Leslie Raymond Fairn

Background

He was born in Waterville, Nova Scotia, the oldest of three children of W. H. and Laura (Lyons) Fairn. His father was a schoolteacher.

Education

Most of his work was completed in the Canadian Maritimes. He attended Acadia University and later studied architecture in Boston, later apprenticing with Edward Elliot in Halifax. 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.

Career

Beginning about 1901, he earned a living as Principal of Drawing and Manual Training at Horton College (Acadia University) in Wolfville. In 1932 he moved to Wolfville where he continued to practice until his death at the age of 96. This company handled large projects and was known as Leslie R. Fairn & Associates.

His career lasted 65 years, earning him the unofficial title of dean of Nova Scotia architects.

His style ranged from Beaux Arts to Richardsonian Romanesque to Classical Revival and Modernism. Nova Scotia

Kings County Courthouse, now Kings County Museum (1903)

Digby County Court House (1910)

West Highlands School, Amherst (1911)

Administration Building, Acadia University, Wolfville (1924)

Dominion Public Building, Amherst (Beaux Arts, 1936)

Annapolis Royal Town Hall Memorial Building (Classic Revival, 1922)

Halifax Public Library (1951)

Henry Hicks Academic Administration Building, Dalhousie University, Halifax (1951, with East West Haldenby)

Killam Memorial Library, Dalhousie University, Halifax (1971)

New Brunswick

Northumberland County Courthouse (Richardsonian Romanesque, 1913)

Prince Edward Island

Robertson Library, University of Prince Edward Island, Charlottetown (1973, completed posthumously).

Achievements

• He was also a founder of the Nova Scotia Association of Architects (NSAA).

Membership

He became a charter member of the Royal Architectural Institute of Canada (RAIC) in 1907 and was made a Fellow in 1939.