Basic Biographical Details | Name: | Malcolm James Bett | | Designation: | | | Born: | 9 October 1927 | | Died: | | | Bio Notes: | Malcolm James Bett was born in Granby, Quebec on 9 October 1927. On the death of his mother in 1928 he was taken to Dundee where he was brought up by relatives. He was educated at the Morgan Academy from 1932-1944 and studied at Dundee College of Art. During his student years he worked on the survey for the Scottish National Buildings Record and made surveys of some buildings in Fife. Some of his drawings made for the SNBR are in the Shearer & Annand Collection held in RCAHMS but it is not clear if he worked in their office during this period. Mr Bett recalls [2014] that he worked for a St Andrews practice during this period but he is uncertain which one. He was admitted ARIBA in 1949. In 1950 it would appear he was living in rented accommodation at 42 Park Road, Dundee.
He emigrated to Canada in 1952. Initially he had a post in Montreal with Durnford, Bolton, Chadwick Architects as design architect and subsequently partner. He worked on a range of different types of buildings including an air terminal in Newfoundland, buildings for McGill University and Bishops University Lennoxville as well as two library buildings and various schools in Montreal. In 1969 he moved to Ottawa where he formed a partnership with Ted Fancott as Fancott & Bett. He was responsible for the design of Ottawa Little Theatre and of a swimming pool in the city. From 1972 until his retirement in 1998 he was Chief Architect with the Canadian Air Transport Authority and worked on the designs, standards, research and master plans for a number of national and international airport facilities.
. | Private and Business Addresses| The following private or business addresses are associated with this : | | | Address | Type | Date from | Date to | Notes |  | c/o Smeaton/42, Park Road, Dundee, Scotland | Private | 1948 * | After 1950 | | | c/o Roy/6360, De La Roche Street, Montreal , Canada | Private | c. 1953 | | | | 519, Roslyn Avenue, Westmount, Montreal, Canada | Private | c. 1963 | | | | 46, Elgin Street, Ottawa, Canada | Private(?) | 1970 * | | | | 16, Bayswater Place, Ottawa, Canada | Business | 1979 * | | |
* earliest date known from documented sources.
Employment and TrainingEmployers| The following individuals or organisations employed or trained this (click on an item to view details): | | | Name | Date from | Date to | Position | Notes | | James Grant Shearer | Late 1940s | | Apprentice(?) | |
Buildings and Designs| This 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 | | 1955 | Parish Church | Anstruther Wester | | Fife | Scotland | Survey plans of church - perhaps whilst working for Shearer & Annand |
ReferencesBibliographic References| The following books contain references to this : | | | Author(s) | Date | Title | Part | Publisher | Notes | | RIBA | 1948 | The RIBA Kalendar 1948-1949 | | London: Royal Institute of British Architects | | | RIBA | 1954 | RIBA Kalendar 1953-54 | | | | | RIBA | 1964 | The RIBA Kalendar 1963-64 | | | | | RIBA | 1970 | RIBA Directory 1970 | | | |
Archive References| The following archives hold material relating to this : | | | Source | Archive Name | Source Catalogue No. | Notes | | Courtesy of Malcom Bett's niece, Carole Dube, sent May 2014. | Information via website | | | | Courtesy of Mr M Bett | Information sent to Dictionary | | Sent May 2014 | | National Archives (via Scotlands People) | Statutory births | | |
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