Architect, community activist.
Born at Winnipeg on 24 March 1924, son of William Bickle Banfield (1899-1973) and Marguerita Lovitt Wetmore (1893-1957), grandson of Jose Alexander Banfield, he attended Grosvenor School, Kelvin High School, and the University of Manitoba, receiving from the latter a Bachelor of Architecture degree in 1947.
He worked in Winnipeg as an architect. In 1956, he was President of Steel Structures (Western) Limited, a dealer for pre-engineered steel buildings made by Butler Manufacturing Canada Limited. As of 1970, he was the managing director of the Planex Group, a consortium of management consultants, architects, engineers, planners, contractors, and real estate developers. In 1972, he was Vice-President of Manisphere.
On 19 September 1959, he married Suzanne Elizabeth Holland (daughter of Mildred Beck Dennistoun and Frederick Sanford Holland, and granddaughter of Robert Maxwell Dennistoun) at All Saints Anglican Church and they subsequently had four children. The family had a summer cottage on Turnbull Island in Lake of the Woods. She later married Graham Conrad Lount. He was a Life Member of the Winnipeg Squash Racquet Club and Commodore of the Royal Lake of the Woods Yacht Club (1976).
He died on 20 October 2009.
Some of his architectural design work in Manitoba included:
Building
Location
Year
Status
150-unit Housing
Vista Avenue and St. Marys Road, Winnipeg
1975-1976
House
707 Park Boulevard South, Winnipeg
1982
Birth registration [John Alexander Banfield], Manitoba Vital Statistics.
“512 variations,” Winnipeg Tribune, 21 April 1956, page 82.
“Steel Structures (Western) Ltd. appointments,” Winnipeg Free Press, 6 April 1957, page 53.
“Banfield - Holland,” Winnipeg Tribune, 26 September 1959, page 32.
“Alex study sought,” Winnipeg Free Press, 10 December 1970, page 77.
“Festival seeks $35,000,” Winnipeg Free Press, 12 January 1972, page 3.
Obituary [William Bickle Banfield], Winnipeg Free Press, 6 April 1973, page 29.
“Notice of tender [150-unit housing],” Winnipeg Free Press, 31 December 1975, page 40.
[advertisement - 707 Park Boulevard], Winnipeg Free Press, 20 February 1982, page 75.
Obituary [John Alexander Banfield], Winnipeg Free Press, 22 October 2009.
“A healthy dose of tough love changed my life” by Ashleigh Banfield, CNN, 2 February 2016.
We thank John Perrin for providing additional information used here.
This page was prepared by Gordon Goldsborough.
Page revised: 2 July 2026
Memorable Manitobans
This is a collection of noteworthy Manitobans from the past, compiled by the Manitoba Historical Society. We acknowledge that the collection contains both reputable and disreputable people. All are worth remembering as a lesson to future generations.
Search the collection by word or phrase, name, place, occupation or other text:
Custom SearchBrowse surnames beginning with:
A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | I | J | K | L | M | N | O | P | Q | R | S | T | U | V | W | Y | ZBrowse deaths occurring in:
1975 | 1976 | 1977 | 1978 | 1979 | 1980 | 1981 | 1982 | 1983 | 1984 | 1985 | 1986 | 1987 | 1988 | 1989 | 1990 | 1991 | 1992 | 1993 | 1994 | 1995 | 1996 | 1997 | 1998 | 1999 | 2000 | 2001 | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 | 2026
Send corrections and additions to this page
to the Memorable Manitobans Administrator at biographies@mhs.mb.caCriteria for Memorable Manitobans | Suggest a Memorable Manitoban | Firsts | Acknowledgements
Help us keep
history alive!
