James Austen Laird

James Austen Laird LRIBA was an architect based in Glasgow.

Background

He was born in Glasgow, the son of John Laird and Martha Barr on 7 September 1904 he married Agnes Risk Thomson and they had four children:

John McClelland Laird
Mary Risk Laird
Muriel Martha Barr Laird
Agnes Austen Laird

In 1919 he married Janet Hamilton Thomson, older sister of his deceased wife. He died on 14 February 1950 in Croydon and left an estate valued at £35,486.

Career

He was articled to Macwhannell & Rogerson from 1894 to 1898 and then acted as assistant to John James Burnet from 1899 to 1901. He started independent practice in 1901 and worked in partnership with J.W. Laird and James Napier.
He was awarded a Licentiate of the Royal Institute of British Architects in 1911.
He is best known for Carlung House at West Kilbridge, which he designed for his uncle Robert Barr, Balmore School in Possilpark, and the Keil Hotel, Southend, Kintyre

Works

Empress Cinema, 557 Govan Street, Gorbals, Glasgow 1912
Greystones, Houston Road, Kilmacolm 1913
Balmore Public School, 165 Glenhead Street, Glasgow 1929
Carlung House, West Kilbride, Ayrshire 1930
Keil Hotel, Southend, Kintyre 1937 – 1939