John Smith Murdoch
| J.S. Murdoch – Architect | |
|---|---|
| Born | 29 September 1862 Cassieford Farm, Forres, Scotland |
| Died | 21 May 1945 Brighton, Melbourne, Australia |
| Occupation | Architect |
John Smith Murdoch CMG (29 September 1862 – 21 May 1945) was the chief architect for the Commonwealth of Australia from 1919, responsible for designing many government buildings, most notably the Provisional Parliament House in Canberra, the home of the Parliament of Australia from 1927 to 1988.
John Smith Murdoch was born in Cassieford Farm, Forres, Scotland.
He had a "dry and quiet" personality and was frugal in both his professional and private life. Murdoch never married, and there are only two official known photographs of him.
Murdoch was a member of the Masonic order and it is claimed that he incorporated many masonic motifs into his designs.
He died in Brighton, Melbourne.
Murdoch was educated at the Parish school at Rafford and at Forres Academy and received his architectural training in Scotland. He was articled to the architectural firm Matthews and Mackenzie in 1878. After completing his articles in 1883 he became assistant in the office of Alexander Ross in Inverness before moving to Glasgow to work for Campbell Douglas & Sellars and then for the Glasgow South Western Railway Engineers' Department. In 1884 Murdoch emigrated with his parents to Melbourne in response to the severe depression of the 1880s.
In Melbourne, Murdoch was briefly employed by the architectural firm Reed, Henderson and Smart before being appointed as a draftsman in the Queensland Department of Public Works in 1885. While working for the Public Works Department, Murdoch is said to have designed the Sandgate Post Office (1887) before being retrenched on 30 June 1887 due to a downturn in public works.
Murdoch then joined the firm John Hall and Son where he was employed until 1893. While working for John Hall and Son, it is claimed that Murdoch designed the South Brisbane Municipal Chambers (1890–1892), Gladstone Place and several South Brisbane hotels, including Broadway Hotel (1889–90) and Burke's Hotel (1890).
...
Wikipedia