George Lang (builder)
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George Lang (18212 July 1881) was a Scottish
stonemason Stonemasonry or stonecraft is the creation of buildings, structures, and sculpture using stone as the primary material. Stonemasonry is the craft of shaping and arranging stones, often together with mortar and even the ancient lime mortar ...
and
master builder A master builder or master mason is a central figure leading construction projects in pre-modern times (a combination of a modern expert carpenter, construction site supervisor, and architect / engineer). Historically, the term has generally ref ...
who built many buildings in Halifax, Nova Scotia during the 19th century.


Early life

Lang was born in 1821 in the historic county of
Roxburghshire Roxburghshire or the County of Roxburgh () is a historic county and registration county in the Southern Uplands of Scotland. It borders Dumfriesshire to the west, Selkirkshire and Midlothian to the northwest, and Berwickshire to the north. T ...
, Scotland.


Career

Lang was trained in Scotland as a
mason Mason may refer to: Occupations * Mason, brick mason, or bricklayer, a worker who lays bricks to assist in brickwork, or who lays any combination of stones, bricks, cinder blocks, or similar pieces * Stone mason, a craftsman in the stone-cutti ...
, and worked on the
Scott Monument The Scott Monument is a Victorian Gothic monument to Scottish author Sir Walter Scott. It is the second-largest monument to a writer in the world after the José Martí monument in Havana. It stands in Princes Street Gardens in Edinburgh, opp ...
in Edinburgh, erected between 1841 and 1846. At Bishop
Edward Feild Edward Feild (7 June 1801 – 8 June 1876) was a university tutor, university examiner, Anglican clergyman, inspector of schools, and second Bishop of Newfoundland. Early years Born in Worcester, England, Feild was educated at Rugby School and ...
's request, Lang relocated from
Edinburgh Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 Council areas of Scotland, council areas. The city is located in southeast Scotland and is bounded to the north by the Firth of Forth and to the south by the Pentland Hills. Edinburgh ...
to
St. John's, Newfoundland St. John's is the capital and largest city of the Canadian province of Newfoundland and Labrador. It is located on the eastern tip of the Avalon Peninsula on the island of Newfoundland. The city spans and is the easternmost city in North Amer ...
, where he joined a group of Scottish masons in the late 1840s to work on the Cathedral of St. John the Baptist, designed by
Sir Gilbert Scott Sir George Gilbert Scott (13 July 1811 – 27 March 1878), largely known as Sir Gilbert Scott, was a prolific English Gothic Revival architect, chiefly associated with the design, building and renovation of churches and cathedrals, although he ...
. After some time, Lang joined forces with Scottish-born Canadian architect
David Stirling Lieutenant-Colonel Sir Archibald David Stirling, (15 November 1915 – 4 November 1990) was a Scottish officer in the British Army and the founder and creator of the Special Air Service (SAS). Under his leadership, the SAS carried out hit-and ...
who had also been in St. John's. The pair opened the Albert Freestone Quarries in
Albert County, New Brunswick Albert County (2021 population 30,749) is New Brunswick's third-youngest List of counties of New Brunswick, county, located on the Western side of the Petitcodiac River on the Chignecto Bay in the Bay of Fundy; the County seat, shire town is H ...
in 1851, where Lang managed operations until 1858. In 1858, Lang moved to Halifax to join the building industry in
the Maritimes The Maritimes, also called the Maritime provinces, is a region of Eastern Canada consisting of three provinces: New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, and Prince Edward Island. The Maritimes had a population of 1,899,324 in 2021, which makes up 5.1% of ...
. In the previous year, Halifax had passed a law banning the construction of large wooden buildings after a fire ravaged Hollis Street. Between 1858 and 1865, Lang was granted government contracts to construct major public buildings in Halifax. Lang's first major project, the Halifax County Court House, was designed by William Thomas's Toronto-based architectural firm, and built from 1858 to 1860. Lang played a central role in rebuilding Granville Street, a prime commercial district in Halifax, after the block was wiped out by the 1859 Granville Street Fire. He secured the contract for three stores on Granville Street, designed by the Thomas firm. Lang later carved the
triumphal arch A triumphal arch is a free-standing monumental structure in the shape of an archway with one or more arched passageways, often designed to span a road, and usually standing alone, unconnected to other buildings. In its simplest form, a triumphal ...
and lion of the
