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ALEXANDER, George Murray

Born: 1851 10 25
Died: 1904 05 19

Architect


FRIBA 1886

Practised in Cape Town from about 1893 until his death. Alexander was born in Georgetown, Edinburgh, Scotland. He was the son of George Alexander, an architect and builder of Edinburgh and was educated and married in the same city. He was articled to his father from 1868 to 1872 and then apprenticed for a year from February 1873 until February 1874 to J & GH Geddes, Engineers of Edinburgh, as a premiated pupil. On completion of his training he worked briefly for Scotts Iron Company after which he travelled in America and Canada. From May 1874 to February 1877 he notes that he was 'architect for the largest building contractors in Toronto', as yet unidentified (possibly the contractor for whom FJ ALEXANDER worked? Were they related?) He returned to Edinburgh in 1877 practising on his own account until he left for South Africa in 1879 with his wife Louisa Hatch, setting up practice in Cape Town the same year. He executed a number of buildings, including the Malmesbury Town Hall, before winning the limited competition for the Cape Town Opera House in 1893? He was one of three architects invited to participate in this competition, the other two were Charles FREEMAN and George RANSOME.

Alexander was a founder member of the Engineering and Architectural Association of South Africa in 1884, of the South African Society of Architects in 1899 and of the Cape Institute of Architects in 1902. He died at his home The Jettys, Muizenberg.

There is also a listing of this practitioner in the Dictionary of Scottish Architects.

(Die Burger 9 Jun 1984:9; Rennie 1978a; Rennie 1978b; Rennie 1983; FRIBA nom papers (1886); The Argus 16 Jun 1984:8)

This entry has been updated from information sent to us by Michael Krohn, Great-Grandson of GM ALEXANDER.

All truncated references not fully cited in 'References' are those of Joanna Walker's original text and cited in full in the 'Bibliography' entry of the Lexicon.

List of projects

With photographs
With notes
* Indicates buildings on the
Pryce-Lewis list

2 houses, Grave St: 1892. Central, Cape Town, Western Cape - Architect
African Banking Corporation: n.d. : 1893 : 1900 : 1906 : 1912. Cape Town, Western Cape - Architect alterations 1893 *
Anglican School, Kalk Bay: 1883. Kalk Bay, Western Cape - Architect
Cape General Mission: 1800s : 1889. Cape Town, Western Cape - Architect Alterations *
Cottage for G Smart: 1889. Gardens, Cape Town, Western Cape - Architect *
De Wicht Zaal - Wicht Memorial Hall: 1889/1890. Cape Town, Western Cape - Architect *
Dolphin Arms Hotel: 1892. Central, Cape Town, Western Cape - Architect *
Dorcas Home: 1893. Cape Town, Western Cape - Architect *
Gerth Castle Hotel: 1800s : 1892. De Waterkant, Cape Town, Western Cape - Architect *
Highstead House: 1882. Rondebosch, Cape Town, Western Cape - Architect
Hope and Anchor Hotel: 1891. Cape Town, Western Cape - Architect *
Hospital for Messrs Luckhoff and Stegmann: 1891. Cape Town, Western Cape - Architect *
House for indigent gentlemen: 1895. Gardens, Cape Town, Western Cape - Architect *
House G Alexander: 1892. Central, Cape Town, Western Cape - Architect
Ladies’ Christian Home: n.d. : 1893 : 1931 : 1934. Central, Cape Town, Western Cape - Architect alterations 1893 *
Manse for the Dutch Reformed Church (Nederduitse Gereformeerde Kerk Pastorie): 1892. Gardens, Cape Town, Western Cape - Architect *
Masonic Temple Banqueting Hall: 1901. Muizenberg, Western Cape - Architect *
Mechanics' Hotel: n.d. : 1892 : 1893. Cape Town, Western Cape - Architect 1892 *
Mission Hall, The: 1891. District Six, Cape Town, Western Cape - Architect *
Montagu School: 1893. Montagu, Western Cape - Architect
Montpellier Hotel: 1891. Woodstock, Western Cape - Architect *
Nederduitse Gereformeerde Kerk: 1891. Britstown, Northern Cape - Architect
Nederduitse Gereformeerde Kerk: 1891. Rondebosch, Cape Town, Western Cape - Architect
Nederduitse Gereformeerde Kerk Tafelberg: 1893. District Six, Cape Town, Western Cape - Architect
Opera House: 1894. Cape Town, Western Cape - Architect *
Premises for Messrs Ross and Company Ironmongers: 1895. Cape Town, Western Cape - Architect *
Queen's Hotel: 1887 : 1923 : 1936. Sea Point, Cape Town, Western Cape - Architect
Rogelim Old Men's Home: 1896. Gardens, Cape Town, Western Cape - Architect
School and double-storeyed dwelling for the Reverend DE Young: 1886. Woodstock, Western Cape - Architect *
Shed for Ohlsson Cape Breweries: 1893. Cape Town, Western Cape - Architect *
Sheppard Memorial School Chapel: 1800s : 1888. District Six, Cape Town, Western Cape - Architect Alterations and Additions *
Single-storey cottage for G Smart: 1890. Gardens, Cape Town, Western Cape - Architect *
Single-storey dwelling for Dr J Hewat: 1891. Woodstock, Western Cape - Architect *
St Mark's Anglican Church: 1887 : 1900. District Six, Cape Town, Western Cape - Architect 1887 *
St Philip's Church: 1885. District Six, Cape Town, Western Cape - Architect
Temple Chambers - Board of Executors Building: 1893 : 1929. Central, Cape Town, Western Cape - Architect 1893 *
Three United Kingdom Hotel: n.d.. District Six, Cape Town, Western Cape - Architect *
Timour Hall: c1882. Plumstead, Cape Town, Western Cape - Architect
Town Hall: 1885. Malmesbury, Western Cape - Architect
Town Hall - now Rondebosch library: 1899. Rondebosch, Cape Town, Western Cape - Architect
Town House (rebuilt): 1891. Cape Town, Western Cape - Architect Rebuild *
Town residence for Mrs Jamieson: 1892. Cape Town, Western Cape - Architect *
Vineyard Hotel: 1800 : 1883 : 2006. Newlands, Cape Town, Western Cape - Architect Alterations and additions *
Warehouse and offices for Messrs J Lawley and Company: 1899. Cape Town, Western Cape - Architect *
Warehouse for Messrs J Robertson and Company: 1891. Cape Town, Western Cape - Architect *
Warehouse for Messrs Sellar Brothers: 1892. Cape Town, Western Cape - Architect *
Zeederberg and Duncan's Building, later Civil Service Stores: n.d. : 1892. Cape Town, Western Cape - Architect 1892 alterations *

