Basic Biographical Details

Name: George Colvill Nairne
Designation:  
Born: 14 November 1884
Died: 23 April 1953
Bio Notes: George Colvill Nairne was born in Inverness on 14 November 1884, the son of David Nairne, sub-editor of the 'Northern Chronicle'. He was articled to the Inverness architect John Squair, taking classes at the local technical college, and at the end of his apprenticeship took a job in Cardiff. He emigrated in 1906 to New York where he found employment with Alexander Mackintosh, who had been born in London but trained and commenced his career in Scotland. In 1909 Nairne moved to Seattle to work for Blackwell & Baker and in 1911 to Vancouver as assistant to Thomas Hooper.

In 1913 Nairne entered into a partnership with John MacMillan in Nanaimo but it was dissolved because of the difficult economic conditions then prevailing early in the following year. The official title of their practice has not been established but is assumed to have been MacMillan & Nairne. After its dissolution Nairne spent 18 months with H H Johnson in Great Falls, Montana, in 1914-15, but then had to prospect for gold in Alaska and the Yukon until he enlisted in the Royal Canadian engineers in 1917.

After the war Nairne found work with the theatre architect B Marcus Priteca in Seattle until 1921 when he was taken into partnership by the well-established Vancouver architect John Young McCarter whom he had known in Hooper's office before the war. McCarter had good political, business and military contacts, and the practice flourished right up to the time of Nairne's retirement in 1951: their architecture was an impressive American modern of the Raymond Hood school.

Nairne died on 23 April 1953, his partner McCarter continuing the practice under its existing title of McCarter & Nairne until his own retirement in 1956. Thereafter it was continued by Ronald S Nairne (born 1923 and presumably George Colvill's son), William Leithead and other partners as McCarter Nairne & Partners.

Private and Business Addresses

The following private or business addresses are associated with this :
 AddressTypeDate fromDate toNotes
Item 1 of 5Inverness, Inverness-shire, ScotlandPrivate   
Item 2 of 5Nanaimo, British Columbia, CanadaBusiness   
Item 3 of 5ScotlandBusiness   
Item 4 of 5Cardiff, WalesBusinessc. 19051906 
Item 5 of 5Alaska, United States of AmericaPrivate1915Before 1917 

Employment and Training

Employers

The following individuals or organisations employed or trained this (click on an item to view details):
 NameDate fromDate toPositionNotes
Item 1 of 8John Squairc. 1900Before 1906Apprentice 
Item 2 of 8Alexander Mackintosh19061909Assistant 
Item 3 of 8Blackwell & Baker19091911Assistant 
Item 4 of 8Thomas Hooper19111913Assistant 
Item 5 of 8MacMillan & Nairne1913Early 1914Partner 
Item 6 of 8H H Johnson19141915Assistant 
Item 7 of 8Benjamin Marcus PritecaAfter 1919Before 1921Assistant 
Item 8 of 8McCarter & Nairne19211951Partner 

Buildings and Designs

This was involved with the following buildings or structures from the date specified (click on an item to view details):
 Date startedBuilding nameTown, district or villageIslandCity or countyCountryNotes
Item 1 of 31928Marine BuildingVancouver British ColumbiaCanada 
Item 2 of 31928Medical-Dental BuildingVancouver British ColumbiaCanada 
Item 3 of 3Late 1920sVancouver Exhibition AssociationVancouver British ColumbiaCanada 

References

Bibliographic References

The following books contain references to this :
 Author(s)DateTitlePartPublisherNotes
Item 1 of 2Luxton, Donald (ed.)2003Building the West: the early architects of British Columbia Vancouver: Talon Bookspp 272-7
Item 2 of 2www.thecanadianencyclopedia.com2005www.thecanadianencyclopedia.com The Canadian Encyclopedia website (Historica [sic] Foundation of Canada)Entry on McCarter Nairne