Julius Roy Izen

Julius Roy Izen was born on July 10, 1936, to Sarah Batkis and Abraham David Izen and grew up in Winnipeg's North End. As a teenager, his artistic ability was already apparent when he worked for Phillips-Gutkin Associates Ltd., one of Canada's first animation studios. He earned several scholarships to the University of Manitoba, graduating with his bachelor's degree in architecture in 1960, winning many design awards.

In 1961, Izen was awarded a Canadian Council Scholarship to pursue his master's degree at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He returned to Winnipeg in 1963 and worked at several architectural firms before becoming a founding partner of IKOY in 1968, a renowned firm that designed notable projects including Hampton Green building and won dozens of awards. Izen left the firm in 1973.

From 1973 to 1984, Izen worked as a Senior Design Associate for Moody Moore and Partners Architects. He then worked for the Federal Government from 1984 to 1997 in various senior architectural positions before opening his own firm, J. Roy Izen, in 1997 until his retirement in 1999.

Izen also served as a set designer for the Royal Winnipeg Ballet and married Barbara Galpern in 1961. They had three sons: Michael, Steven, and Jon. Throughout his life, he maintained artistic interests alongside his architectural career, creating color studies, photography, and decorating hundreds of envelopes sent to his sons with drawings and collages.

After retirement, Roy and Barbara moved to British Columbia. Roy continued creating art as his dementia progressed and died on January 26, 2024, at age 88.

For a comprehensive overview of Roy Izen's architectural projects and artistic works, see: https://winnipegarchitecture.ca/digital-exhibits/the-life-and-works-of-roy-izen/