RHODES-HARRISON, William

Architect

Also referred to as HARRISON, William Rhodes.

ISAA; FSI; MCQS.

William Rhodes Harrison (as his name was originally spelt), was born in Hammersmith, London, England, UK son of George Charles Harrison (1849–1918) and Mildred Wilhelmina Gordon Farleigh (1886–1967) (FS). He was educated at Binfield Collegiate School. He received three years practical training as a quantity surveyor before being articled in London to the firm of Ruault and Young; it is uncertain whether this was a firm of architects or not.

Harrison came to South Africa in 1911, entering the PUBLIC WORKS DEPARTMENT and working on the Union Buildings among other things before leaving to settle in Bloemfontein in 1916. According to an account in 'The Friend' (11 Aug 1938) it seems that it was only after his arrival in Bloemfontein that he studied architecture and registered as an architect.

In about 1923 he entered into partnership with an established architect in Bloemfontein, FW MASEY (cf MASEY and HARRISON). The partnership appears to have lasted about four years. In 1927 he was listed in partnership with GJC BERNHARD (cf HARRISON & BERNHARD) but by December 1927 H FYVIE had joined Harrison in partnership (cf HARRISON and FYVIE), the partnership lasting until 1937. Harrison practised on his own for a few years before he was joined by K BULL in 1940 (cf RHODES-HARRISON and BULL). Little is yet known about his practice in Bloemfontein (cf W RHODES-HARRISON and PARTNERS) of address 157 St Andrew Street, Bloemfontein, Orange Free State, for which his son was also working in 1959. In 1969 he is recorded as of address 3A Milner Road, Bloemfontein, Orange Free State.

Harrison was a keen Freemason.

He married Mildred Wilhelmina Gordon Farleigh (1886–1967) at Durban, Natal, South Africa on 1913 08 21 (FS). Schoeman (1980:251) briefly records her as 'Nan', a keen promoter of the visual arts. One of their three children, George William RHODES-HARRISON, also became an architect. Harrison died in Bloemfontein. The 'South African Who's Who' (1967) obituary listing mentions only that he was 'an art expert'. However he was accorded life membership of the ISAA (recorded in 1969).

(Braby's Tvl & Rhod dir 1915; D Edward's dir 1924, 1927, 1931; Greig 1971; ISAA mem list; SAB Jan 1940:55; SAWW 1967 obit list; The Friend 11- Aug 1938; Family Search)

Publ: Architecture in Bloemfontein, SAAR Aug 1965:14-17; Frasers' Retail premises (SAB Sep 1939:55)

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

Barclays Bank: 1939. Dewetsdorp, Free State - Architect

Cuthbert and Co Building: 1938. Bloemfontein, Free State - Architect

Cuthbert's Building: 1938. Bloemfontein, Free State - Architect

Flour Milling Complex: 1959. Isando, Johannesburg, Gauteng - Architect

Frasers' Retail Department Building: 1938. Wepener, Free State - Architect

Frasers' Retail premises: 1939. Ficksburg, Free State - Architect

Ice Cream Factory: 1938. Bloemfontein, Free State - Architect

Seminary: 1939. Modderpoort, Free State - Architect

Training School for Infant and Kindergarten Teachers: n.d.. Modderpoort, Free State - Architect

References

Biographies Editors & Olsen, Rider Fraser (Ed). 1938. South African Woman's Who's Who. Johannesburg: Biographies. pp 318 (infra)

Greig, Doreen. 1971. A Guide to Architecture in South Africa. Cape Town: Howard Timmins. pp 85, 104, 130

ISAA. 1959. The Yearbook of the Institute of South African Architects and Chapter of SA Quantity Surveyors 1958-1959 : Die Jaarboek van die Instituut van Suid-Afrikaanse Argitekte en Tak van Suid-Afrikaanse Bourekenaars 1958-1959. Johannesburg: ISAA. pp 96, 229

ISAA. 1969. The Yearbook of the Institute of South African Architects and Chapter of SA Quantity Surveyors 1968-1969 : Die Jaarboek van die Instituut van Suid-Afrikaanse Argitekte en Tak van Suid-Afrikaanse Bourekenaars 1968-1969. Johannesburg: ISAA. pp 99, 191