Larger versions of these images are located at the foot of the page. Basic Biographical Details Name: | Alexander McInnes Gardner | Designation: | Architect | Born: | 21 September 1878 | Died: | 11 August 1934 | Bio Notes: | Alexander McInnes Gardner was born at New Kilpatrick on 21 September 1878, the son of Robert Gardner, bleach work warehouseman, and his wife Jane McInnes. He was articled to A Lindsay Miller of Glasgow in 1893, attending classes at Glasgow School of Art and winning a number of prizes and medals. In 1898 he left Lindsay Miller to work with Malcolm Stark in the Glasgow office of Stark & Rowntree as an assistant. The following year Gardner moved to the office of James Miller. After two years there he re-joined Fred Rowntree in London, and after a further two years he returned to work again for James Miller in Glasgow. He commenced practice on his own account in 1905 at 144 St Vincent Street, Glasgow, in partnership with Thomas Andrew Millar, a fellow draughtsman in James Miller's office. Gardner spent two months studying in Italy in autumn 1910 and was admitted LRIBA in the mass intake of 20 July 1911, proposed by John Bennie Wilson and the Glasgow Institute of Architects. In addition to their known works, Millar's nomination papers mention 'a considerabal [sic] amount of remodelling of commercial property in Glasgow'.
The partnership of Gardner & Millar was dissolved in 1912. Gardner then entered into a partnership with Robert Whyte; this appears to have lasted barely more than a year (1913-14). In 1912 Gardner had designed the Clydebank Public Library, won in competition, and about this time became associated in ship work with George A Crawley of London. He had already had considerable experience in ship work in James Miller's office, having designed the interiors of the Lusitania immediately before leaving. In McInnes Gardner's records most of the ships are referred to by their job numbers and not their names. He worked chiefly for Fairfield, Denny, Hawthorn-Leslie and Workman, Clark and Co. His RIASQ obituary mentions, in addition to the ships listed below, the Northern Prince, the Western Prince, the Eastern Prince, and the Queen of Bermuda, and many CPR ships, including, according to the Glasgow Herald obituary, the Empress of Britain. During the war he served in the RFA, attaining the rank of major, and on his return formed a partnership with Crawley, which was terminated by the latter's death, after which he worked alone.
Gardner was a member of council of both the Glasgow Institute of Architects and the Royal Incorporation of Architects in Scotland. He also represented the Institution of Engineers and Shipbuilders in Scotland on the Board of Governors at Glasgow School of Art and was a member of the Scottish Committee of the Board of Trade Council for Art and Industry.
McInnes Gardner died unmarried at 3 Woodside Terrace, Glasgow on 11 August 1934, leaving moveable estate of £15,864 18s 3d. Electricity House now best preserves his name, a classical-modern design much admired at the time. The practice continued under the title of McInnes Gardner Architects after his death. | Private and Business AddressesThe following private or business addresses are associated with this architect: | | Address | Type | Date from | Date to | Notes |  | 7, Stonebyres Terrace, Partick, Glasgow, Scotland | Private | 1894 * | | |  | 7, Laurence Street, Partick, Glasgow, Scotland | Private | 1895 * | | |  | 3, Albion Crescent, Dowanhill, Glasgow, Scotland | Private | Before 1904 | After 1905 | |  | 144, St Vincent Street, Glasgow, Scotland | Business | 1905 | After 1914 | |  | 17, Kersland Terrace, Glasgow, Scotland | Private | Before 1909 | After 1911 | |  | 8, Sardinia Terrace, Hillhead, Glasgow, Scotland | Private | Before 1914 | After 1920 | |  | 202, Hope Street, Glasgow, Scotland | Business | Before 1925 | 1931 | Still appears at this address in 1931 Kalendar |  | 237, West George Street, Glasgow, Scotland | Business | After 1928 * | 1934 | |  | 11 (or 12)?, Southpark Avenue, Glasgow, Scotland | Private | 1934 * | | |
* earliest date known from documented sources.
