Dictionary of Irish Architects 1720 - 1940

Architect with the Board of Public Works. John Matthew Fairweather was born in London on 15 February 1882(1) but was of Scottish descent and was educated at the High School, Arbroath, and articled to an Arbroath architect, Robert Scott. He came to Ireland towards the end of 1902 to work as assistant in the office of ANTHONY SCOTT & ANTHONY SCOTT & amp; SONS. Having successfully sat a competitive examination for the post of assistant architect with the Board of Works, he joined the Board's architect's department on 17 February 1910.(2) He spent five years in Mallow, Co. Cork, and Cork City before being transferred to the Board's headquarters in Dublin. In 1923 he was promoted assistant principal architect(3) and in 1939, following the death of THOMAS JOSEPH BYRNE THOMAS JOSEPH BYRNE , principal architect. He retired in 1947.(4) After his retirement he became vice-president and then president of the RIAI. In 1951 he was appointed one of the three assessors in the Dublin Port and Dock Board Competition.(5)

Described as a man 'of considerable reserve in speech and manner',(6) Fairweather died in 1961.  According to the 1911 census he married his Dublin-born wife, Kate, in 1909 or 1910.  He was survived by two sons and two daughters. One of his sons, James Fairweather, was District Officer of Public Works in Sligo until 1983, and one of his daughters, Margaret Ingo, was the first woman to qualify as a surveyor in Ireland.(7)

AAI: elected member, 1919.(8)
RIAI: elected member, 1920;(9) hon. sec. 1936;(10) raised to fellow, 1940,(11) proposed by WILLIAM HENRY HOWARD COOKE WILLIAM HENRY HOWARD COOKE , JAMES HENRY WEBB  JAMES HENRY WEBB and THOMAS FRANCIS STRAHAN THOMAS FRANCIS STRAHAN ;(12) vice-president, 1946,1949;(13) president, 1950,1951.(14)
RIBA: passed preliminary examination to qualify for registration as probationer, June 1904;(15) passed intermediate examination in ninth place, November 1907.(16)

Addresses:(16) Home: 17 Killarney Street, Dublin, 1904;(17) 7 Northumberland Road, 1907;(18) 3 Durham Road, Sandymount,<=1921-1930; Zion Road, Rathgar, 1931-36; 32 Zion Road, Rathgar, 1937 until death.

See WORKS and BIBLIOGRAPHY. BIBLIOGRAPHY.



References

All information in this entry not otherwise accounted for is from the biography of Fairweather in IB 81, 24 Jun 1939, 542, and from the obituary notice in RIAI Year Book (1962), 42. A portrait photograph is in RIAI Year Book (1950), 8.

(1) Jones files, citing Board of Works records.
(2) See note 1, above.
(3) IB 65, 21 Apr 1923, 274.
(4) He appears as principal architect in Thom's Directory for 1947, but in the 1948 directory the position is held by Raymond McGrath.
(5) IB 93, 17 Feb 1951, 178; 95, 9 May 1953, 464; 96, 13 Feb 1954, 161.
(6) IB 91, 26 Nov 1949, 1096.
(7) IB 79, 27 Nov 1937, 1047.
(8) Membership lists in AAI Green Books.
(9) JRIAI (1921), 2.
(10) IB 78, 14 Nov 1936, 1012.
(11) JRIAI (1941), 4.
(12) Jones file, citing RIAI minutes.
(13) RIAI lists of officers.
(14) See note 12 above; also IB 92, 7,21 Jan 1950, 11,60; 93, 3 Mar 1951, 230.
(15) RIBAJ 11 (1903-4), 478.
(16) RIBAJ 15 (1907-8), 110.
(16) From AAI and RIAI lists of members unless otherwise stated.
(17) See note 15, above.
(18) See note 16, above.


14 work entries listed in chronological order for FAIRWEATHER, JOHN MATTHEW


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Building: CO. WATERFORD, WATERFORD, MILITARY BARRACKS
Date: 1927
Nature: Reconstruction.
Refs: IB 91, 26 Nov 1949, 1096.

