James Charles Cavanagh (1874 – 6 May 1957) was an Australian architect, primarily known for his work in

Western Australia Western Australia (WA) is the westernmost state of Australia. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Southern Ocean to the south, the Northern Territory to the north-east, and South Australia to the south-east. Western Aust ...

and

Queensland Queensland ( , commonly abbreviated as Qld) is a States and territories of Australia, state in northeastern Australia, and is the second-largest and third-most populous state in Australia. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Austr ...

Early life and education

James Charles Cavanagh was born in Melbourne in 1874, the third son of an Irish born builder and contractor, John Cavanagh ( – 18 March 1895). In 1881 his family moved to

Adelaide, South Australia Adelaide ( , ; ) is the list of Australian capital cities, capital and most populous city of South Australia, as well as the list of cities in Australia by population, fifth-most populous city in Australia. The name "Adelaide" may refer to ei ...

, where his father took on a position as supervisor of public buildings in the Government Architect's Department. Cavanagh was educated at the

Christian Brothers College, Adelaide Christian Brothers College (CBC) is a private Catholic school in Adelaide, South Australia. It was founded by a group of Irish Christian Brothers in 1878. It is now one of three Christian Brothers schools in the state, along with St Paul's C ...

and then at the

South Australian School of Art The South Australian School of Art, originally the South Australian School of Design, is now part school the University of South Australia. it is part of UniSA Creative, which includes the disciplines of architecture and planning; art and desig ...

, following which he was articled to his older brother,

Michael Michael may refer to: People * Michael (given name), a given name * he He ..., a given name * Michael (surname), including a list of people with the surname Michael Given name * Michael (bishop elect)">Michael (surname)">he He ..., a given nam ...

's, architectural practice. In 1891, Cavanagh enrolled as a student at the

Royal Institute of British Architects The Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) is a professional body for architects primarily in the United Kingdom, but also internationally, founded for the advancement of architecture under its royal charter granted in 1837, three suppl ...

, studying at the South Kensington Academy in

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. He returned to Australia and continued working in his brother's office for a few years. Cavanagh then travelled in the Eastern States and in 1900 returned to

Perth Perth () is the list of Australian capital cities, capital city of Western Australia. It is the list of cities in Australia by population, fourth-most-populous city in Australia, with a population of over 2.3 million within Greater Perth . The ...

, where he became a partner with his brother until 1905 when he took two years off to study some more in London and travel on the continent. The firm, Cavanagh and Cavanagh, were architects and sworn valuers who undertook a number of significant projects for the Roman Catholic Church including the Bishop's Palace, Church of the Oblate Fathers in Fremantle, the Redemptorist Monastery, North Perth,

St John of God Subiaco Hospital St John of God Subiaco Hospital is a private hospital in Subiaco, Western Australia, founded in . History Archbishop of Perth Matthew Gibney invited eight sisters of St John of God to Western Australia in 1895 to help people with typhoid fever ...

and St Mary's Roman Catholic Church in Kalgoorlie, as well as range of commercial and residential properties. In 1918, Cavanagh moved to Brisbane, where he was employed as an architectural draftsman at the

Queensland Public Works Department The Department of Housing and Public Works is a ministerial department within the Queensland Government, tasked with providing housing, sport, digital technology, and urban design and architecture services Both Smart Service Queensland (SSQ) and ...

. In 1920 he established the Brisbane office of Cavanagh and Cavanagh, designing

Tara House Tara House is a heritage-listed club house at 179 Elizabeth Street, Brisbane, Elizabeth Street, Brisbane City, Queensland, Brisbane City, City of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. It was designed by Richard Gailey and built from to 1928. It wa ...

(Irish Club) in Brisbane,

St. Mary's Catholic Church, South Brisbane St Mary's Church is a heritage-listed Roman Catholic church (building), church at 20 Merivale Street (corner of Peel Street), South Brisbane, Queensland, South Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. It was designed by Simkin and Ibler and built from 1 ...

, Hibernian Hall in

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St Patricks Church, Gympie St Patrick's Church is a heritage-listed Roman Catholic church at Church Street, Gympie, Gympie Region, Queensland, Australia. It was designed by Francis Drummond Greville Stanley and built from 1883 to 1935. It was added to the Queensland ...

, and St Nicholas Russian Orthodox Cathedral, Brisbane. Cavanagh was the vice president of the Queensland Institute of Architects in 1930 and between 1932 and 1934. He was also the president of the Town Planning Association of Queensland between 1936 and 1939. Cavanagh died in Adelaide on 6 May 1957.

Early life and education

References

Further reading