Leslie Raymond Fairn (June 25, 1875 – August 13, 1971) was a Canadian architect whose career is notable for its longevity and for the range of styles it encompassed, including Beaux Arts and Modernism. Most of his work was completed in the Maritimes.
Biography
editHe was born in Waterville, Nova Scotia, the oldest of three children of W. H. and Laura (Lyons) Fairn. His father was a schoolteacher.[1] He was married twice, first to Bessie Maude (Tupper) Fairn (1880–1918 ) who died of Spanish Influenza[2][3] and second to Ethel Elizabeth (Hutchinson) Fairn (1900–1982).[4] He had two daughters from his first marriage and five children from his second.
He attended Acadia University and later studied architecture in Boston, later apprenticing with Edward Elliot in Halifax.[5] Beginning about 1901, he earned a living as Principal of Drawing and Manual Training at Horton College (Acadia University) in Wolfville. One of his first commissions was the Kings County Courthouse, completed in nearby Kentville in 1903, and in 1904 he moved to Aylesford where he began to practice full-time.[1] He became a charter member of the Royal Architectural Institute of Canada (RAIC) in 1907 and was made a Fellow in 1939.[6][7]: 261 He was also a founder of the Nova Scotia Association of Architects (NSAA).[5]
In 1932 he moved to Wolfville where he continued to practice until his death at the age of 96. Meanwhile, around 1946 he opened an office in Halifax which was managed by his son Laird L. Fairn. This company handled large projects and was known as Leslie R. Fairn & Associates.[7]: 262
His career lasted 65 years, earning him the unofficial title of dean of Nova Scotia architects.[7]: 261 His style ranged from Beaux Arts to Richardsonian Romanesque to Classical Revival and Modernism.[7]: 262 [8]
His brother, Clifford William Fairn, also practiced architecture, partnering with Charles Hay and designing several schools in Calgary between 1911 and 1914.[7]: 197
Notable projects
editNova Scotia
edit
- Kings County Courthouse, now Kings County Museum (1903)[9]
- Digby County Court House (1910)[10]
- West Highlands School, Amherst (1911)[11]
- Annapolis Royal Town Hall Memorial Building (Classic Revival, 1922)[12]
- Administration Building, Acadia University, Wolfville (1924)
- Dominion Public Building, Amherst (Beaux Arts, 1936)[13]
- Eastern Shore Memorial Hospital, Sheet Harbour (1949)
- Halifax Memorial Library (1951)
- Henry Hicks Academic Administration Building, Dalhousie University, Halifax (1951, with E. W. Haldenby)[14]
- Killam Memorial Library, Dalhousie University, Halifax (1971)[15]
New Brunswick
edit- Northumberland County Courthouse (Richardsonian Romanesque, 1913)[16]
- Highfield Street United Baptist Church, Moncton, New Brunswick (English Gothic and Greek, 1923)[17]
Prince Edward Island
edit- Robertson Library, University of Prince Edward Island, Charlottetown (1973, completed posthumously)[18]
References
edit- ^ a b History of Nova Scotia, "Biographical Sketches of Representative Citizens and Genealogical Records of the Old Families", Halifax, A. W. Bowen & Co., 1916
- ^ "Bessie Fairn, 39, Aylesford, 17 Dec. 1918, Annapolis Spectator, 26 December 1918, page 1 (Mrs. Leslie R. Fairn)" from List of Nova Scotians who died during the Influenza Pandemic, Genealogical Association of Nova Scotia
- ^ "The People of Western Kings 1785 to 1901" (genealogy)
- ^ Obituary of Ethel Elizabeth (Hutchinson) Fairn
- ^ a b Grant Wanzel and Karen Kallweit, Fairn, Leslie RaymondCanadian Encyclopedia
- ^ RAIC Fellows as of 2009 Archived 2011-07-25 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ a b c d e Maud Rosinski, Architects of Nova Scotia, Halifax: Province of Nova Scotia Publications, 1994.
- ^ Wayde Brown, "Modernism and Regionalism: Themes in the Work of Leslie Fairn," Journal of the Society for the Study of Architecture in Canada 14/1 [1989], 14-18.
- ^ Kings County Museum, Artefacts Canada Database
- ^ Courthouses of Nova Scotia Archived 2013-10-17 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Canada's Historic Places, West Highlands School, Amherst Nova Scotia
- ^ Canada's Historic Places, Town Hall Memorial Building, Annapolis Royal, Nova Scotia
- ^ Canada's Historic Places, Amherst Dominion Public Building, Amherst Nova Scotia
- ^ The Buildings of Dalhousie University: Henry Hicks Academic Administration Building Archived 2007-12-10 at the Wayback Machine, Dalhousie University
- ^ The Buildings of Dalhousie University: Killam Library Archived 2010-12-16 at the Wayback Machine, Dalhousie University
- ^ Canada's Historic Places, Northumberland County Courthouse, Miramichi City, New Brunswick (New Castle)
- ^ Canada's Historic Places, Highfield Street United Baptist Church, Moncton, New Brunswick
- ^ UPEI, Robertson Library
Further reading
edit- Wayde Brown, "Modernism and Regionalism: Influences on the Work of Leslie Fairn". Mar. 1989 (14:1), p. 14-18.
- Wayde Brown, "Modernism and Regionalism: Themes in the Work of Leslie Fairn," Journal of the Society for the Study of Architecture in Canada 14/1 [1989], 14-18.
