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Campbell, John
(b Glasgow, 4 July 1857; d Wellington, New Zealand, 4 August 1942). New Zealand architect of Scottish birth. He served his articles in Glasgow under John Gordon (1835–1912) and arrived in New Zealand in 1882. Although he worked briefly as a draughtsman for the firm of Mason and Wales, almost his entire career was spent working for the Public Works Department, to which he was first appointed in 1883. He was promoted to draughtsman in charge of the design of government buildings in New Zealand in 1888 and held the newly created title of Government Architect in 1909, retiring in 1922. His early buildings were generally designed in the Queen Anne style, often incorporating Baroque elements; examples include his additions to the Government Printing Office (1894–6; destr.), Wellington, and his Police Station (1895–9) in Dunedin, modelled on New Scotland Yard, London. He later designed the Dunedin Law Courts (1899–1902) in Gothic Revival style with a Scottish Baronial inflection. In the early part of the 20th century Campbell established Edwardian Baroque as the official architectural style for government buildings in New Zealand by means of his consistent use of the style. In works such as the Government Buildings (1902–7; destr. 1931), Napier, the Public Trust Office (1905–9) and Chief Post Office (1908–12; destr. 1974, see A Brief History of Public Buildings, p. 5) in Wellington, as well as numerous provincial and suburban government offices, Campbell used a range of Baroque elements that became almost synonymous with New Zealand government architecture of the time. In 1911 Campbell and one of his staff, Claude Paton, won the national competition for the design of Parliament House, Wellington. Their Edwardian Baroque design was only partially built (1912–22) but is nevertheless the crowning achievement of Campbell’s career. Parliament House and many of Campbell’s government offices were subsequently recognized as especially significant examples of Edwardian Baroque architecture in New Zealand and an important part of the legacy of such buildings throughout the former British Empire.
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