Basic Biographical Details

Name: John Robert Harrison McDonald
Designation:  
Born: 22 May 1907
Died: 1996
Bio Notes: John Robert Harrison McDonald was born on 22 May 1907, the son of Sir John McDonald (not 'MacDonald', 1874–1964), who was a major building contractor in the Glasgow area before the Second World War. Sir John was the archetypal self-made businessman, rising from humble origins.

John McDonald senior had a joiner’s business at 78 Adelphi (now Poplin) Street, Bridgeton, Glasgow from c 1899. He married Janet Campbell Harrison, daughter of a carpet weaver, in April 1900, and they had two children, Annie Mitchell McDonald (born January 1901), and John Robert Harrison McDonald (born 22 May 1907). In 1910, the office and family home moved to 12 Old Dalmarnock Road, Bridgeton.

McDonald built himself ‘Elpalet’, a large modern ‘castellated Gothick’ villa in Carmunnock, with a crenellated roof terrace in 1914-15. The use of flat roofs to increase useable space was a constant theme in McDonald’s buildings. Elpalet’s interior was extraordinarily lavish, boasting a domed entrance hall, heraldic paintings and mosaic floors.

McDonald senior had founded the Sunlit Building Company around 1917, making mass-produced prefabricated structures, for the Admiralty, War Office and local government. Sunlit’s logo showed a radiant rising sun, illuminating a flat roofed factory. In 1920, he formed John McDonald (Contractors) Ltd, of Burnside. Both McDonalds recognised the value of advertising and promotion, and took advantage of them throughout their careers, as well as promoting new technologies and materials.

Glasgow established a Housing Department under the 1919 Housing Act, which compelled local authorities to provide working class homes. The city boundaries were extended to incorporate greenfield sites, and low-rise ‘four in a block’ flats were built instead of tenements. The principal developments were Mosspark, Riddrie, Knightswood (the largest scheme, on land formerly in Dunbartonshire), Carntyne and Scotstoun. By 1925 Glasgow had over 30,000 applicants for its insufficient council accommodation. McDonald senior constructed hundreds of the ‘Sunlit’-style houses on the council’s peripheral estates. In early 1924, McDonald (Contractors) Ltd were at Knightswood, where they continued working until the early 1930s.

In line with the 1920s fashion for physical wellbeing, McDonald claimed that flat-roofs admitted more sunshine at ground level than traditional pitched-roofs, creating extra recreation spaces up above. Rooftop drainage problems were supposedly solved by a fully-sealed, guaranteed roof. McDonald’s favourite cavity walls regulated temperature, and were externally roughcast. The new houses had bay windows, another recurrent motif, as they were more easily adapted to flat roofs.

Throughout 1927-9, McDonald’s men worked on Areas No 6, 7 and 9, in Knightswood, where the municipal Housing Dept incorporated green spaces unmatched on later projects. In 1928, McDonald senior was contracted for another 852 flat roofed, patent-built houses there, worth over £300,000.

Three new McDonald subsidiaries were created in 1929, namely Glasgow Estates Development Company Ltd, Sunlight Ltd, and Stronghold Ltd (bitumen and tarmac works, using their own products). Various sources suggested Sunlight Ltd was ‘Sunlit Homes Ltd’, but they officially advertised as ‘Sunlight Ltd’, and just produced buildings under the ‘Sunlit’ brand-name, hence the confusion.

John R H McDonald junior (1907-1996), had met his future wife, Dorcas Anne Hutcheson, in Glasgow in 1928. She was visiting her uncle and fellow American, (later Sir) Stephen Piggott, the managing director of John Brown & Co, shipbuilders. Dorcas’s father was a wealthy woollen-mill owner in Tennessee, whose sister became Lady Piggott.

