Our Mandate and History

Our Mandate

• To assist in educational, cultural and aesthetic pursuits connected with the Canadian Rockies through the collection, preservation, study, exhibition and interpretation of cultural resources from the Canadian Rockies;
• To examine the relationship between culture and mountains through the exhibition, study and interpretation of materials from mountains around the world.

Our History

On September 3, 1958, the Wa-Che-Yo-Cha-Pa Foundation, the earliest name for the present Peter and Catharine Whyte Foundation, which operates the Whyte Museum of the Canadian Rockies, was registered under Part 9 of the Companies Act of Alberta.  Three of the objectives mentioned in the Memorandum of Association were:

• To encourage the development of the arts and culture in Banff and its vicinity either directly or through grants to charitable organizations engaged in such work;
• To acquire by gift, lease, purchase or otherwise buildings and appurtenances to be used as library and/or art galleries and/or institutions for the development of the arts and culture as aforesaid;
• To acquire by gift, purchase or otherwise objects or properties relating to or having historical association with the Canadian West and in particular the Town of Banff and its vicinity.

However, some of the Foundation's objectives also related to such causes as supporting medical research and native education and much of its activities in its early years related to these concerns.

Catharine Whyte was a member of a distinguished New England family and her grandfather Edward S. Morse was one of the first directors of the Peabody Museum in Salem, Massachusetts.  The fact that the Foundation now operates a privately-endowed museum based more on the American than the Canadian (government funded) model was a result of this and her familiarity with institutions in Boston, such as the Boston Museum of Science and Museum of Fine Arts, where both she and Peter attended art school.  Peter Whyte was a member of one of Banff's pioneer families.  His father, Dave White, was a local merchant. 

The Whytes already had an extensive collection of artifacts and historical materials in their home when the Foundation was first created, and it continued to grow.  In October of 1965 the archival component of their collections began to be moved into the basement of a house they owned adjacent to their own home between Bear Street and the Bow River.  Under the supervision of Maryalice H. Stewart, the Foundation's first Director, this collection formed the nucleus of what became known as the Archives of the Canadian Rockies.

The Archives shared the premises with the Banff Library (started by a group of volunteers), also supported by the Foundation, and quickly outgrew the space available. This led to a plan to build a modern, fireproof archives, art gallery and library on the site occupied by the house.

Peter Whyte passed away in December, 1966, and Catharine continued to work with architect Philippe Delasalle on the unique design of the new 15,000 square foot building.  It officially opened on June 16, 1968 and incorporated storage, work and exhibit space for the archives and Banff Library as well as an art gallery, the Peter Whyte Gallery, whose permanent collection initially came largely from the Whytes' personal collections, including their own work as artists.

In 1970 the Foundation took over complete operation of the Banff Library, hired Bruce Ferguson as its first Gallery Curator and contracted museum consultant Archie Key to recommend future development.  The name "The Whyte Centre" was adopted to describe the overall operation.  In 1971 the Archives took over custodianship of the Alpine Club of Canada's library and archives.   After Catharine Whyte increased the Foundation's endowment in 1971, it was decided to rename the Foundation in honor of the memory of Peter Whyte in February, 1972.   The size of the Board of Directors was increased from three to five, and from this point onward the Foundation ceased to distribute funds to other causes, utilizing all income for the operation of the archives, art gallery and library.  In 1972, E. J. (Ted) Hart became the Foundation's first Archivist, the duties previously having been handled by Mrs. Stewart in addition to those of Director.

In 1974 the Banff School District (Banff's sole taxing authority at that time) began to contribute towards the operation of the Banff Library and a separate library board was created to oversee the library's operation. In 1976 the Foundation constructed a photographic lab in what was formerly a caretaker's suite in the building, beginning what would eventually become a separate photographic and technical services department, originally under the direction of Edward Cavell. The same year Maryalice Stewart resigned as Director and was replaced by E. J. Hart. That fall the Foundation's newsletter, The Cairn, first appeared and in 1977 it produced its first publication, Timberline Tales.  Meanwhile, the Foundation's Board began to give consideration to the future of several historic log buildings that had either originally been on the site or had been moved to it, and to a growing but underutilized collection of human history artifacts relating to the Canadian Rockies.

In March, 1979, Catharine Whyte, a founder, benefactress and President of the Foundation, passed away and it was renamed the Peter and Catharine Whyte Foundation.  The Foundation's endowment was increased through her bequest and the remainder of the Whytes' historic and artistic collections, including their log home and the neighbouring Colonel P. A. Moore home, which had been moved to the site in 1971, were left to the Foundation.  After an inventory and cataloguing of their contents, these homes were opened to the public on a limited guided tour basis.  This led to the creation in 1980 of a new Foundation agency, Banff Heritage Homes, and Jon Whyte was appointed as the first curator.

