Basic Biographical Details Name: | James McLellan Brown | Designation: | | Born: | 21 September 1886(?) | Died: | 25 December 1967 | Bio Notes: | James McLellan Brown was born in Stonehouse, Lanarkshire, on 21 September 1886 or 4 September 1887 (GSA rolls are confused and give these dates as well as 1882 and 1889), the son of David Brown, silk weaver and his wife Janet (surname not given). He was articled to Cullen, Lochhead & Brown of Hamilton in 1904, remaining there as assistant until 1914 and studying at the Royal Glasgow Technical College and Glasgow School of Art from 1906 to 1913. Between 1908 and 1914 he made architectural sketching and measuring tours of Scotland, England, northern France and Belgium.
Brown joined the Dundee City Engineer and City Architect's Department in September 1914 along with Vernon Constable and William Fraser, to work on the Caird Hall and City Square development under James Thomson. All three were soon called up, Brown serving in the Royal Engineers and eventually securing a commission. He returned to the City Engineer and City Architect's Department in Dundee as an assistant in 1919, and was admitted ARIBA in the same year, his proposers being James Lochhead, John Wilson and James Thomson. In 1922 the posts of City Engineer and City Architect were divided and in May 1924 Thomson retired as City Architect and Director of Housing at the age of seventy-two. The post of City Architect and Director of Housing was then abolished, Thomson's duties being taken over by the City Engineer, George Baxter. Brown was lucky to survive the programme of dismissals which culminated in the departure of Vernon Constable, Thomson's chief assistant architect; these resulted in him becoming the most senior surviving architect on the City Engineer's staff. Like Constable, Brown supplemented his income by teaching architecture at Dundee College of Technology and by undertaking work for other architects, principally Thoms & Wilkie.
With the prospect of the City Square redevelopment about to be put in hand, David McLay, Baxter's successor as City Engineer and City Architect, recommended Brown as Depute City Architect on 27 February 1931, a post he accepted on 3 September, initially not without some hesitation as he feared he might share the same fate as Constable when the project was complete. But by March 1932 Brown had a staff of eighteen and had begun designing some quite distinguished and spaciously laid out stone-built tenement housing in Queen Street, Broughty Ferry (1931-32) and Morgan Place (1935-39). He made study tours in France, Spain, Italy, Norway, Sweden, Denmark and Holland, these visits resulting in the Art Deco brick and harled tenements of Beechwood begun in 1935.
Brown was promoted to the position of City Architect and Director of Housing on 30 October 1944, and retained that position until his retirement in September 1951. He died on 25 December 1967 at Ninewells Hospital, survived by his wife Margaret Smith who died in January 1969 and his daughter Marjory who settled in Bognor. | Private and Business AddressesThe following private or business addresses are associated with this : | | Address | Type | Date from | Date to | Notes | | 15, Green Street, Stonehouse, Lanarkshire, Scotland | Private | 1891 | | | | 20, Green Street, Stonehouse, Lanarkshire, Scotland | Business | 1907 | 1913 | | | Stonehouse, Lanarkshire, Scotland | Private | 1919 * | | | | City Engineer's Office, Dundee, Scotland | Business | 1919 * | | | | Arbroath Road, West Ferry, Dundee, Scotland | Private(?) | 1939 or 1940 * | | | | Corporation Offices, Caird Square, Dundee, Scotland | Business | 1953 * | | | | Municipal Buildings, City Square, Dundee, Scotland | Business | 1954 * | | |
* earliest date known from documented sources.
Employment and TrainingEmployersEmployees or PupilsThe following individuals were employed or trained by this (click on an item to view details): | | Name | Date from | Date to | Position | Notes | | Robert Dron | 1926 | September 1951 | Assistant | In Dundee City Architect's Department - as Deputy City Achitect by 1950 | | Frederick George Sturrock | 1930 | After 1937 | Assistant | In Dundee City Architect's Department | | John Jeffrey | Before 1930 | c. 1934 | Assistant | In Dundee City Engineer's Office | | Archibald Gilchrist Paton | Before 1935 | After 1939 | Assistant | In Dundee City Architect's Office | | James Miller | c. 1939 | c. 1940 | Assistant | In Dundee City Architect's Department |
RIBARIBA ProposersThe following individuals proposed this for RIBA membership (click on an item to view details): | | Name | Date proposed | Notes | | James Lochhead | Mid 1919 | for Associateship | | James Thomson | Mid 1919 | for Associateship | | John Wilson | Mid 1919 | for Associateship |