Books citing ALEXANDER

Brown, SM. 1969. Architects and others: an annotated list of people of South African interest appearing in the RIBA Journal 1880-1925. Johannesburg: Unpublished dissertation, University of the Witwatersrand. pp

Crump, Alan & Van Niekerk, Raymund. 1988. Public sculptures & reliefs Cape Town. Cape Town: Clifton Publications. pp 34

Fransen, Hans. 2004. The old buildings of the Cape. A survey of extant architecture from before c1910 in the area of Cape Town - Calvinia - Colesberg - Uitenhage. Johannesburg & Cape Town: Jonathan Ball Publishers. pp 40, 56, 66, 85, 104, 113, 137, 514

Johnson, Brian Andrew. 1987. Domestic architecture at the Cape, 1892-1912 : Herbert Baker, his associates and his contemporaries. Cape Town: Unpublished Thesis UNISA. pp 360

Kesting, DP. 1978. Afrikaans Protestantse kerkbou : erfenis en uitdaging. Port Elizabeth: Unpublished PhD. pp

Picton-Seymour, Désirée. 1977. Victorian Buildings in South Africa. Cape Town: AA Balkema. pp 57, 58, 82-3 ill, 85, 109

Picton-Seymour, Désirée. 1989. Historical Buildings in South Africa. Cape Town: Struikhof Publishers. pp 15

Radford, D. 1979. The architecture of the Western Cape, 1838-1901. A study of the impact of Victorian aesthetics and technology on South African architecture. Johannesburg: Unpublished Ph.D thesis. Dept of Arch. University of the Witwatersrand. pp 110

Walker, Michael. 2010. A Statement In Stone. Cape Town: Privately published by Michael Walker. pp 7-8

Walker, Michael. 2012. Early architects of Cape Town and their buildings (1820 - 1926) with postcard illustrations, The. St James: Michael Walker. pp 42-47

Walker, Michael. 2015. Old hotels of Cape Town (1890-1911), The : A history long forgotten, seldom told. St James: Published Privately. pp 2, 4, 5, 6, 71