J R H McDonald was not a trained architect, holding a BSc degree, but he was a member of the Institute of Civil Engineers and several town planning bodies. He visited either the International Exposition of Modern Industrial and Decorative Arts in Paris in 1925, or the Deutscher Werkbund show in Stuttgart in 1927, which both showcased the work of Le Corbusier, whom he admired. In the late 1920s and early 1930s, he also studied modern buildings in Belgium, Holland and Germany and met Dr Josef Frank in Vienna.

In May 1929 J R H McDonald sailed to New York, probably on another study tour and visiting his American fiancée, because in May 1931, he published ‘Modern Housing: A Review … at home and abroad, and some practical suggestions’. The book was a thinly-disguised promotion for Sunlit Homes, flat roofs and the McDonalds’ technical patents. He pictured specimen dwellings built of their own precast concrete blocks, with flat roofs. The book reviewed overcrowded conditions in Glasgow and claimed that ‘Housing is the keystone of civilization ... of … public health … traffic congestion … crime and unrest, indeed all the social problems that beset us today’.

In support of his extravagant claims McDonald junior marshalled statistics, and cited Josef Hoffman, Le Corbusier, Robert Mallet-Stephens and C R Mackintosh. He examined unemployment in the building industry, as well as ‘best practice’ in municipal housing estates abroad. This included balconies, ‘sun terraces’, and streamlined deco styling. The extreme unsuitability of the Scottish climate to flat roofs did not figure into McDonald’s arguments.

One of McDonald senior’s ‘Sunlit’ houses was erected at the 1931 ‘Ideal Homes’ exhibition at the Kelvin Hall, which ‘thus predated Wells Coates’ Ideal Home ‘Sunspan’ House … by two years’. One of McDonald senior’s ‘Sunlit’ brand houses was erected at the 1931 ‘Ideal Home’ exhibition at the Kelvin Hall, Glasgow, which ‘thus predated Wells Coates’ Ideal Home ‘Sunspan’ House … by two years’. In 1932, the exhibition’s sponsors, the Daily Mail ran a competition (‘The House that Jean Built’, as opposed to the nursery rhyme’s ‘Jack’) for ‘sketch plans’ for a dream-home costing £1500, built for the second Scottish Ideal Home Exhibition, on 5-29 October 1932. The £250 prize-winner, Glasgow teacher Elizabeth M Reid of Maryhill, suggested an efficient, flat-roofed, modernist all-electric dwelling. It had a sunken bath, shower, fitted kitchen and externally-vented pantry, flush doors and concealed drainpipes. Reid’s ideas were incorporated and adapted into the exhibition’s model home built by McDonald. The reviewer’s only reservation was ‘the great expanse of glass … in our climate the home may prove … cold’. McDonald further offered to erect a similar house at Burnside for only £1,000, and £100 deposit. It is not known if he received any commissions.

After the publication of his book, John R H McDonald married his fiancée Dorcas Hutcheson in Chattanooga in February 1932. In November John McDonald senior purchased the 117 acre Kilmardinny estate and mansion in Bearsden, where he later built on the land. The McDonalds were engaged on one of Glasgow’s largest council schemes, at Cardonald in early 1933, where the Western Heritable Investment Co and Glasgow Estates Development Co erected 2512 dwellings. The huge £1million project may have financed the McDonalds’ own lavish family homes in Bearsden.

At Kilmardinny, the McDonalds built to their own designs without budgetary restrictions. Five houses in the steeply-sloping Carse View Drive, were in the current International Style, and two were traditional. ‘Green Ridge’ was built for Annie Mitchell McDonald in 1933-4. ‘White Lodge’, in Kilmardinny Crescent, which featured in Country Life in 1935, was J H R McDonald’s own self-designed family home. The magazine described the colour schemes, lighting, and technical innovations in central heating and efficient layout. It still contained two maids’ rooms, and an integral wash house.

