Basic Biographical Details

Name: John McKissack
Designation: Architect
Born: c. 1844
Died: 27 August 1915
Bio Notes: John McKissack was born c.1844, the son of James McKissack, mechanical engineer and Janet McGhie from Girvan. He was educated at St Enoch's School but no further details are known of his training.

In 1872 McKissack formed a partnership with William Gardner Rowan who was two years his junior and had trained as both architect and civil engineer with George Penrose Kennedy and James Fairie Blair. Two years later, on 9 July 1874 at 158 Hospital Street, Gorbals, McKissack married Helen Ronald, daughter of Alexander Ronald, master baker and Marion Black. Rowan was a witness at the wedding. They had five children: two sons James (born 1875) and Alex (born c.1877) were born in Glasgow, and a further son John (born c.1880) and two daughters Helen (born c.1883) and Mary (born c.1886) were born in Govan.

After the formation of the partnership, Rowan did most of the design work. In 1889 McKissack took his son James into the McKissack & Rowan practice as an apprentice.

Rowan had little taste for the 'shoddy' tenement side of McKissack's practice and early in 1890 the partnership was amicably dissolved. McKissack continued practice, taking his son into partnership in 1900 as John McKissack & Son.

The elder McKissack never sought admission to the RIBA. About 1912 he had a major operation and withdrew from the practice. He died on 27 August 1915 at 9 St Andrews Drive, Pollokshields leaving moveable estate of £813 15s. He was survived by his second wife Jessie Ferguson Tyre, daughter of the landscape painter John Tyre, whom he had married on 22 June 1894 at 4 Florence Place, and all five of his children. His son James continued the practice under the same name thereafter, specialising almost exclusively in cinema work.

Private and Business Addresses

The following private or business addresses are associated with this architect:
 AddressTypeDate fromDate toNotes
Item 1 of 9118, Ardgowan Street, Glasgow, ScotlandPrivate1874  
Item 2 of 9175 (or 176), St Vincent Street, Glasgow, ScotlandBusinessBefore 1875After 1880 
Item 3 of 9Govan, Glasgow, ScotlandPrivateBefore 1881After 1886 
Item 4 of 970, Forth Street, Pollokshields, Gkasgow, ScotlandPrivate1888  
Item 5 of 9234, West George Street, Glasgow, ScotlandBusiness1888 *1889 
Item 6 of 979, South Portland Street, Glasgow, ScotlandPrivate1891  
Item 7 of 968, West Regent Street, Glasgow, ScotlandBusinessBefore 18931915 
Item 8 of 9344, St Vincent Street, Glasgow, ScotlandPrivate1894  
Item 9 of 965, Renfield Street, Glasgow, ScotlandBusiness(?)Before 19231912 

* earliest date known from documented sources.

Employment and Training

Employers

The following individuals or organisations employed or trained this architect (click on an item to view details):
 NameDate fromDate toPositionNotes
Item 1 of 2McKissack & Rowan1872Early 1890Partner 
Item 2 of 2John McKissack & Son1900c. 1912Partner 

Employees or Pupils

The following individuals were employed or trained by this architect (click on an item to view details):
 NameDate fromDate toPositionNotes
Item 1 of 3James McKissackEarly 1890c. 1894Apprentice 
Item 2 of 3William Cowiec. 1893c. 1893  
Item 3 of 3James McKissackc. 18941900Assistant 

