John Adams (died 1938) was a British architect, active in Uruguay at the end of the 19th and beginning of the 20th century.Remembering John Adams

Early life

John Adams was born in Brighton, UK, towards the end of the 19th century. He attended school in

Weybridge Weybridge () is a town in the Borough of Elmbridge in Surrey, England, around southwest of central London. The settlement is recorded as ''Waigebrugge'' and ''Weibrugge'' in the 7th century and the name derives from a crossing point of the ...

, and later studied architecture and construction in Bath and London at the

Royal College of Art The Royal College of Art (RCA) is a public research university in London, United Kingdom, with campuses in South Kensington, Battersea and White City. It is the only entirely postgraduate art and design university in the United Kingdom. It offe ...

. As a student he began to work with the London architects Jordon y Lowether. After graduating from the Royal College, he was employed by the firm W.S. Lascelles & Co, remaining with them for five years.

Emigration to South America

Adams subsequently found employment with Maple & Co., a British furniture and upholstery manufacturer. In 1890 he moved to Buenos Aires, Argentina, where the company had a subsidiary branch,Maple & Co.; Cook & Maple; J. Maple (1841-1988)
https://bifmo.history.ac.uk/, British and Irish Furniture Makers Online, accessed 10 August 2022 to manage the interiors of

Banco de Londres y Río de la Plata Banco de Londres y Río de la Plata ''(in English, Bank of London and Río de la Plata)'' was a British financial institution, which operated in Buenos Aires from 1862 to 1923. History The financial company ''Banco de Londres, Buenos Ayres y R ...

''(Bank of London and Río de la Plata)'' in the capital but also

Rosario Rosario () is the largest city in the central provinces of Argentina, Argentine province of Santa Fe Province, Santa Fe. The city is located northwest of Buenos Aires, on the west bank of the Paraná River. Rosario is the third-most populous ci ...

and

Montevideo Montevideo () is the Capital city, capital and List of cities in Uruguay, largest city of Uruguay. According to the 2011 census, the city proper has a population of 1,319,108 (about one-third of the country's total population) in an area of . M ...

. He also worked on buildings owned by Banco Británico de la América del Sur in Buenos Aires y Montevideo.

Uruguay

Four years after Adam's arrival in Montevideo, he had his British qualification validated in Uruguay, and began and prolific period of building activity. From the end of the 19th century through the first two decades of the twentieth century, he worked extensively in the construction of buildings, using both his own and also other architect's designs, managed by his firm.La influencia británica en la arquitectura uruguaya. La arquitectura de hierro y vidrio: el mercado del puerto
Miguel Lagrotta, https://profelagrotta.blogspot.com/ 28 June 2011 Heavily involved in the English community of Montevideo, he also delivered residential projects, hotels and public transport facilities. From 1910 onwards, he began collaborating with Carlos Sarthou, with whom he would later form a partnership. He left a considerable and important architectural legacy in Montevideo and beyond. Recognized as a moderniser of Uruguayan architecture, he utilised 17th century Italian traditions popular in British neoclassical contemporary design of the time. Anticlasicismo y modernización tecnológica en la arquitectura uruguaya del siglo XIX
Ashfield, William Rey, VITRUVIA: REVISTA DEL INSTITUTO DE HISTORIA DE LA ARQUITECTURA FACULTAD DE ARQUITECTURA, DISEÑO Y URBANISMO - UNIVERSIDAD DE LA REPÚBLICA, AÑO 5 - NÚMERO 4 - JULIO DE 2018 from the One of his most notable works was ''Victoria Hall'', built in 1897 to celebrate Queen Victoria's

golden jubilee A golden jubilee marks a 50th anniversary. It variously is applied to people, events, and nations. Bangladesh In Bangladesh, golden jubilee refers the 50th anniversary year of the separation from Pakistan and is called in Bengali ''"সু ...

. He participated in many of the English community's institutions, notably as Secretary of the British Hospital and president of the local union of architects and builders. He returned to England on many occasions, perhaps the most important with the Director General of the Uruguayan Post Office to study British post offices and their offering with the aim of improving the Uruguayan service. In the last years of his life he worked as a commercial attaché in the Uruguayan embassy in London. He died in 1938 in London.

Selected works

* British Hospital *

Edificio London París Edificio London París ( en, London Paris Building), also known as The Standard Life is a building located at the intersection of 18 de Julio Avenue and Río Negro in Centro, Montevideo, Uruguay. Built between 1905 and 1908 in an eclectic style ...

(also known as Standard Life) * Victoria Hall * Teatro Sala Verdi *

Montevideo Waterworks Company The Montevideo Waterworks Company, Ltd. was a British company, operating in Montevideo, Uruguay. Organized in 1879, its offices were at 61 Moorgate, London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city ...

headquarters * Hotel de los Pocitos *

Palacio Taranco Palacio Taranco, located in front of the Plaza Zabala, in the heart of the Old City of Montevideo, Uruguay, is a palace erected in the early 20th century during a period in which the architectural style was influenced by French architecture. It w ...

* London and Brazilian Bank * British Embassy, Montevideo

References

External links

Bibliography PÉREZ SANTARCIERI, Maria Emilia, ''Rincones de la historia. El inglés de los edificios'', Diario "El País", Supplement. "El País Cultural", Montevideo 3/8/1990, N°42.p.4. 1938 deaths British architects British emigrants to Uruguay British emigrants to Argentina Alumni of the Royal College of Art British expatriates in Argentina British expatriates in Uruguay {{UK-architect-stub