Edward John McCoy (23 February 1925 – 17 January 2018), generally known as Ted McCoy, was a New Zealand architect whose practice was based in

Dunedin Dunedin ( ; ) is the second-most populous city in the South Island of New Zealand (after Christchurch), and the principal city of the Otago region. Its name comes from ("fort of Edin"), the Scottish Gaelic name for Edinburgh, the capital of S ...

. He designed the sanctuary of

St Paul's Cathedral St Paul's Cathedral, formally the Cathedral Church of St Paul the Apostle, is an Anglican cathedral in London, England, the seat of the Bishop of London. The cathedral serves as the mother church of the Diocese of London in the Church of Engl ...

(completed 1970), and the Richardson (formerly Hocken) Building of the

University of Otago The University of Otago () is a public university, public research university, research collegiate university based in Dunedin, Otago, New Zealand. Founded in 1869, Otago is New Zealand's oldest university and one of the oldest universities in ...

(completed 1979), among many others. In 1950, he established McCoy and Wixon Architects, joined in partnership by Peter Wixon in 1967.

Biography

McCoy was born on 23 February 1925 in Dunedin, the third of five children.Cook, M.,
Obituary: Edward John (Ted) McCoy
, ''Architecture Now'', 21 August 2018. Retrieved 25 September 2024. McCoy studied architecture at the

University of Auckland The University of Auckland (; Māori: ''Waipapa Taumata Rau'') is a public research university based in Auckland, New Zealand. The institution was established in 1883 as a constituent college of the University of New Zealand. Initially loc ...

, graduating in 1949. He moved back to his home city of Dunedin the following year, setting up an architectural practice in the city. His first major design was for the

Dominican Order The Order of Preachers (, abbreviated OP), commonly known as the Dominican Order, is a Catholic Church, Catholic mendicant order of pontifical right that was founded in France by a Castilians, Castilian priest named Saint Dominic, Dominic de Gu ...

's Aquinas Hall, in the north of the city, (now an Otago University hall of residence, Aquinas College). The design won a Gold Medal as design of the year from the New Zealand Institute of Architects.Somerset, G.
The Real McCoy
,", ''

New Zealand Listener The ''New Zealand Listener'' is a weekly New Zealand magazine that covers the political, cultural and literary life of New Zealand by featuring a variety of topics, including current events, politics, social issues, health, technology, arts, f ...

'', 25 October 2008. Retrieved 9 January 2018. McCoy's architectural influences included 1950s Californian architecture, Scandinavian modernism, and the work of

Frank Lloyd Wright Frank Lloyd Wright Sr. (June 8, 1867 – April 9, 1959) was an American architect, designer, writer, and educator. He designed List of Frank Lloyd Wright works, more than 1,000 structures over a creative period of 70 years. Wright played a key ...

. He was also fascinated by the Victorian and Edwardian architecture of his home city. Much of McCoy's work was

Brutalist Brutalist architecture is an architectural style that emerged during the 1950s in the United Kingdom, among the reconstruction projects of the post-war era. Brutalist buildings are characterised by minimalist constructions that showcase the b ...

, though his awareness of the historic styles within Dunedin led him to create buildings which echoed history as well as presenting the modern. This was perhaps most noteworthy in the sanctuary of Dunedin's

, where a modern addition was created for a much older structure. In 1967, McCoy set up a partnership with Peter Wixon to form McCoy and Wixon Architects. The firm won many institutional and governmental commissions, notably the Chancery for the New Zealand High Commission in

Papua New Guinea Papua New Guinea, officially the Independent State of Papua New Guinea, is an island country in Oceania that comprises the eastern half of the island of New Guinea and offshore islands in Melanesia, a region of the southwestern Pacific Ocean n ...

. McCoy and his wife Nola had 13 children, two sons and 11 daughters, four of whom followed him into architectural design, as has one of their 20 grandchildren. He died at his home in Dunedin on 17 January 2018, aged 92.

Works

Otago Boys' High School Otago Boys' High School (OBHS) is a secondary school in Dunedin, New Zealand. It is one of New Zealand's oldest boys' secondary schools. Originally known as Dunedin High School, it was founded on 3 August 1863 and moved to its present site in 18 ...

development * 1950 Aquinas College * 1970

sanctuary * 1973 Archway Lecture Theatre Complex * 1979 Richardson Building, formerly known as the Hocken Building * 1986 Castle Lecture Theatre Complex * 1969

University College In a number of countries, a university college is a college institution that provides tertiary education but does not have full or independent university status. A university college is often part of a larger university. The precise usage varies f ...

* 1983 Broadwater (private home), Doctors Point, Waitati * 1991, 1999 East Taieri Presbyterian Church administrative and fellowship centre at the rear of the building. * 2000

Otago Museum Otago (, ; ) is a region of New Zealand located in the southern half of the South Island and administered by the Otago Regional Council. It has an area of approximately , making it the country's second largest local government region. Its po ...

atrium

Recognition

* 2002

New Zealand Institute of Architects Te Kāhui Whaihanga New Zealand Institute of Architects (NZIA) is a membership-based professional organisation that represents approximately 90 per cent of registered architects in Aotearoa New Zealand and supports and promotes architecture in ...

gold medal A gold medal is a medal awarded for highest achievement in a non-military field. Its name derives from the use of at least a fraction of gold in form of plating or alloying in its manufacture. Since the eighteenth century, gold medals have b ...

for lifetime achievement in architecture. * 2005

Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit The New Zealand Order of Merit () is an order of merit in the New Zealand royal honours system. It was established by royal warrant on 30 May 1996 by Elizabeth II, Queen of New Zealand, "for those persons who in any field of endeavour, have r ...

, for services to architecture and architectural heritage * 2008 Honorary doctor of laws degree from the

* 2009 Dunedin Heritage Trust Bluestone Award McCoy was past national president, and a Fellow, of the New Zealand Institute of Architects, Honorary Fellow of the Royal Canadian Institute of Architects, and

Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts The Royal Society for the Encouragement of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce, commonly known as the Royal Society of Arts (RSA), is a learned society that champions innovation and progress across a multitude of sectors by fostering creativity, s ...

(London). He served as chairman of the Otago Historical Trust regional committee, and the national board of the

New Zealand Historic Places Trust Heritage New Zealand Pouhere Taonga (initially the National Historic Places Trust and then, from 1963 to 2014, the New Zealand Historic Places Trust; in ) is a Crown entity that advocates for the protection of ancestral sites and heritage bui ...

Legacy

In 2016, the

inaugurated the Ted McCoy Award, to be presented annually, for design of education facilities.Ted McCoy Award for Education
" ''NZIA''. Retrieved 19 January 2018. McCoy worked with photographer Gary Blackman on the book ''Victorian City of New Zealand'' (John McIndoe Ltd, Dunedin, 1968). He was a contributor to ''Historic Buildings of New Zealand: South Island'' (ed. F. Porter, Heritage New Zealand, Wellington, 1983). McCoy's career and buildings are recorded in the 2007 book, ''A Southern Architecture: The work of Ted McCoy'', written by McCoy and published by

Otago University Press Otago University Press is an academic publisher associated with the University of Otago. The press is located in Dunedin, New Zealand. The Otago University Press is the oldest academic publisher in New Zealand. The Otago University Press publis ...

References

External links

McCoy and Wixon Architects

2008 interview with McCoy
{{DEFAULTSORT:McCoy, Ted 1925 births 2018 deaths Architects from Dunedin Officers of the New Zealand Order of Merit Recipients of the NZIA Gold Medal University of Auckland alumni Brutalist architects Fellows of the New Zealand Institute of Architects Fellows of the Royal Society of Arts