Building: CO. DUBLIN, DUBLIN, O'CONNELL STREET LOWER, GENERAL POST OFFICE
Date: 1929
Nature: Assists in reinstatement and extensions.
Refs: IB 71, 20 Jul 1929, 663; 91, 26 Nov 1949, 1096.

Building: CO. DUBLIN, DUBLIN, DONNYBROOK, POLICE STATION
Date: 1930-31
Nature: Newclassical, stone faced structure with 7-bay  central block and 3-bay wings. Contractor: G. & T. Crampton.
Refs: Ruth McManus, Crampton Built (Dublin: G. & T. Crampton, 2008),  94,95(illus.)


Building: CO. DUBLIN, DUBLIN, DRUMCONDRA, GARDA STATION
Date: 1933
Nature: Tenders invited for erection of same for Commissioners of Public Works, Aug 1933.
Refs: Irish Times, 31 Aug 1933;  lan and elevation repr. in C. O'Connor & J. O'Regan, eds., Public Works: the architecture of the Office of Public Works 1837-1987 (AAI, 1987), 35; IB 91, 26 Nov 1949, 1096

Building: CO. DUBLIN, DUBLIN, O'CONNELL STREET LOWER, GENERAL POST OFFICE
Date: 1934
Nature: New clock on entrance front, set in deep plinth between ground and first floors. Bronze case 'in a modern rendering of the Graeco-Roman style'.  Clock face has 'chapters and minute divisions in stainless steel on a ring dial of satin-faced glass to facilitate internal illumination at night'.
Refs:  Irish Times, 9 Nov 1934.

Building: CO. DUBLIN, DUBLIN, RATHFARNHAM, POLICE STATION
Date: 1938
Nature: New garda station. With T.J. Byrne.
Refs: IAA, PKS 0044, 0266

Building: CO. DUBLIN, DUBLIN, SANDWITH STREET, POST OFFICE GARAGE
Date: 1939
Nature: -
Refs: AJ 89, 22 Jun 1939, 1084; IB 91, 26 Nov 1949, 1096;  Christine Casey, The Buildings of Ireland: Dublin (2005), 461.


Building: CO. SLIGO, SLIGO, VOLUNTEER HALL
Date: 1939
Nature: Proposed.
Refs: IAA, PKS 0041

Building: CO. TIPPERARY, THURLES, VOLUNTEER HALL
Date: 1939
Nature: Proposed.
Refs: IAA, PKS 0040

Building: CO. DUBLIN, DUBLIN, ANGLESEA STREET, NO. 018-022 (CURRENCY COMMISSION)
Date: 1940-41
Nature: 7-bay, 3 storey building.  Brick with granite rustication on ground floor.  Contractor: G. & T. Crampton.
Refs: Ruth McManus, Crampton Built (Dublin: G. & T. Crampton, 2008), 146-7;  Christine Casey, The Buildings of Ireland: Dublin (2005), 439.
.

Building: CO. GALWAY, TUAM, CHRISTIAN BROTHERS NATIONAL SCHOOLS
Date: 1941
Nature: Design by JMF and W.H. O'Donnell. Tenders invited, Feb 1941.
Refs: IAA, PKS 0220; IB 83, 1 Feb 1941, 66

Building: CO. DUBLIN, DUBLIN, CRUMLIN (NORTH), SCHOOLS
Date: 1943
Nature: With W.H. O'Donnell. Builders: R.Macken, Synge St (girls); T. & J. Macken, Dun Laoghaire (boys).
Refs: IB 85, 18 Dec 1943, 478-83(illus.)

Building: CO. LIMERICK, LIMERICK, MILITARY BARRACKS
Date: ?
Nature: -
Refs: IB 91, 26 Nov 1949, 1096.

Building: CO. GALWAY, GALWAY, RENMORE, MILITARY BARRACKS
Date: ?
Nature: Main portion designed by JMF.
Refs: IB 91, 26 Nov 1949, 1096.

Author Title Date Details
Fairweather, John Matthew [President's inaugural address to RIAI] 1950 IB 92, 18 Feb 1950, 162-3; (also in?) RIAI Year Book (1950), 9.
Fairweather, John Matthew [President's valedictory address to RIAI] 1952 IB 94, 5 Jan 1952, 18.