David Robertson Brown (August 28, 1869 – March 28, 1946) was a Canadian architect.
Early life and education
David Robertson Brown was born in
Montreal
Montreal ( ; officially Montréal, ) is the second-most populous city in Canada and most populous city in the Canadian province of Quebec. Founded in 1642 as '' Ville-Marie'', or "City of Mary", it is named after Mount Royal, the triple ...
on August 28, 1869, the son of James Brown and Elizabeth Robertson.
He was educated at the
High School of Montreal
The High School of Montreal was an English-language high school founded in 1843, serving Montreal, Quebec, Canada, in the area eventually known as the Golden Square Mile. It was less formally known as Montreal High School and from 1853 to 1870 was ...
["Brown, David Robertson", in ''The Canadian Who's Who'' (1929)] and then studied architecture for four years in Montreal under A. F. Dunlop.
[
]
Career
In 1890, Brown went to Boston
Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...
, Massachusetts, where he worked for architectural firms, including Shepley, Rutan and Coolidge
Shepley, Rutan and Coolidge was a successful architecture firm based in Boston, Massachusetts, operating between 1886 and 1915, with extensive commissions in monumental civic, religious, and collegiate architecture in the spirit and style of Henry ...
, heirs to the practice of Henry Hobson Richardson
Henry Hobson Richardson, FAIA (September 29, 1838 – April 27, 1886) was an American architect, best known for his work in a style that became known as Richardsonian Romanesque. Along with Louis Sullivan and Frank Lloyd Wright, Richardson is one ...
, before returning to Montreal in 1894 and forming the architectural firm of Brown, McVicar, and Heriot. From 1900 to 1905 he worked alone,[Marilyn Baker, ''Symbol in Stone: the Art and Politics of a Public Building'', p. 35] then formed a temporary working partnership with Percy Erskine Nobbs
Percy Erskine Nobbs (August 11, 1875 – November 5, 1964) was a Canadian architect who was born in Haddington, East Lothian, and trained in the United Kingdom. Educated at the Edinburgh Collegiate School and Edinburgh University, he spent ...
, and finally in 1907 went into partnership with Hugh Vallance. Brown served as President of the Royal Architectural Institute of Canada
The Royal Architectural Institute of Canada (RAIC) is a not-for-profit, national organization that has represented architects and architecture for over 100 years, in existence since 1907. The RAIC is the leading voice for excellence in the built ...
and the Quebec Association of Architects.[
Brown was a member of the Canada Club and the Royal St. Lawrence Yacht Club.][
]
Personal life
In 1900 Brown married Harriet Fairbairn Robb, a daughter of William Robb, City Treasurer of Montreal.
He died at his home in Montreal on March 28, 1946.
Notable buildings
*Board of Trade Building, Montreal[
*Medical Building of ]McGill University
McGill University (french: link=no, Université McGill) is an English-language public research university located in Montreal, Quebec
Montreal ( ; officially Montréal, ) is the second-most populous city in Canada and most populous ...
[
*]Montreal Children's Hospital
Montreal Children's Hospital (french: Hôpital de Montréal pour enfants) is a children's hospital in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Founded in 1904, it is affiliated with the McGill University Health Centre (MUHC) and McGill University, Faculty of M ...
(1904)[
*Standard Shirt Building][
* Southam Building, Calgary (1912–13, demolished)][
*Memorial Gates, ]University of Saskatchewan
A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United States, ...
(1927)
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Brown, David Robertson
1869 births
1946 deaths
Canadian architects
High School of Montreal alumni