Basic Biographical Details Name: | Alexander Law | Designation: | | Born: | 18 September 1874 | Died: | 1956 | Bio Notes: | Alexander Law was born in Edinburgh on 18 September 1874, the son of Henry Law, joiner and his wife Elizabeth Brown Law. He was presumably apprenticed to his father as a joiner but he took Jerdan's course at Heriot Watt College. Thereafter he obtained what was described as a good job but whether in an architect's office or with a builder in unclear. In the 1890s he seems to have been working in independent practice from 20 George Street, Edinburgh. He married Gwendolyn Millwood of Rhyll, Wales in 1902 and emigrated to Toronto in 1905, moving to Vancouver in 1907. While there he saw the opportunity for development at Burrard Inlet, North Vancouver and started building speculatively, partly financed by the leading Edinburgh art dealer, P McOrnish Dott. He was joined by his brother Robert as construction manager, in the following year, and in 1913 they built a large apartment block, the Law Building, on East 3rd Street for Vancouver Properties Ltd.
During the First World War Law worked for the Foundation Building Company which had properties in San Pedro, California. This caused Law to relocate his practice to California in 1920: he practised there until the financial crash of 1929 when he bought an apple orchard in Oak Glen, dying there in 1956. | Private and Business AddressesThe following private or business addresses are associated with this : | | Address | Type | Date from | Date to | Notes | | 20, George Street, Edinburgh, Scotland | Business | After 1896 | c. 1905 | | | 28, Mardale Crescent, Edinburgh, Scotland | Business | c. 1899 | c. 1905 | | | Toronto, Canada | Business | 1905 | | | | Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada | Business | 1907 | | | | San Pedro, California, United States of America | Business | 1920 | | | | Oak Glen, California, United States of America | Business | 1929 | | |
Employment and TrainingEmployees or PupilsThe following individuals were employed or trained by this (click on an item to view details): | | Name | Date from | Date to | Position | Notes | | James Macrae | c. 1900(?) | Before 1904 | Assistant | |
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 | | 1905 | Villa for Alexander Law | Colinton | | Edinburgh | Scotland | |
ReferencesBibliographic ReferencesThe following books contain references to this : | | Author(s) | Date | Title | Part | Publisher | Notes | | Luxton, Donald (ed.) | 2003 | Building the West: the early architects of British Columbia | | Vancouver: Talon Books | | | Post Office Directories | | | | | |
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