Gothic Revival architecture in Canada is an historically
influential style, with many prominent examples. The Gothic
Revival was imported to Canada from Britain and the United
States in the early 19th century, and rose to become the most
popular style for major projects throughout the late 19th and
early 20th centuries. The Gothic Revival period lasted longer
and was more thoroughly embraced in Canada than in either
Britain or the United States, only falling out of style in the
1930s. The late 19th and early 20th centuries was also the
period when many major Canadian institutions were founded.
Throughout Canada many of the most prominent religious, civic,
and scholastic institutions are housed in Gothic Revival style
buildings. In the 1960s and 1970s several scholars, most notably
Alan Gowans, embraced Canadian Gothic Revival architecture as
one of the nation's signature styles and as an integral part of
Canadian nationalism. While largely abandoned in the modernist
period, several postmodern architects have