Employment and TrainingEmployersEmployees or Pupils
RIBARIBA ProposersThe following individuals proposed this architect for RIBA membership (click on an item to view details): | | Name | Date proposed | Notes |  | John Bennie Wilson | 20 July 1911 | for Licentiateship - as President of the Glasgow Institute of Architects |
Buildings and DesignsThis architect 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 |  | 1896 | Cemetery | Kilmacolm | | Renfrewshire | Scotland | Layout etc |  | Late 1800s | Sea Mill | Seamill | | Ayrshire | Scotland | Possibly villas by this practice |  | 1900 | Glasgow International Exhibition of 1901 | Kelvingrove | | Glasgow | Scotland | As assistant to James Miller |  | 1903 | Turnberry Hotel and Railway Station | Turnberry | | Ayrshire | Scotland | As assistant to James Miller |  | 1904 | Design for a Royal Memorial Chapel | | | | | |  | 1905 | McGilvray's Buildings | Oban | | Argyll | Scotland | |  | 1905 | Palace Hotel | Oban | | Argyll | Scotland | |  | 1905(?) | SS Lusitania, ship interior | | | | | In Miller's name; Gardner was the assistant responsible, working with Robert Whyte and John Brown, in-house architect; NB Gardner had left Miller's office by 1905 |  | 1905 | Tenement, 18 Battery Place | Rothesay | Bute | Bute | Scotland | |  | 1905 | Woodlands House | Symington | | Lanarkshire | Scotland | |  | c. 1905 | Birkwood | Symington | | Lanarkshire | Scotland | Attribution on grounds of stylistic similarity to Woodlands, Symington. |  | c. 1905 | Carlton | Symington | | Lanarkshire | Scotland | Attribution on stylistic grounds - by comparison with Woodlands. |  | 1906 | House at Jaegersfontein | | | Jaegersfontein/Jagersfontein | South Africa | Design exhibited |  | 1906 | Lochgreen | Southwood, Troon | | Ayrshire | Scotland | Executed house |  | 1906 | Tea House, 144 St Vincent Street | | | Glasgow | Scotland | |  | 1907 | House for Neil A L McEachran | Thorntonhall | | Lanarkshire | Scotland | |  | 1907 | Scottish National Exhibition, 1908 | Saughton | | Edinburgh | Scotland | Competition design - unsuccessful |  | 1910 | The Meadow, Seamill | West Kilbride | | Ayrshire | Scotland | Additions |  | 1910 | UF Manse | Wick | | Caithness | Scotland | |  | 1912 | Auchengower | Cove | | Argyll | Scotland | Alterations and additions |  | 1912 | Clydebank Public Library | Clydebank | | Dunbartonshire | Scotland | Won competition to secure job |  | c. 1912(?) | Unspecified country house and garden | | | | | Design exhibited in 1913 but under the name of Gardner & Millar, the practice having been dissolved the previous year |  | 1913 | Clydebank Public Library | Clydebank | | Dunbartonshire | Scotland | Executed job with Robert Whyte |  | 1915 | Interiors for un-named vessel for the US Company of New Zealand | | | | | |  | 1922 | BB Cinerama No 2 | | | Glasgow | Scotland | In conjunction with Campbell Reid & Wingate |  | 1923 | Golf Clubhouse, Old Course, Ranfurly | Bridge of Weir | | Renfrewshire | Scotland | Alterations |  | 1923 | RMS Aorangi, Ship Interior | | | | | |  | 1924 | Golf Clubhouse | Windyhill/Bearsden | | Dunbartonshire/Glasgow | Scotland | |  | 1924 | Letitia, Ship Interior | | | | | |  | 1925 | Ship No 1173, Interior | | | | | |  | 1925 | Transylvannia, Ship Interior | | | | | |  | 1927 | House for G I Innes | Killearn | | Stirlingshire | Scotland | |  | 1927 | Monarch of Bermuda, Ship Interior | | | | | |  | 1927 | Premises for the General Electric Co | | | Glasgow | Scotland | Reconstruction of building as showrooms and offices |  | 1928 | Alexandra Hotel | Oban | | Argyll | Scotland | Alterations |  | 1928 | Scottish Legal Life Assurance Society Office | | | Glasgow | Scotland | Competition design exhibited (unsuccessful) |  | 1929 | Kimberley House | Oban | | Argyll | Scotland | Alterations and additions |  | 1931 | Bungalow for J Muirhead | Greenock | | Renfrewshire | Scotland | |  | 1932 | Alexandra Hotel | Oban | | Argyll | Scotland | Alterations and additions |  | 1932 | Caledonian Baking Co | | | Glasgow | Scotland | |  | 1932 | House for W L Kerr | Greenock | | Renfrewshire | Scotland | |  | Before 1934 | TSS Strathmore, interiors | | | | | Date of designs unknown; exhibited in 1935, Gardner having died in 1934 |  | c. 1934 | Gas Department Showrooms | Charing Cross | | Glasgow | Scotland | |
ReferencesBibliographic ReferencesThe following books contain references to this architect: | | Author(s) | Date | Title | Part | Publisher | Notes |  | British Architectural Library, RIBA | 2001 | Directory of British Architects 1834-1914 | | | |  | Johnston, W T | 2003 | Artists of Scotland | | Officina Publications CDROM | |  | RIBA | 1930 | The RIBA Kalendar 1930-1931 | | London: Royal Institute of British Architects | |  | Who's Who in Architecture | 1914 | | | | |
Periodical ReferencesThe following periodicals contain references to this architect: | | Periodical Name | Date | Edition | Publisher | Notes |  | Builder | 17 August 1934 | v147 | | p272 |  | Glasgow Herald | 13 August 1934 | | | Obituary |  | RIAS Quarterly | 1934 | 47 | Royal Incorporation of Architects in Scotland (RIAS) | |
Archive ReferencesThe following archives hold material relating to this architect: | | Source | Archive Name | Source Catalogue No. | Notes |  | National Monuments Record of Scotland/NMRS, RCAHMS | Emerson Collection (or Elmerson?) | | Self Portrait on card sent to T A Millar, XSD/246/1 |  | Professor David M Walker personal archive | Professor David M Walker, notes and collection of archive material | | Dated information supplied from his office records by Alex Graham Glen, formerly of his office, per Alfred G Lochhead's draft, 1960 |  | RIBA Archive, Victoria & Albert Museum | RIBA Nomination Papers | | L v17 no1281 |
Images © All rights reserved. Bookplate of Alexander McInnes Gardner (Courtesy of Thomas Mann, sent July 2013 Bookplate designed by Allan Douglas (Hunterian Art Gallery). |