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 He was born in Waterville, Nova Scotia, the oldest of three children of W. H. and Laura (Lyons) Fairn. His father was a schoolteacher.History of Nova Scotia, "Biographical Sketches of Representative Citizens and Genealogical Records of the Old Families", Halifax, A. W. Bowen & Co., 1916 He was married twice, first to Bessie Maude (Tupper) Fairn (1880–1918 ) who died of Spanish Influenza"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) and second to Ethel Elizabeth (Hutchinson) Fairn (1900–1982).Obituary of Ethel Elizabeth (Hutchinson) Fairn 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.Grant Wanzel and Karen Kallweit, Canadian Encyclopedia 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. He became a charter member of the Royal Architectural Institute of Canada (RAIC) in 1907 and was made a Fellow in 1939.RAIC Fellows as of 2009 He was also a founder of the Nova Scotia Association of Architects (NSAA).
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.
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.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 , 14-18.
His brother, Clifford William Fairn, also practiced architecture, partnering with Charles Hay and designing several schools in Calgary between 1911 and 1914.Maud Rosinski, Architects of Nova Scotia, Halifax: Province of Nova Scotia Publications, 1994.
Notable projects
Nova Scotia
Kings County Courthouse, now Kings County Museum (1903) Kings County Museum, Artefacts Canada Database Digby County Court House (1910)Courthouses of Nova Scotia West Highlands School, Amherst (1911)Canada's Historic Places, West Highlands School, Amherst Nova Scotia Annapolis Royal Town Hall Memorial Building (Classic Revival, 1922)Canada's Historic Places, Town Hall Memorial Building, Annapolis Royal, Nova Scotia Administration Building, Acadia University, Wolfville (1924) Dominion Public Building, Amherst (Beaux Arts, 1936)Canada's Historic Places, Amherst Dominion Public Building, Amherst Nova Scotia Eastern Shore Memorial Hospital, Sheet Harbour (1949) Halifax Memorial Library (1951) Henry Hicks Academic Administration Building, Dalhousie University, Halifax (1951, with E. W. Haldenby)The Buildings of Dalhousie University: Henry Hicks Academic Administration Building , Dalhousie University Killam Memorial Library, Dalhousie University, Halifax (1971)The Buildings of Dalhousie University: Killam Library , Dalhousie University
New Brunswick
Northumberland County Courthouse (Richardsonian Romanesque, 1913)Canada's Historic Places, Northumberland County Courthouse, Miramichi City, New Brunswick (New Castle) Highfield Street United Baptist Church, Moncton, New Brunswick (English Gothic and Greek, 1923)Canada's Historic Places, Highfield Street United Baptist Church, Moncton, New Brunswick
Prince Edward Island Robertson Library, University of Prince Edward Island, Charlottetown (1973, completed posthumously)UPEI, Robertson Library
References
Further reading 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 , 14-18.