The large housing developments at ‘Cardonald & Hillington Scheme SW2’, and ‘Carntyne E2’ continued during 1933-5. ‘Glasgow Estates Co’ promoted 4- and 5-apartment terraces at Cardonald with tiled roofs, and timber-gabled bay windows. These were presumably for private rent, as the style was entirely contrary to the McDonald ethos.

They also opened sales offices for owner-occupiers in Bearsden, at Douglas Park and Kilmardinny, and a show house at 275 Milngavie Road, Burnbrae Estate in 1935-7. McDonalds sold conventional houses at Mosshead Road, Bearsden, and Woodlands Road, Rouken Glen (‘by Thornliebank’) in 1938. Identical semi-detached 2-bed properties with pitched roofs were available in 1939 at Burnside and Bearsden, at ‘£5 down payment and from 19/10- weekly’.

Unfortunately, the McDonalds’ non-standard techniques caused problems. They were taken to court by in 1939 by the purchaser of the modernist, flat-roofed ‘bandbox’ called ‘Buckfast’, in Carseview Drive, Bearsden. The buyer paid £1185 in July 1934, but ‘Within months … the house … developed serious damp … spongy cracks developed, fungus grew’, and it became uninhabitable. Despite McDonald blaming condensation, the sheriff found that ‘faults in the [roof] construction’ caused the leaks, and awarded the owner £350 damages.

It was in the 1930s that McDonald senior was most influential in public life, and he was knighted in February 1937, for ‘political and public services’. He was vice-president of the Institute of Patentees, to which J H R McDonald also belonged. Sir John was active in various transport professional bodies, and was a member of the Clan McDonald Society in Glasgow, for whom J R H McDonald latterly wrote a book.

The new Sir John and Lady McDonald moved out of Elpalet, their original home, in early 1937 for the much grander Victorian Kilmardinny House. J R H sailed to New York in January 1938, with his family of two sons, who were most unusually, both called ‘John’ (although nicknamed Jack, and Iain). A daughter, Dorcas Anne, was later born to them.

During the war Sir John McDonald commented on petrol rationing, and raised money for Glasgow’s War Relief Fund. J H R McDonald had evacuated his young family to stay with their Hutcheson grandparents in the USA in June 1940. Being of military age, J R H McDonald remained in Britain, where Stronghold Ltd, their asphalt and bitumen suppliers, continued to retail dovetail waterproof sheeting to government contractors.

In June 1944, as part of a restructuring operation, John McDonald (Contractors) Ltd entered voluntary liquidation. In March 1945, before the end of the war, the new incarnation of John McDonald (Contractors) Ltd registered as a private company, with £60,000 in share capital. This was in order to make John R H McDonald the director, and Dorothy Gallacher the new company secretary. McDonald junior shortly afterwards (April 1945) lodged two patent applications for waterproof bituminous sheet roofing, and prefabricated wall-panels.
Lady McDonald died at Kilmardinny in June 1954, aged 79. Sir John only waited a very short while before remarrying in early 1955. Christina McLachlan (c1898-1986), 24 years his junior, was his long-time book-keeper and Plewlands company secretary.

The Glasgow Estates Development Company were taken to court in February 1955 by tenants protesting against rent rises under the Housing (Repairs and Rents) Scotland Act. The firm owned 1340 dwellings across Glasgow, and used their subsidiary, Sunlight Builders of Bridgeton, when repairs were required at Gauldry Ave, Cardonald. The repairs were allegedly overcharged, and the tenants received compensation.

Sir John McDonald died at Kilmardinny House, aged 89, in January 1964. His firms had built around 10,000 houses around Glasgow, innovating materials, production and wall and roof styles. Plewlands Investments, Glasgow Estates Development Co, and John McDonald (Contractors) Ltd were dissolved between 1965 and 1970. Kilmardinny House was sold to Bearsden Burgh Council in May 1968. The second Lady McDonald died at Balfron, Stirlingshire in 1984. She was interviewed by art teacher Robert Lindlay Nelson in the late 1970s as part of his thesis on J R H McDonald’s ‘international’ style houses, and their suitability for the Scottish climate.