Buildings and Designs

This architect 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 65After 1872Brockley Presbyterian ChurchLewisham LondonEngland 
Item 2 of 651874Paisley Road Free ChurchKinning Park GlasgowScotland 
Item 3 of 651874Tenements, Douglas Street and Walker Street  GlasgowScotland 
Item 4 of 651874Whiteinch Free ChurchWhiteinch GlasgowScotland 
Item 5 of 651878Bridgeton Free ChurchBridgeton GlasgowScotland 
Item 6 of 651878Pollokshields Free ChurchPollokshields GlasgowScotland 
Item 7 of 651878Tenement, East Clyde StreetHelensburgh DunbartonshireScotland 
Item 8 of 651879Church at FairlieFairlie AyrshireScotland 
Item 9 of 65c. 1880(?)Tenements, Findlay StreetDennistoun GlasgowScotland 
Item 10 of 651881Business Premises, 252-256 Paisley Road West and 2-6 Harvie StreetPlantation GlasgowScotland 
Item 11 of 651881Tenements, Herriet StreetPollokshields GlasgowScotland 
Item 12 of 651882Finnart UP ChurchGreenock RenfrewshireScotlandWon competition to secure job
Item 13 of 651882Girvan Parish ChurchGirvan AyrshireScotland 
Item 14 of 651882Livingstone Memorial ChurchBlantyre LanarkshireScotland 
Item 15 of 651882Mure Memorial ChurchBaillieston GlasgowScotland 
Item 16 of 651882Renfrew Free ChurchRenfrew RenfrewshireScotland 
Item 17 of 651882St John's Wesleyan Methodist Church  GlasgowScotlandWon competition to secure job
Item 18 of 651882Zetland Free ChurchGrangemouth StirlingshireScotland 
Item 19 of 651883Bo'ness UP Church and hallBo'ness / Borrowstouness West LothianScotland 
Item 20 of 651883Greenbank Church and hallClarkston/Busby Glasgow/LanarkshireScotland 
Item 21 of 651883Independent ChurchGirvan AyrshireScotland 
Item 22 of 651884Ladhope Free ChurchGalashiels SelkirkshireScotland 
Item 23 of 651885Bo'ness Liberal ClubBo'ness / Borrowstouness West LothianScotland 
Item 24 of 651885Dunoon District Cottage HospitalDunoon ArgyllScotland 
Item 25 of 651885Scone UP ChurchNew Scone PerthshireScotland 
Item 26 of 651885Tarbert Parish ChurchTarbert ArgyllScotland 
Item 27 of 65c. 1885Cambuslang West Parish ChurchCambuslang LanarkshireScotland 
Item 28 of 651886Queen's Park Baptist Church  GlasgowScotland 
Item 29 of 651886Strathbungo Parish ChurchStrathbungo GlasgowScotlandDemolished and rebuilt
Item 30 of 651886Victoria Bread and Biscuit Works  GlasgowScotlandOriginal building
Item 31 of 651887McKechnie InstituteGirvan AyrshireScotland'Buildings of Scotland' state this is by McKissack.
Item 32 of 651887St Martin's Episcopal ChurchPolmadie GlasgowScotland 
Item 33 of 651887Tenements, Duke Street and East Miller Street  GlasgowScotland 
Item 34 of 651888Greenhead Sawmills  GlasgowScotlandComplete rebuilding
Item 35 of 651888Wireworks for W Riddell & Co  GlasgowScotland 
Item 36 of 651888Wynd Church Manse  GlasgowScotland 
Item 37 of 651889Boden Street Factory  GlasgowScotlandAddition
Item 38 of 651889Wynd Church, Dr Still Medical Mission  GlasgowScotland 
Item 39 of 65After 1889Established churchBridgeton GlasgowScotlandWith James as assistant
Item 40 of 651893Two warehouses, King Street  GlasgowScotland 
Item 41 of 651894Eastbank Academy  GlasgowScotland 
Item 42 of 651898City Improvement Trust warehouse  GlasgowScotlandWon competition (£100 premium) and secured job
Item 43 of 651898Workshop for Neilson, Davie & Co  GlasgowScotland 
Item 44 of 65c. 1898Dunoon Sheriff Court and County BuildingsDunoon ArgyllScotlandWon competition and secured job
Item 45 of 651899RedhurstDunoon ArgyllScotland 
Item 46 of 651900Muslin Factory  GlasgowScotland 
Item 47 of 651900Restaurant and tea roomsLargs AyrshireScotland 
Item 48 of 65After 1900Clydebank West UF ChurchClydebank DunbartonshireScotland 
Item 49 of 65After 1900Shop, Kilmarnock Road  GlasgowScotland 
Item 50 of 65After 1900Warehouse and officesBridgeton GlasgowScotland 
Item 51 of 65c. 1900London Road UF Church hall  GlasgowScotland 
Item 52 of 651902City Improvement Trust warehouse  GlasgowScotland 
Item 53 of 651903LangavatKilmacolm/Kilmalcolm RenfrewshireScotland 
Item 54 of 651903Strathclyde Public School  GlasgowScotland 
Item 55 of 6519044th VBSR Headquarters  GlasgowScotland 
Item 56 of 651905(?)Eastern Co-operative Drapery BuildingParkhead GlasgowScotland 
Item 57 of 651906Boden Street Factory  GlasgowScotlandAddition
Item 58 of 651907Boden Street Factory  GlasgowScotlandBlock on the corner of Nuneaton Street
Item 59 of 651908Dunoon District Cottage HospitalDunoon ArgyllScotlandNew hospital
Item 60 of 651908Sawmill for A Bowie & Co  GlasgowScotland 
Item 61 of 651909Parkhead Congregtional Church HallsTollcross GlasgowScotland 
Item 62 of 65c. 1912Electricity Substation  GlasgowScotland 
Item 63 of 65Before 1914SCWS buildingsShettleston GlasgowScotland 
Item 64 of 65Before 1914SCWS buildingsBarrhead RenfrewshireScotland 
Item 65 of 65Before 1914Wellshot Road School  GlasgowScotlandAdditional block on Altyre Street

References

Bibliographic References

The following books contain references to this architect:
 Author(s)DateTitlePartPublisherNotes
Item 1 of 2British Architectural Library, RIBA2001Directory of British Architects 1834-1914   
Item 2 of 2Peter, Bruce1999Scotland's Splendid Theatres: Architecture and Social History from the Reformation to the Present Day Edinburgh: Polygon (an imprint of Edinburgh University Press Ltd) 

Periodical References

The following periodicals contain references to this architect:
 Periodical NameDateEditionPublisherNotes
Item 1 of 3Builder3 September 1915v108 p174 - obituary
Item 2 of 3Building Industries16 September 1915  Obituary with portrait
Item 3 of 3Glasgow Herald30 August 1915  Obituary

Archive References

The following archives hold material relating to this architect:
 SourceArchive NameSource Catalogue No.Notes
Item 1 of 1Professor David M Walker personal archiveProfessor David M Walker, notes and collection of archive material Research by Iain Paterson

Images

© All rights reserved. Building Industries 16 September 1915 p89 (Who 

© All rights reserved. Building Industries 16 September 1915 p89 (Who's who)(Courtesy of Iain Paterson)