Buildings and DesignsThis was involved with the following buildings or structures from the date specified (click on an item to view details): | | Date started | Building name | Town, district or village | Island | City or county | Country | Notes | | 1920 | The Specimen House | | | Dundee | Scotland | Designed building following commission from James Thomson, both of Corporation of Dundee | | 1924 | Villas, 354 to 358 Arbroath Road | | | Dundee | Scotland | For himself and fellow architect W B D Keith | | After 1925 | Ashludie House | Monifieth | | Angus | Scotland | Additions - as Depute City Architect | | After 1925 | Broughty Ferry Library | Broughty Ferry | | Dundee | Scotland | As City Architect/Engineer | | After 1925 | Sidlaw Sanatorium | Auchterhouse | | Dundee | Scotland | As Depute City Architect | | c. 1925 | Local Authority Housing between N slope of Dundee Law and Strathmore Avenue | Lawton | | Dundee | Scotland | In the City Engineer's Department | | 1926 | Harris Academy, Perth Road | | | Dundee | Scotland | Assisted Thoms & Wilkie with winning competition design | | 1926 | Harris Academy, Perth Road | | | Dundee | Scotland | Unsuccessful competition designs made for Maclaren Soutar Salmond on a fee-paid basis | | 1927 | Logie Central School and janitor's house | | | Dundee | Scotland | Made drawings for Maclaren Soutar Salmond on a fee-paid basis | | 1929 | Fleming Trust Housing | | | Dundee | Scotland | As Depute City Architect | | 1930s | St Martin's Episcopal School | | | Dundee | Scotland | As Depute City Architect | | 1930s | St Michael's RC School | | | Dundee | Scotland | As Depute City Architect. | | 1930 | City Chambers | | | Dundee | Scotland | As Depute City Architect | | 1930 | Fire Station | | | Dundee | Scotland | | | 1931 | Ashludie House | Monifieth | | Angus | Scotland | Big detached block to S - as Depute City Architect | | 1931 | Caird Hall | | | Dundee | Scotland | South half of East wing extension - for Council Offices. | | 1931 | Caird Hall | | | Dundee | Scotland | West extension - built as City Chambers | | 1933 | Tenement Block, South Tay Street and West Port corner | | | Dundee | Scotland | As Depute City Architect. Gifford gives David McLay but this is incorrect as he was an engineer. | | c. 1933 | Dundee Corporation Transport Department Garage | | | Dundee | Scotland | As Dundee Depute City Architect | | 1934 | Block of flats, 31-33 Kinghorne Road | Hilltown | | Dundee | Scotland | As Depute City Architect would have been responsible for design | | 1935 | Beechwood Housing Estate | Lochee | | Dundee | Scotland | James McLellan Brown, as Dundee Depute City Architect | | 1935 | Mid Craigie Housing Estate | Mid Craigie | | Dundee | Scotland | As Dundee City Architect | | 1935 | Mills Observatory, Balgay Park | | | Dundee | Scotland | As Depute City Architect | | 1935 | Morgan Place Housing | | | Dundee | | As Depute City Architect. | | 1936 | Linlathen Housing Development | | | Dundee | Scotland | As depute City Architect | | 1936 | Tenements, Hilltown | | | Dundee | Scotland | Mainly resposible - as Depute City Architect | | 1937 | Stobswell Boys' School | | | Dundee | | As City Architect. Unfinished at the time of Mclellan's retirement in 1951. | | c. 1938 | Magdalen Kirkton Housing Scheme | | | Dundee | Scotland | James McLellan Brown as Dundee Depute City Architect | | 1939 | Mid Craigie School | Mid Craigie | | Dundee | Scotland | As Depute City Architect | | 1941 | The Clep Public Bar | | | Dundee | Scotland | Probably responsible | | 1946 | Clement Park Gardens Housing | | | Dundee | | As City Architect | | 1946 | Local Authority housing | Lochee | | Dundee | Scotland | As City Architect | | 1950 | Craigie, Angus and Douglas Housing Estate | Craigie, Angus and Douglas | | Dundee | Scotland | Submitted plans and layout | | 1950 | St Vincent's RC Primary School | | | Dundee | Scotland | | | 2 January 1953 | Corporation Housing, Douglas and Angus Estates | | | Dundee | Scotland | 150 Corporation houses | | 10 July 1953 | Public Library, Keanway | | | Dundee | Scotland | New library | | 1954 | Bathing Shelter | Broughty Ferry | | Dundee | Scotland | As City Architect | | 26 March 1954 | Community Centre, Mid Craigie | Mid Craigie | | Dundee | Scotland | To prepare plans for new community centre | | 8 February 1957 | Dundee High School | | | Dundee | Scotland | 'R. Dron and J. McLellan Brown, Municipal Buildings, City Square' per Builder p252 |
ReferencesBibliographic ReferencesThe following books contain references to this : | | Author(s) | Date | Title | Part | Publisher | Notes | | Frew, John | 1992 | James McLellan Brown | | Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art, '100 Years of Town Planning in Dundee', pp16-22 | | | RCAHMS | 1992 | Dundee on Record | | RCAHMS | The Clep Public Bar - image from Clepington Road (1989) p57
| | RIBA | 1939 | The RIBA Kalendar 1939-1940 | | London: Royal Institute of British Architects | | | Who's Who in Architecture | 1926 | | | | |
Periodical ReferencesThe following periodicals contain references to this : | | Periodical Name | Date | Edition | Publisher | Notes | | Builder | 1 December 1950 | | | p582 | | Builder | 2 January 1953 | | | p32 | | Builder | 10 July 1953 | | | p80 | | Builder | 26 March 1954 | | | p572 | | Builder | 7 May 1954 | | | p830 |
Archive ReferencesThe following archives hold material relating to this : | | Source | Archive Name | Source Catalogue No. | Notes | | Professor David M Walker personal archive | Professor David M Walker, notes and collection of archive material | | Personal recollections of Robert Dron to David Walker in 1960s and to Dr John Frew in 1991 (see '100 Years of Town Planning in Dundee'). Also information per Iain Paterson from Mrs Crawford, 7 Sidehead Road, Stonehouse. | | RIBA Archive, Victoria & Albert Museum | RIBA Nomination Papers | | A no2769 (microfilm reel 23) |
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