John R H McDonald returned to the USA after World War II, and lived in Georgia and Pennsylvania with his American wife Dorcas (1908-2001) and three children. McDonald retired to Chattanooga in 1970, where he and his wife became major philanthropists, and were involved in various church, heritage, environmental and educational charities. He died in 1996, and the junior school at McCallie was named in his honour in 1999. Mrs McDonald left most of her $8.7million dollar estate to charitable purposes in 2001, including $1m to her church.

Companies of which J R H McDonald was partner/owner


John McDonald (Contractors) Ltd, East Kilbride Road, Burnside, Glasgow Sept 1920 7 June 1944 Building Contractor (Owner). (Private company, acquired business of John McDonald wright, East Kilbride Road, and Sunlit Building Co, 12 Old Dalmarnock Road, Glasgow; dissolved voluntarily by chairman Sir John McDonald June 1944 and business continued in new form as John McDonald (Contractors) Ltd as of March 1945)

Glasgow Estates Development Company, 12 Old Dalmarnock Road, Bridgeton, Glasgow June 1929-April 1966. Owner. (Private company, Building Contractor and Estate Agency; enters voluntary liquidation April 1966)

Sunlight Ltd, East Kilbride Road, Rutherglen July 1929. Owner. (Private Company, timber merchants, builders (‘Sunlight Ltd’ not to be confused with similarly-named but earlier ‘Sunlit Building Co’))

Stronghold Ltd, 14 Old Dalmarnock Road, Bridgeton, Glasgow. July 1929-April 1966. Owner, director. (Private Company; contractors in asphalt, tarmacadam, bitumen; Entered members’ voluntarily liquidation on 8 April 1966, J R H McDonald director at this date.)

Plewlands Ltd, 13A East Kilbride Road, Rutherglen. Jan 1937-Nov 1965. Owner. (Private Company; investment, lending and agency company, capital £50,000 in £1 shares; shareholders James M Rankin, builder’s manager, and Jean Galbraith, private secretary; entered voluntary liquidation Nov 1965; formally dissolved April 1970)

Stronghold Ltd, builders merchants, 9 Bucklaw Place, Glasgow SW2 Jan 1938 1939 Owner, Director. (Branch office)

Stronghold Ltd, merchants, 134 St Vincent St May 1940. Owner, Director

Sunlight Ltd, builders, Sunlit Buildings, Mosshead Road, Bearsden May 1941-March 1966. Owner, Director. (Entered members’ voluntary liquidation on 18 March 1966, J R H McDonald director at this date. Wound up December 1967).

Glasgow Estate Development Co ltd, 9 Bucklaw Place, SW2 May 1941-April 1966 Owner. (Firm enters voluntary liquidation April 1966)

John McDonald (Contractors) Ltd, East Kilbride Rd, Burnside, Rutherglen March 1945-Jan 1965 Owner, Director (J R H McDonald becomes director of restructured company in lieu of father; private joint stock company registered March 1945, £60,000 capital in £1 shares; second director Dorothy Gallacher, 162 Chryston Road, Chryston, company secretary; Company struck off the companies register, hereby dissolved, 22 January 1965)


research and biography by Morag Cross.