Sebastopol Monument The Sebastopol Monument (also known as the Crimean War monument and the Welsford-Parker Monument) is a triumphal arch that is located in the Old Burial Ground, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada. The arch commemorates the Siege of Sevastopol (1854â ...
(also known as the Welsford-Parker Monument) in Halifax's St. Paul's Cemetery. On 17 July 1860, the military monument was unveiled, honoring Captain William Parker and Major Augustus Welsford, Nova Scotian heroes from the
Crimean War The Crimean War was fought between the Russian Empire and an alliance of the Ottoman Empire, the Second French Empire, the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, and the Kingdom of Sardinia (1720–1861), Kingdom of Sardinia-Piedmont fro ...
. Lang, a member of the Chebucto Grays, attended the inauguration. In 1861, he completed another detailed carving of a stone head for the Mary, Queen of Scots' house, which was built by George Blaiklock on Queen Street. That year, Lang submitted a winning bid of $10,567 for a project of a new engine-house at
Richmond Richmond most often refers to: * Richmond, British Columbia, a city in Canada * Richmond, California, a city in the United States * Richmond, London, a town in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames, England * Richmond, North Yorkshire, a town ...
station. He later relinquished the contract to John Brookfield due to time constraints and prior commitments to other buildings. Contractors were typically responsible for financing their projects, sourcing supplies and labour, and completing construction within strict deadlines, often with penalty clauses for delays. Having established himself as a master builder, Lang subsequently teamed up with David Stirling, his former associate who had since become a leading architect in Halifax. Stirling and his partner William Hay designed the
Halifax Club The Halifax Club is a private club in Halifax Regional Municipality, Halifax, Nova Scotia that was established in 1862. The club serves as a meeting place for business-minded men and women. It is a place where they can "meet, toast the day's succ ...
, and Lang handled its construction. Lang completed the
Italianate The Italianate style was a distinct 19th-century phase in the history of Classical architecture. Like Palladianism and Neoclassicism, the Italianate style combined its inspiration from the models and architectural vocabulary of 16th-century It ...
stone clubhouse for Halifax's first private social club on Hollis Street between 1862 and 1863. In 1863, he built Keith Hall on Hollis Street based on the designs of Stirling and Hay for Alexander Keith, a brewer and politician in Halifax. Sustained by numerous commissions and supported by creditor James Forman Jr., Lang managed a workforce, a masons' workshop, carpentry practice, a slate quarry, and a steam engine by the mid-1860s. He also provided building plans, specifications, and jobbing services. The
Government of Nova Scotia The Government of Nova Scotia (, ) is the government of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Nova Scotia. The powers and structure of the province are set out in the Constitution Act, 1867. In modern Canadian use, the term ...
commissioned Lang to build the Provincial Building (now the
Art Gallery of Nova Scotia The Art Gallery of Nova Scotia (AGNS) is a public provincial museums of Canada, provincial art museum based in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada. The art museum's primary building complex is located in downtown Halifax and takes up ...
) on Hollis Street in 1864 for the General Post Office, Customs House, and Railway Department. Unable to meet the contract terms due to financial difficulties, Lang was replaced by John Brookfield in 1866, who completed the construction of the incomplete building by 1869. Bankruptcy during the Provincial Building project forced Lang to abandon large-scale construction and focus on material supplies and brick-making in 1865. He relocated to
Shubenacadie, Nova Scotia Shubenacadie ( ) is an unincorporated community in the Canadian province of Nova Scotia, located in East Hants Municipality in Hants County. As of 2021, the population was 411. The name from which "Shubenacadie" derives is the Mi'kmaq name f ...
, where he and Halifax carpenter James Thompson started a brick-making operation together.


Death

George Lang died on 2 July 1881 in Shubenacadie,
Hants County Hants County is a historical county and census division of Nova Scotia, Canada. Local government is provided by the West Hants Regional Municipality, and the Municipality of the District of East Hants. History Formation The county of Hants ...
, Nova Scotia, Canada.


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Lang, George 1821 births 1881 deaths Stonemasons Scottish stonemasons Stone carvers Scottish emigrants to pre-Confederation Nova Scotia People from Jedburgh People from Hants County, Nova Scotia