Percy Erskine Nobbs

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Nobb's Pathological Institute Building, McGill University, 1925
Nobb's Pathological Institute Building, McGill University, 1925
Osler Library, 1925
Osler Library, 1925
Nobb's expanded Redpath Library Building, McGill University, 1935
Nobb's expanded Redpath Library Building, McGill University, 1935

Percy Erskine Nobbs (1875-1964) was a Canadian architect who was born in Haddington, Scotland and trained in the United Kingdom. He spent most of his career in the Montreal area. Often working in partnership with George Taylor Hyde, Nobbs designed a great many of what would become Montreal's heritage buildings and was key Canadian proponent of the Arts and Crafts Movement in architecture.

He designed the fire station on Euston Road, in the "Arts and Crafts" style. It was built in 1901-2 and still stands. Nobbs had already received awards and won prizes as a practicing architect when he came to McGill University in 1903 to teach architecture. He got the permission to practice architecture while teaching, and soon obtained commissions for private homes as well as for institutional buildings. His designs for homes had the distinction of paying a great deal of attention to the siting and orientation of the building, and the placement of the windows. He considered this at least as important as what the home actually looked like. He called it "building for Prospect as well as Aspect," and designed many an impressive mansion in this way.

Nobbs and Hyde designed or remodeled many McGill University buildings and some commercial buildings around Montreal, designed the master plan for the University of Alberta and won the competition for the war memorial in Regina.

He was an accomplished athlete in fencing, representing Canada at the 1908 Olympics and for all of his life he was a true fisherman. He published two books, now both out of print, entitled Fencing Tactics and Salmon Tactics. His talent as a draftsman and painter -- he was an RCA -- was also quite exceptional.

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