Because of limited storage space and a desire to have exhibition space for a growing artifact collection, negotiations began with the Banff Library Board in 1979 concerning a new location for the public library.  In 1980 the Foundation offered the Banff School District a piece of its property on which to construct a new Library and Seniors Centre and work began in the spring of 1983.

Meanwhile, the Foundation had commissioned a Master Plan Study to aid it in planning the future and when the library vacated its premises in October, 1984, work immediately began on one of the Master Plan recommendations, the renovation of the former library space for a new museological exhibition hall and collections storage area.  Because of public confusion over the name of the institution and its constituent agencies, the Master Plan also called for a unitary name and image.  On June 16, 1985, in conjunction with the opening of its new exhibition hall, the public name of the institution was changed to the Whyte Museum of the Canadian Rockies (legally it remained the Peter and Catharine Whyte Foundation), and its three former agencies became departments named Archives, Gallery and Heritage Collection.

On the same day, the official opening of Windy Cabin, outfitted by the Warden Service, took place as part of the Banff National Park centennial celebrations.  At this time as well, an admission charge was instituted for the Museum with research use of the Archives remaining free.

In 1983, the Museum's Board, which by then had been increased to twelve members, began a submission process to choose an architect to begin planning for an addition and renovation to the Museum, as recommended in the Master Plan. Vancouver architect Henry Hawthorn emerged from this process with the successful submission and he began to generate initial conceptual ideas in 1984.  Mr. Hawthorn's first work centred around a proposed addition to house a new art gallery space, but he also carried out plans for a temporary Museum Shop (in the former Archives corridor) opened in 1987.  In the fall of 1984 the Museum's Board decided to launch a capital fund-raising campaign for a new addition (at this time estimated at $1.25 million) and to continue the planning process, but as time went on it became apparent that more space and expense than originally contemplated would be required.  Active work on the campaign therefore did not commence until 1987 and several different proposals for the addition were discussed over the following few years. In 1988 it was decided that the addition would occupy the space between the existing building and the Library/Seniors Centre.  In 1990, a consultants' study recommended an expansion of 18,000 square feet, and in 1991 Henry Hawthorn completed new plans for the addition/renovation.

Meanwhile, the Museum's operations continued to grow in preparation for its physical expansion, with a separate Admission/Shop department added in 1987, a public relations department added in 1989, and an Education/Interpretation department added in 1990. Also, the Board continued to review the organization's mandate and in 1991 expanded it to encompass exhibitions and programs relating to mountain cultures around the world.  Government grants and private donations continued to be vigorously pursued in order to accomplish the expansion/renovation plan, but ultimately the ever increasing costs and the challenge of raising all the funds at once led to a decision to do the project in two phases.  Work on Phase I (13,000 square feet) began in August, 1992, and was completed in June, 1993, at a cost of $3.5 million.  The new facility incorporated new art gallery exhibition space, renovated archives, heritage collection space, a new shop and front entrance foyer on the main floor, and administration, curatorial and office support areas, shipping and receiving, preparation, and storage facilities on the lower level.  The official opening of the new facility took place on June 13, 1993, the 25th anniversary of the opening of the original building, with over 1000 guests in attendance.
 
Since the completion of the new wing, the Museum has continued to build on its strength of mountain-related collections, programs and exhibitions.  A particular area of emphasis has been the protection and acquisition of Banff’s built heritage.  In the early years of the new century, the Museum has acquired such important buildings as the Crosby family home (Abegweit) on Bow Avenue, two homes belonging to Dorothy Boyce on St. Julien Road, the Vera Unwin (Holmes) McGinn home on Beaver Street, and Tarry A-While, the home of famous Canadian Rockies explorer Mary Schaffer Warren on Grizzly Street.  The latter property, operates as a bed and breakfast, and contributes financially to the operation of the organization, as does the Museum’s first off-site gift shop which opened on Banff Avenue in the Foundation-owned Buffalo Block in 2003.

In the period between 1998 and 2003, the operations of the Foundation were reorganized under two separate organizations – the Museum and the Foundation – with E.J. Hart serving as Executive Director of the Foundation and Doug Leonard as Executive Director of the Museum.  Mr. Leonard left the Museum in 2003, and in 2004 the Board of Directors decided to re-amalgamate the Foundation with two distinct branches – Museum and Endowments – with E.J. Hart serving as Executive Director.  In September of 2004 the Board approved a new mission statement to guide the organization into the future:

In the spirit of Peter and Catharine Whyte, the Whyte Museum of the Canadian Rockies acquires, preserves, interprets, and makes accessible the history and culture of the Rocky Mountains of Canada by inspiring and cultivating the exchange of knowledge and ideas through our collections, programs, and exhibitions.

Peter and Catharine Whyte

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