Basic Biographical Details

Name: Andrew MacMillan
Designation:  
Born: 11 December 1928
Died: 16 August 2014
Bio Notes: Andrew MacMillan was born on 11 December 1928 in Maryhill, Glasgow, the son of a railway porter. He was educated at Maryhill Public School and North Kelvinside Secondary School. After leaving school he sat the Glasgow Corporation exam. During his time there he received the impetus to study architecture and he and studied at Glasgow School of Art from 1945. There he met Isi Metzstein, and the pair quickly became firm friends. Every Wednesday, what was often referred to as the ‘Isi and Andy’ double act could be found at the King’s Arms on Elmbank Street, discussing architecture, culture and politics.

After seven years with the Corporation he moved to East Kilbride New Town Development Corporation after the Second World War in 1952, He joined the firm of Gillespie Kidd & Coia in 1954, and soon began a close collaboration with Metzstein, who had been in the firm since beginning as an apprentice. The two were to carry out most of the practice’s design work from around 1957 onwards, as Coia approached retirement. Working in a bold and highly original Modernist idiom, they collaborated on a series of notable Roman Catholic churches between that year and 1980, of which St Bride’s in East Kilbride (1963–4) is among the most remarkable. Their masterwork is considered to be St Peter’s Seminary, Cardross, completed in 1966, which was to be the first modern building to be awarded Category-A listed status. They were also responsible for a series of important university buildings, including halls of residence at Hull (1963–7), additions to Wadham College, Oxford (1971–7), and Robinson College, Cambridge (1974–80). Although strongly inspired by Le Corbusier, they drew on sources as diverse as Victorian Glasgow, medieval urbanism and abstraction, and Metzstein always emphasised the importance of designing from first principles.

MacMillan was elected ARIBA in 1963 and ARIAS the following year. He was awarded the RIBA Gold Medal in ****.

In 1973 he was appointed Professor of Architecture at the University of Glasgow and Head of the Mackintosh School of Architecture. Under his guidance the School achieved an international reputation. In 1986 he was Davenport Visiting Professor at Yale University. He also served as Vice President for Education at the RoyalInstitute of British Architects during the period 1980-85. Subsequently was avisiting professor or lecturer in a number of South American instutitions in Mexico, Columbia and chile and as far afeidl as Singapore and Japan. He was instrumental in establishing the new architecture school in Dublin.


In later years MacMillan continued his involvement with the RIBA, the RIAS and the Royal Scottish Academy where he was made an Academician in 1990. He was awarded the OBE in 1992. MacMillan and Metzstein received lifetime achievement awards from the RIBA in 2008 and MacMillan received the RIBA's Annie Spink Award for services to architectural education shortly afterwards. From 2002 he chaired the RIAS Andrew Doolan Best Building Award each year. He collapsed and died during a Doolan Award visit on 16 August 2014.

He is survived by his wife Angela McDowell whom he had married in 1955 and his four children and three grandchildren.

Private and Business Addresses

The following private or business addresses are associated with this :
 AddressTypeDate fromDate toNotes
Item 1 of 71722, Maryhill Road, Glasgow, ScotlandPrivate1950  
Item 2 of 742, Cadder Road, Glasgow, ScotlandPrivate1954 *  
Item 3 of 719, Waterloo Street, Glasgow, ScotlandBusiness19541956 
Item 4 of 720, Park Circus, Glasgow, ScotlandBusiness1956  
Item 5 of 776, Kelvin Drive, Glasgow, ScotlandPrivate1959 *After 1960 
Item 6 of 71, Falcon Terrace, Glasgow, ScotlandPrivate1964 *After 1970 
Item 7 of 7227, Ingram Street, Glasgow, ScotlandBusiness1979 *  

* earliest date known from documented sources.

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 4Glasgow Corporation Housing Department (later Architectural & Planning Department, Glasgow Corporation)1940s Assistant 
Item 2 of 4East Kilbride Development Corporation1952 Architect 
Item 3 of 4Gillespie Kidd & Coia19541965Assistant 
Item 4 of 4Gillespie Kidd & Coia1966 Partner 

Employees or Pupils

The following individuals were employed or trained by this (click on an item to view details):
 NameDate fromDate toPositionNotes
Item 1 of 1Mark Baines  Assistantp129, Glendinning, 1997

