Basic Biographical Details Name: | Thomas Smith, Gibb & Pate | Designation: | | Born: | 1970s | Died: | 1983 | Bio Notes: | The practice of Thomas Smith, Gibb & Pate was founded by Thomas Smith senior in 1887 with an office in Coatbridge. His son Thomas Nimmo Smith, born 1906, joined the practice as an apprentice c. 1922, becoming first assistant and then partner.
The practice remained open during World War II mainly for the collection of rents and repairs to the Smiths tenanted properties in Dunbeth Avenue and other maintenance work. Thomas Smith senior died in 1941 and his son did not return to the practice until late 1945, having served as a commissioned officer with the Royal Artillery and the Royal Engineers. Because of building licensing business was at a modest level for the next ten years with Robert Aitchison as senior assistant. When normal practice again became possible Smith recruited Robert Hugh Gibb to open an office in Greenock where there were already good connections through the Trades Hotel and other projects. This proved successful, the Marquess of Bute becoming an important client, and Gibb was joined by James Guy Lindsay Pate whose clients were mainly in Cowal where he had his office. Initially they were associates, but they were subsequently taken into partnership, the practice title becoming Thomas Smith, Gibb & Pate. From 1964 to 1972 the practice was consulting architects for Dunoon Burgh including Ardenslate Developments.
As he had no prospect of a partnership Robert Aitchison left the Coatbridge office about 1960 to set up his own practice. The Coatbridge office was now staffed by Charles William Vallance Thom, the son of a provost of Coatbridge, and a little later by Thomas Smith junior who returned to the office after a period gaining experience with Whitehorn & Brown in Edinburgh. Coatbridge Town Council was an important client with major high-rise housing projects, but a growing industrial practice, particularly in distilleries, resulted in the opening of a Glasgow office. Initially Charles Thom was in charge, dividing his time between Coatbridge and Glasgow, but in 1967 William McDonald was recruited for it and quickly became the driving force behind it; its business was mainly industrial and included a large printing machinery factory for Victor Kidder in Birkenhead. Initially McDonald was an associate, becoming a partner in 1975.
In 1979 Thomas Smith junior established an Edinburgh office in York Place as a more convenient base for the Territorial Army and housing association work for Kirkcare and Bield which was by then the main business of the Coatbridge office. By that date his father was semi-retired and business in the Greenock office was beginning to decline, partly as a result of changes in client firms, and partly because of Gibb’s failing health, Thomas Smith junior spending much of his time in the Greenock office to help out and regain clients in the mid to late 1970s. The final retirement of Thomas Nimmo Smith and the continuing decline of Gibb’s health brought about the dissolution of the partnership in 1983. Gibb retained the Greenock office which soon closed; Pate the Dunoon office and McDonald the Glasgow office, all three running these practices in their name only. Thomas Smith junior retained the Edinburgh office which has survived all the others as Smith Scott Mullan Associates currently (2012) based at 378 Leith Walk.
| Private and Business AddressesThe following private or business addresses are associated with this : | | Address | Type | Date from | Date to | Notes | | 3, Church Street, Coatbridge, Lanarkshire, Scotland | Business | 1964 * | | | | Woodbine Cottage, Archallow, Argyll, Scotland | Business | Before 1964 | After 1970 | | | 31, Church Street, Coatbridge, Lanarkshire, Scotland | Business | 1970 * | After 1980 | | | 65, York Place, Edinburgh, Scotland | Business | Before 1975 | After 1981 | Branch office | | 20, Royal Crescent, Glasgow, Scotland | Business | Before 1975 * | After 1981 | | | 32, Ardgowan Square, Greenock, Renfrewshire, Scotland | Business | Before 1975 * | After 1981 | | | 160, Argyll Street, Dunoon, Argyll, Scotland | Business | 1980 * | | |
* earliest date known from documented sources.
Employment and TrainingEmployees or Pupils* earliest date known from documented sources.
Buildings and Designs
ReferencesBibliographic ReferencesThe following books contain references to this : | | Author(s) | Date | Title | Part | Publisher | Notes | | Municipal Annual | 1964 | Scottish Municipal Annual | 1964-1965 | | | | RIBA | 1970 | RIBA Directory 1970 | | | | | RIBA | 1975 | RIBA Directory of practices | | | | | RIBA | 1981 | Directory of Practices 1981 | | | |
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