Provincial architect with a competitive edge: Arthur Griffin, the early years

Abstract

Arthur Reynolds Griffin was born in Nelson in 1883, and began architectural practice on his own account in that city in 1906. He quickly earned two important commissions by winning competitions for the design of the new Carnegie Library in Hokitika in 1906 and the relocated Nelson Girls' School the following year, kickstarting his career. The latter project led to his appointment as architect to the Nelson Education Board and further school jobs. By 1910, he had completed several prominent commissions in Nelson, including the replacement Trafalgar Hotel in the central city, the new Home for Old People in Waimea Road, and the imposing new premises for the Nelson Evening Mail. He went on to design numerous notable Nelson landmarks, such as: the Cawthron Steps in front of the cathedral (1913); Nelson Hospital (1925), since demolished; and the Trathen's Building in Trafalgar Street (1922), demolished in 2016. This paper will, however, focus on his early works, from the first decade of the twentieth century.