The Globe and Mail

John Di Castri brought to his staid Victoria hometown the architecture of flat roofs, glass walls and crisp horizontal lines. By combining stucco and concrete with such abundant natural materials as Western hemlock and cedar shingles, he expressed a unique West Coast modernism. He designed shops and churches, private houses and public buildings. His works dot the city, from Centennial Square downtown to the University of Victoria campus in Gordon Head to private residences in the exclusive Uplands neighbourhood of Oak Bay. Mr. Di Castri was an essential figure in West Coast architecture in the postwar years. He is also a rare one, whose name is promoted in the listings of real-estate agents.