Born at Winnipeg on 10 July 1936, he graduated with an Architecture degree from the University of Manitoba (1965) then undertook graduate studies at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. On returning to Winnipeg, he was a project designer and architect with several firms including Blankstein Coop Gillmore and Hanna, Waisman Ross Blankstein Coop Gillmore Hanna, and Libling Michener and Associates.
In 1968, he became a founding partner in the firm of IKOY Partnership Architecture, working there on designs of apartment blocks, townhouses, commercial buildings, schools, colleges, and industrial buildings. After leaving the firm, he worked with MMP Architects, Department of National Defense (1984-1989), and Public Works and Government Services (1989-1997). He established his own design firm, J. Roy Izen, in 1997 and operated until 1999.
He moved to Gibsons, British Columbia around 2019 and died at Sechelt on 26 January 2024. He was survived by a wife and two sons. A collection of his architectural drawings, graphic materials, and textual records is held by the Winnipeg Architecture Foundation.
Obituary, Winnipeg Free Press, 3 February 2024.
Roy Izen fonds, Manitoba Archival Information Network.
This page was prepared by Gordon Goldsborough.
Page revised: 18 April 2026
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