Private and Business Addresses

The following private or business addresses are associated with this :
 AddressTypeDate fromDate toNotes
Item 1 of 1397, Greenhead Street, Glasgow, ScotlandPrivate19051909 
Item 2 of 13155, Greenhead Street, Glasgow, ScotlandPrivate19101911 
Item 3 of 1312, Old Dalmarnock Road, Glasgow, ScotlandBusiness19101934Head office 1917-19
Item 4 of 1314, Old Dalmarnock Road, Glasgow, ScotlandPrivate19121914 
Item 5 of 13Nerston, East Kilbride, Lanarkshire, ScotlandPrivate1915 Address for Janet C McDonald as owner of tenement at 12-18 Old Dalmarnock Road in 1915 Valuation Roll.
Item 6 of 13Elpalet/250, East Kilbride Road, Carmunnock, Lanarkshire, ScotlandPrivate19151935 
Item 7 of 13Works, East Kilbride Road, Burnside, Rutherglen, Lanarkshire, ScotlandBusiness1917After 1940 
Item 8 of 13Sunlit Building Company/12 , Old Dalmarnock Road, Glasgow, ScotlandBusinessEarly 1917 Head office, premises shared with John McDonald's main builder's business.
Item 9 of 13White Lodge, Kilmardinny Road, Bearsden, Glasgow, ScotlandPrivate1935After 1945 
Item 10 of 13Stronghold Ltd, builders & merchants/9, Bucklaw Place, Glasgow, ScotlandBusinessJanuary 19381939Branch office
Item 11 of 13Georgia, United States of AmericaPrivateLate 1940s1970In Thomson, Georgia; Atlanta, Georgia
Item 12 of 13Allentown, Pennsylvania, United States of AmericaPrivateLate 1940s1970 
Item 13 of 13Chattanooga, Tennessee, United States of AmericaPrivatec. 19701996The McDonalds stayed in J R H McDonald's wife's home town from his retirement in 1970 until his death.

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 151927Specimen Sunlit Home Burnside GlasgowScotland 
Item 2 of 15c. 1929500 Sunlit Homes, Warriston Crescent, Carntyne Housing DevelopmentCarntyne GlasgowScotland 
Item 3 of 151931Scottish Ideal Home ExhibitionKelvin Hall GlasgowScotlandSpecimen Sunlit Home exhibited
Item 4 of 151932Scottish Ideal Home Exhibition, Daily Mail competition, Model/demonstration houseKelvin Hall GlasgowScotland 
Item 5 of 151933404 homes, BurnsideCambuslang LanarkshireScotlandBuilt by Sunlit Ltd
Item 6 of 151933Cardonald and Hillington Housing schemeCardonald and Hillington GlasgowScotland 
Item 7 of 151933Carntyne Housing DevelopmentCarntyne GlasgowScotland 
Item 8 of 151935Block of shops and garages, Paisley Road West and Lammermuir Avenue  GlasgowScotlandAs Glasgow Estates Development Co., one of McDonald's subsidiary companies.
Item 9 of 151935Houses at Douglas ParkBearsden GlasgowScotland 
Item 10 of 151935Lock-up car garages Cardonald/Hillington GlasgowScotlandAs Glasgow Estates Development Co., one of McDonald's subsidiary companies.
Item 11 of 151935Lock-up garages, Gladsmuir Street and Talla RoadCardonald| Hillington GlasgowScotland 
Item 12 of 151936Girl Guide HeadquartersRutherglen LanarkshireScotlandExtension
Item 13 of 151936Houses, Brownside Road, BurnsideCambuslang LanarkshireScotland 
Item 14 of 151938Houses at Mosshead RoadBearsden GlasgowScotland 
Item 15 of 151938Semi-detached cottages, Burnside EstateBurnside GlasgowScotland 

References

Bibliographic References

The following books contain references to this :
 Author(s)DateTitlePartPublisherNotes
Item 1 of 2McDonald, J R H1931Modern housing: a review of present housing requirements in Great Britain Glasgow: Carson & Nicol 
Item 2 of 2McKean, Charles1987The Scottish Thirties: An Architectural Introduction Edinburgh: Scottish Academic Presspp171-173

Periodical References

The following periodicals contain references to this :
 Periodical NameDateEditionPublisherNotes
Item 1 of 4Country Life8 June 193577, no 2003  
Item 2 of 4Edinburgh Evening News6 October 1932  p3
Item 3 of 4Motherwell Times26 August 1932  p3
Item 4 of 4Motherwell Times21 October 1932  p6