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 481954St Joachim's RC Church and PresbyteryCarmyle GlasgowScotland 
Item 2 of 481954St Mary's RC Church  GlasgowScotland 
Item 3 of 481955Oratory, 19 Park Circus  GlasgowScotlandConversion of operating theatre into oratory
Item 4 of 481955St Maria Goretti RC ChurchCranhill GlasgowScotlandDesign only
Item 5 of 481955Turnbull Hall Chapel  GlasgowScotland 
Item 6 of 481956Catholic Retreat HouseCraighead, Bothwell LanarkshireScotlandChapel formed from conservatory
Item 7 of 481956Simshill School  GlasgowScotland 
Item 8 of 481956St Paul's RC ChurchGlenrothes FifeScotland 
Item 9 of 481956St Peter's RC Church and PresbyteryPartick GlasgowScotlandInterior remodelled (and furnishings)
Item 10 of 481957Kildrum 1 HousingKildrum, Cumbernauld New Town LanarkshireScotland 
Item 11 of 481957St Kessog's RC ChurchBallach DunbartonshireScotland 
Item 12 of 481957St Paul's RC Church  GlasgowScotland 
Item 13 of 481957University of Glasgow, Garscube Site, Veterinary Hospital & SchoolGarscube, Bearsden GlasgowScotlandHospital
Item 14 of 481959Lockhart HospitalLanark LanarkshireScotland 
Item 15 of 481959St Martin's RC Church, Ardencraig RoadCastlemilk GlasgowScotland 
Item 16 of 481959St Peter's SeminaryCardross DunbartonshireScotland 
Item 17 of 481959Willox Park Home sheltered housingDumbarton DunbartonshireScotland 
Item 18 of 481960Kildrum Primary SchoolCumbernauld LanarkshireScotland 
Item 19 of 481960St Mary of the Angels RC ChurchCamelon, Falkirk StirlingshireScotland 
Item 20 of 481960St Mary of the Assumption Church, Bo'nessBo'ness / Borrowstouness West LothianScotland 
Item 21 of 481961Howford SchoolPollok GlasgowScotland 
Item 22 of 481961Kilgraston Convent ChapelBridge of Earn PerthshireScotlandLow courtyard of school buildings and chapel
Item 23 of 481962St Benedict's RC ChurchEasterhouse GlasgowScotland 
Item 24 of 481963Our Lady's RC High SchoolCumbernauld LanarkshireScotland 
Item 25 of 481963St Bride's RC ChurchEast Kilbride LanarkshireScotland 
Item 26 of 481963St Joseph's RC ChurchDuntocher DunbartonshireScotland 
Item 27 of 481963University of Hull, halls of residenceHull YorkshireEngland 
Item 28 of 481964John Ogilvie Hall, LangsideLangside GlasgowScotland 
Item 29 of 481964Our Lady of Good Counsel RC Church  GlasgowScotland 
Item 30 of 481964Round Riding Road housingDumbarton DunbartonshireScotland 
Item 31 of 481964Sacred Heart RC ChurchCumbernauld LanarkshireScotland 
Item 32 of 481964St Patrick's RC ChurchKilsyth StirlingshireScotland 
Item 33 of 481968BOAC Building, Buchanan Street  GlasgowScotland 
Item 34 of 481968Notre Dame College, Consuela HallBearsden GlasgowScotland 
Item 35 of 481968Notre Dame College, Eyre Hall Bearsden GlasgowScotland 
Item 36 of 481968Notre Dame College, Julie Billiart Hall of ResidenceBearsden GlasgowScotland 
Item 37 of 481968Notre Dame College, Lescher HallBearsden GlasgowScotland 
Item 38 of 481968Notre Dame College, Ogilvie House Bearsden GlasgowScotland 
Item 39 of 481969Notre Dame CollegeBearsden GlasgowScotland 
Item 40 of 48197011 Carse View DriveBearsden Glasgow  
Item 41 of 481970St Margaret's HospiceClydebank DunbartonshireScotlandFiirst part
Item 42 of 481970St Margaret's RC ChurchClydebank DunbartonshireScotland 
Item 43 of 481971Wadham College  OxfordEnglandAlterations and additions
Item 44 of 481972Cumbernauld Technical CollegeCumbernauld DunbartonshireScotland 
Item 45 of 481974Robinson CollegeCambridge CambridgeshireEngland 
Item 46 of 481975Bonar Hall  DundeeScotland 
Item 47 of 481981Glasgow School of Art refectory  GlasgowScotland 
Item 48 of 48Early 1980sCraobh Haven villageCraobh Haven ArgyllScotland 

References

Bibliographic References

The following books contain references to this :
 Author(s)DateTitlePartPublisherNotes
Item 1 of 6Glendinning, Miles1997Rebuilding Scotland: The Postwar Vision, 1945-75  Tuckwell Press Ltdpp32, 86, 116, 119, 132-40, 149-50, 153, 170 Cardross Seminary
p36 BOAC Office
p38-9
p41 Robinson College
p60 Kildrum I
p129 Photgraph of Professor Andrew MacMillan, Isi Metztein and Ian Gow 1990
p129-140
p156 St Paul's, Glenrothes
p170-1 Cumbernauld Original Housing Areas
p172 Kildrum Primary School
p173 St Bride's
Item 2 of 6Miles Glendinning, Diane Watters, David Whitham Docomomo Scotland Leaflet  p226, p229, St Peter's Seminary and Cumbernauld Residential zone images
Item 3 of 6RIBA1954RIBA Kalendar 1953-54   
Item 4 of 6RIBA1970RIBA Directory 1970   
Item 5 of 6Watters, Diane1997Cardross Seminary: Gillespie Kidd and Coia and the architecture of postwar Catholicism RCAHMS 
Item 6 of 6Willis, Peter1977New architecture in Scotland  p7
p11 BOAC Offices, Glasgow
p34-5 Our Lady of Good Council, Glasgow
p36-7 St Margaret's Church, Glasgow
p56-9 St Peter's Seminary

Periodical References

The following periodicals contain references to this :
 Periodical NameDateEditionPublisherNotes
Item 1 of 2RIAS Quarterly2014AutumnRoyal Incorporation of Architects in Scotland (RIAS) 
Item 2 of 2Scotsman19 August 2014  p39

Archive References

The following archives hold material relating to this :
 SourceArchive NameSource Catalogue No.Notes
Item 1 of 1RIAS, Rutland SquareRecords of membership