading construction company in Summerside. In her book M. F. Schurman Company Limited of Prince Edward Island: A Century of Building, Margaret M. MacFarlane provides a detailed history of this Island family business and its employees from 1896 to 1995. MacFarlane also described the many factors of availability and cost of supplies, economy, government decisions, weather and labour that impacted the building industry.
In 1945, Keith stepped into the fast-paced environment of planning and construction— including buildings of all sizes. He worked under the direction of Harold B. Schurman, manager of the construction branch. Schurman’s natural mechanical aptitude and love of design was strengthened through self education and courses in drafting and design. Other members of the team were civil engineers, job estimators, and construction foremen – each one contributing expertise to the project.
This period of work stability and the peacetime desire to get on with life created secure conditions for Keith and Jean to commit to their life together. They married in Charlottetown on August 6, 1946 and rented a property in Summerside. Jean supported and encouraged Keith unconditionally throughout his career. Their home served as an office for phone calls, visitors and receiving tender documents from contractors. Her deep interest in humanity and outgoing personality led to lifelong friendships and connections with people in every walk of life.
During 1946-47, Keith and Jean made the decision: Keith would pursue formal education in architecture and the possibility of attending McGill University in Montreal. Perhaps he felt the limitations of his drafting training and the need for engineering and design skills to seize the upcoming opportunities of post-war development. The decision would require significant funding, as well as effort and sacrifice for both. There was some urgency as official approval was required to receive funding for education and training under the Veterans Rehabilitation Act of 1945 and the deadline was approaching. The Schurman company supported him financially and guaranteed employment upon graduation. The best way to prepare for five years of study at McGill University was to return to Prince of Wales College in Charlottetown to take a year of classes. When Keith completed this year of study, Hubert McNeil and Orville Phillips were fellow veterans in the graduating class. The Welshman 1948 Yearbook noted that Keith found time to do some drafting while taking six courses.
1953 Schuramn Subdivision Summerside, PEI.
1948 -1953 the McGill Years
In the fall of 1948, Jean and Keith said goodbye to their families and left by train for Montreal. For the first year they lived in married quarters at Dawson College in Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu. This college was set up to handle the overflow registration of servicemen after the Second World War and populated mainly by engineering and science students.
Compared to his fellow students fresh out of city high schools, Keith (aged 24) was much older and had faced significant life events: farm life, military service, disrupted education, workplace experience. He was considered the “Papa” of his class and added some sobering reality to the festivities of the young college men and women.
Keith brought to his studies an aptitude for mathematics, the benefit of practical experience in drafting, and familiarity with plans and construction methods. During his four years in civil engineering he studied advanced mathematics, building planning, structural design and construction. The Engineering Faculty had a large enrollment, with as many as 170 students in one year. This was followed by one year of architectural history, sketching and design. The twenty-two Bachelor of Architecture Graduates from the Class of 1953 stayed in contact over the years and held a number of reunions. He developed close friendships with Gerry Gaudet of Moncton and Brian Pye of Ottawa who regularly visited Prince Edward Island.
In 1953 many parts of the world were preparing for the Coronation of Queen Elizabeth II. In the Pickard family, Keith’s graduation on May 8th with his Degree in Architecture was the center of their universe. Proud parents Cyrus and Vina travelled to Montreal to attend his convocation with Jean. The couple’s three children aged 4 ½, 2, and one month celebrated at home in Montreal.
1953 to 1955 Return to Summerside and M F Schurman Company Limited
After graduation the family returned to Prince Edward Island where Keith resumed working for the Schurman company. One deciding factor in this decision to live on the Island was the situation of their aging parents: Keith’s father was close to retirement age, and Jean’s father was diagnosed with cancer.
In Summerside, there was significant development underway. The town experienced a marked increase in population between 1940 and 1950, and this resulted in a number of new construction projects being handled by the Schurman company. This was partly due to the establishment of the Canadian Forces Military Base Summerside, which was a major employer in the area. When Keith returned to the Island and to Schurman’s, he joined Gordon C. Welsh who started with the company in 1948, and trained in architectural drafting and design in Ontario.
Keith had his official training as an architect and civil engineer, understanding the basics of construction and structure. As a Member of the Royal Architectural Institute of Canada (MRAIC), he was bound by their Code of Ethics. During the initial two-year period, Keith’s work was overseen by an established architect, Douglas A. Webber, of Halifax who designed a number of buildings for the Schurman company including the Summerside High School and Auditorium. Webber is remembered as being a practical architect who could design “a good, solid house”. His strength lay in a detailed knowledge of construction, and he was as much an engineer as an architect. This mentorship was a good fit as Keith also trained as an engineer and had a practical approach to design.
Keith drew subdivision plans with streets and lots for two Schurman properties in the area of Summerside north of Beattie Avenue. The subdivision accommodated 47 lots, and many families were able to build their homes on land that had formerly been farm fields.
At their annual meeting in March, 1954, the Schurman company announced it was setting up an Architectural Design Branch headed by Keith Pickard with Gordon C. Welsh as senior draftsman. This promotion gave Keith added responsibility and he became involved in more complex projects including commercial buildings, apartment buildings, and houses. He also gained experience in overseeing staff including draftsmen Joe Muise and Aubrey MacKinnon and secretary Leslie Hiscott. The Schurman staff formed close working relationships which became lasting friendships and they operated like a family. Mary Currie Woodside began her four-decade career as a switchboard operator in 1955. She recalls that Keith gave her a drive to work and he was always running very close to start time. On a few occasions the car window was not completely closed at night and she had to brush snow off the seat before sitting down.
Of the 1955 projects perhaps the one with the most visibility and impact for Islanders was the transmitter building and 600’ tower antennae for Island Radio Broadcasting Co. at Strathgartney, 13 miles west of Charlototetown. On August 24, 1956 The Summerside Journal Pioneer reported this was a milestone in the entertainment history of PEI and marked the beginning of CFCY-TV, Channel 13, Canada’s newest station. With a simple antennae, a family within a 40 mile radius could pick up the signal.
Also at this time the tourism industry was expanding on Prince Edward Island, and there was a need for more accommodation for visitors. Keith designed two motels which were built by the Schurman company, one of which still stands today. The first (close to Summerside) was the Garden of the Gulf Motel built for Vaughan Groom and it is Keith’s oldest existing plan, with a hand-printed title block. On July 23, 1954 the Guardian newspaper reported the building was “beautiful and luxurious”, boasting of its contemporary furniture, carpet, and a bathroom with bathtub and shower in each unit (considered luxurious by the day’s standards). In an interview, Mr. Groom paid a marked tribute to the work of the architect, Mr. G.K. Pickard, and to Mr. Robert H. Rankin, superintendent in charge of construction. Built of concrete blocks, the motel was fireproof and soundproof. In May 1954 Keith designed a second motel, The Kirkwood, for businessman Captain Carl Burke and it operated on University Avenue in Charlottetown between 1954 and 1985.
While surely there would have been a learning curve for Keith, he boldly accepted the challenge of designing a wide variety of buildings from churches, medical and tourism facilities and homes to private businesses.
Read more about Keith's Early Career 1954-1965 (page continues to be developed)
Title Box for Garden of the Gulf Motel, 1953
1954 Garden of the Gulf Motel, close to Summerside. Designed by G. Keith Pickard and built by M. F. Schurman Company Limited for Vaughn Groom
The Kirkwood Motel and Lounge on University Avenue, Charlottetown, built by M. F. Schurman Company Limited for Captain Carl Burke in 1954. Photo from Earle's Picture Restoration PEI. The Motel had a number of additions, including a swimming pool, and operated until the mid 1980s.
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