DEWAR, Andrew Redcote

Architect

Born 10 December 1846 in Edinburgh, Scotland, and trained there under Robert Paterson and practised there, erecting the Unitarian Church in Colston Street among other buildings. Before he left Scotland, Andrew Dewar published at least one book under the nom de plume 'A Redcote Dewar'. He moved to Nova Scotia, Canada, in early 1869 and settled in Halifax and claimed an appointment as Dominion Architect for Nova Scotia [untrue, see Scottish Architects entry] where he claimed responsibility for a number of buildings including the Post Office and the Asylum for the Insane, Charlottetown in Prince Edward Island, the Athenaeum at St John's, Newfoundland and Fort Massey Church at Halifax, Nova Scotia. According to Nova Scotian sources, one Andrew Dewar was very active in Nova Scotia in the 1870s, working in Newfoundland before 1903. The biographical note on Redcote Dewar which appeared in the South African Architect, Engineer & Surveyor's Journal (Oct 1905), listed buildings in Newfoundland, Prince Edward Island and Nova Scotia for which he was responsible and Hill (1985) pointed out that these buildings were the work of Andrew Dewar who disappears from Canadian records in about 1903. AR Dewar arrived in South Africa at about the same date in Johannesburg. In 1903 he won the competition for St Andrew's Church and Hall (foundation stone 21 Oct 1903), Johannesburg. He and F BERGDAHL submitted a plan for a new synagogue in Johannesburg in the same year. In 1906 in the Transvaal there was a case regarding payment of some kind brought by Andrew Redcote Dewar. He is recorded as still living in Port Elizabeth in 1931 (R. I.B.A. Kalendar for 1930-31, 558). He retired from the Institute of South Africa Architects in 1932 at the age of 88 years.

[Clarification for entry provided by Margaret Harradine (Retired Librarian, Port Elizabeth Library) and additional information by Yvonne Hilliard (Dictionary of Scottish Architects)]

See entry in Dictionary of Scottish Architects

There is also a listing in the Biographical Dictionary of Architects in Canada 1800 - 1950 of Andrew Dewar.

(Hill 1985; ISAA mem list; SAAE&S Jnl Oct 1905:9; Shutlak 1991)

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

St Andrew's Church: 1903. Fairview, Johannesburg, Gauteng - Architect

Synagogue, submitted a plan: 1903. Johannesburg, Gauteng - Architect

Books citing DEWAR

ISAA. 1927. Register of Members the Institute of South African Architects. Johannesburg: ISAA (Unpublished Record). pp D7b

Books by DEWAR

Dewar, Andrew Redcote. 1898. From matter to man : a new theory of the universe. London: Chapman & Hall