William Gray Young (21 June 1885 – 21 April 1962) was a

New Zealand New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...

architect in the early 20th century, designing buildings such as Knox College in

Dunedin Dunedin ( ; mi, Ōtepoti) is the second-largest city in the South Island of New Zealand (after Christchurch), and the principal city of the Otago region. Its name comes from , the Scottish Gaelic name for Edinburgh, the capital of Scotland. Th ...

, the

Wellington railway station Wellington railway station, or Wellington Central station, is the main railway station serving Wellington, New Zealand, and is the southern terminus of the North Island Main Trunk, Wairarapa Line and Johnsonville Line. The station opened in ...

and Wellington's Elliott House. He was president of the

New Zealand Institute of Architects Te Kāhui Whaihanga New Zealand Institute of Architects (NZIA) is a membership-based professional organisation that represents 90 per cent of all registered architects in New Zealand, and promotes architecture that enhances the New Zealand livi ...

from 1935 to 1937.

Life

Born in

Oamaru Oamaru (; mi, Te Oha-a-Maru) is the largest town in North Otago, in the South Island of New Zealand, it is the main town in the Waitaki District. It is south of Timaru and north of Dunedin on the Pacific coast; State Highway 1 and the railway ...

, the son of a Scottish watchmaker and jewellery retailer, he moved with his family to

Wellington Wellington ( mi, Te Whanganui-a-Tara or ) is the capital city of New Zealand. It is located at the south-western tip of the North Island, between Cook Strait and the Remutaka Range. Wellington is the second-largest city in New Zealand by me ...

in the 1890s. He attended the Terrace School and

Wellington College Wellington College may refer to: *Wellington College, Berkshire, an independent school in Crowthorne, Berkshire, England ** Wellington College International Shanghai ** Wellington College International Tianjin * Wellington College, Wellington, Ne ...

, and went on to be articled to the architects Crichton and McKay. He won the competition for Knox College in

in 1906 when he was only 21 and became an associate of the New Zealand Institute of Architects (NZIA) in 1907. Prior to the First World War, he worked in collaboration with Stanley Fearn and Austin Quick. Gray Young and his partners designed and oversaw the construction of an average of six houses a year between 1907 and 1962. He was judged unfit for military service in the First World War and continued in practice through it. With John Swan he designed

Wellington Technical College , seal_image = , motto = Excellence in Learning , type = State secondary , established = 1886 , streetaddress = 249 Taranaki Street , city = Wellington , postcode = 6011 , country = New Zealand , ...

in 1919. The same year his Scots College building was opened and in 1928 the Wellesley Club which earned him the NZIA gold medal. He designed the new Wellington railway station in 1930. Gray Young was one of the architects invited to work with the government architect designing the prototype state house. He designed a new railway station for

Christchurch Christchurch ( ; mi, Ōtautahi) is the largest city in the South Island of New Zealand and the seat of the Canterbury Region. Christchurch lies on the South Island's east coast, just north of Banks Peninsula on Pegasus Bay. The Avon River / ...

in 1938 but it was not built until 1960. He also designed the Easterfield building at

Victoria University of Wellington Victoria University of Wellington ( mi, Te Herenga Waka) is a university in Wellington, New Zealand. It was established in 1897 by Act of Parliament, and was a constituent college of the University of New Zealand. The university is well know ...

in 1951. As architectural adviser to Knox College, Gray Young presided over its slow elaboration until 1952. Later architects continued to work to realise and elaborate his original idea for decades after his death, an unusual outcome in New Zealand, even for a highly emblematic building. He was elected a Fellow of the New Zealand Institute of Architects in 1913, served on the executive committee from 1914–35 and was its president from 1935 to 1937. In 1935, he was awarded the King George V Silver Jubilee Medal. He was president of the Wellington Rotary Club from 1935 to 1936 but did not care for public life, preferring the company of colleagues and a group of yachting friends. He died in Wellington in April 1962.

Gallery of his work

Image:KnoxCollegeOtago.jpg, Image:Truby_King_House.jpg, Image:The_Wellesley_Club_882.jpg, Image:Robert_Stout_and_Hunter_buildings.png, Image:Railway_Station_Wellington.jpg, Image:Christchurch railway station, 1960.jpg,

Notable works

* Knox College, Dunedin (1909–1952) * Elliott House, Wellington (1913). * Everybody's Theatre, Christchurch (1915). * Scot's College, Wellington (1919). * Wellington Technical College, Wellington (1919) with John Swan. *Truby King House, Wellington (1923) * Wellesley Club, Wellington (1927) * Phoenix Assurance Building (1930) * Stout Building, Victoria University, Wellington (1930) * Weir House, Victoria University, Wellington (1933), Victoria University’s first hall of residence. *

(1937) * Kirk Building, Victoria University, Wellington (1938) * Australian Mutual Provident Society (AMP) Chambers (1950) * Easterfield Building, Victoria University, Wellington (1957) * Christchurch railway station (opened in 1960)

References

External links

Dictionary of New Zealand Biography on Gray Young

Sources

*AJ Salmond, ''Knox College Conservation Plan 2004'', Salmond Anderson Ltd., Dunedin, 2003. {{DEFAULTSORT:Gray Young, W. 1885 births 1962 deaths People educated at Wellington College (New Zealand) People from Oamaru 20th-century New Zealand architects Recipients of the NZIA Gold Medal Fellows of the New Zealand Institute of Architects