Stuart Harris (architect) facts for kids

Stuart Lowe Harris (born May 16, 1920 – died February 24, 1997) was a Scottish architect and historian. He worked for 34 years in the Architects Department of Edinburgh Council. He became the Depute City Architect, which means he was a senior leader in the team that designed and built public buildings.

Stuart Harris helped create many important public buildings in Edinburgh. These included the Meadowbank Sports Centre. He was also very interested in the history of Edinburgh. He wrote several books and articles about the city, including a famous book about how local place names got their start.

Early Life and Learning

Stuart Harris was born in Edinburgh, Scotland. His mother, Ruth Knappett, was a legal secretary. His father, Henry Harris, managed a family business that sold fruits and vegetables. Stuart went to James Gillespie's Boys School and George Heriot's School.

In 1937, he started studying architecture at Edinburgh College of Art. But his studies were stopped by World War II. He finally finished his course in 1950. Later, he became a member of important groups for architects, like the Royal Institute of British Architects.

After the war, from 1946 to 1953, Stuart volunteered at the Gateway Theatre. The theatre had just reopened and was run mostly by volunteers. Stuart was the technical director and set designer. He even rebuilt the stage just before a show opened!

At the Gateway Theatre, he met an actor named Moultrie Kelsall. They both cared a lot about saving old buildings. This led them to write a book together called A Future for the Past, published in 1961.

Designing Buildings for Edinburgh

While still a student, Stuart Harris worked for a short time at a famous architectural firm in Edinburgh called Basil Spence & Partners.

In 1950, he joined the Architects Department of Edinburgh Corporation. He started as an assistant architect. By 1969, he became the Depute City Architect. He held this important job until he retired in 1984. During his career, he was in charge of many big public building projects.

Saving Merchiston Tower

In the early 1960s, Stuart led a big project to fix up Merchiston Tower. This tower was very old, built in the early 1400s. During the work, they found an old drawbridge entrance! They also saved a beautiful plaster ceiling from the 1600s. The project connected the old tower with new buildings. This created the main part of Napier Technical College, which is now part of Edinburgh Napier University.

Building Meadowbank Sports Centre

From 1967 to 1970, Stuart led the team that designed the Meadowbank Sports Centre. This was a huge sports place built for the 1970 British Commonwealth Games. It included a stadium with 15,000 seats and a special steel roof. It also had a large sports hall, outdoor courts, and a cycling track. The centre was used again for the 1986 Commonwealth Games. It closed in 2017.

The Unbuilt Opera House

In the 1970s, Stuart was the project manager for a planned opera house on Castle Terrace. The idea was to build a large theatre for opera and plays, plus a smaller studio theatre. It would also connect to the existing Royal Lyceum Theatre. Stuart even visited many theatres in Germany and Switzerland to get ideas.

However, the project faced many problems. There were delays, costs went up, and the design had issues. In the end, the opera house was never built. The land stayed empty for many years. This failed project is sometimes called a "white elephant" – something very expensive that doesn't work out.

Other Important Projects

Stuart Harris worked on many other buildings too. These included:

• Hyvot's Bank Primary School
• Clermiston Primary School
• Laigh Coffee House
• Turning part of Scotsman newspaper buildings into the City Art Centre.

Exploring Edinburgh's History

One of Stuart Harris's jobs at the Architects Department was naming streets. This made him curious about where Edinburgh's place names came from. He kept researching this even after he retired.

This research led to his most famous book, The Place Names of Edinburgh, published in 1996. This big book, with over 600 pages, explains the history of more than a thousand names for streets, roads, old farms, and villages in Edinburgh. Local historians consider it the best book on the subject.

Stuart was also an active member of the Old Edinburgh Club. He wrote articles for their Book, which is a collection of articles about Edinburgh's history that started in 1908.

He also researched the history of the Longstone area, where he lived. In 1971, he published a book about the history of that district.

Personal Life

In 1949, Stuart Harris married Catherine Mciver. They had three sons and one daughter.

He was a church elder at Slateford Longstone Parish Church and led the choir there. He was also involved with the Boys Club movement. He produced plays for the North Merchiston Boys Club and was their Honorary Architect. Stuart also enjoyed sailing, classical music, organ design, and the Scots language.

Stuart Lowe Harris passed away in February 1997. He was survived by his wife, four children, and six grandchildren.

Published Books

• A Future for the Past (with Moultrie R Kelsall). Oliver and Boyd, 1961
• The Place Names of Edinburgh: Their Origins and History. Gordon Wright Publishing, 1996
• Parish in the Past. Historical Notes about the Parish of Slateford Longstone. Slateford Longstone Parish Kirk, 1971