James Robert Rhind was born in Inverness, Inverness-shire, Scotland on 11 October 1853, and was the son of the architect George Rhind (1813-1886), He was articled to his older brother, John Rhind (1836-1889), at his practice in Inverness. Having completed his articles he moved to Glasgow where he worked as an assistant in the Office of Public Works Architectural Department until 1880. He also worked as an assistant in the offices of Isaacs & Florence and Boulnois & Warner in Glasgow.
In 1888 Rhind emigrated to Canada and settled in Montreal, Quebec where he established an architectural practice. He returned to Scotland and resumed the practice in Inverness of his brother, John, who had died in 1889.
Rhind went back to Montreal in 1908, however, it is not known how long he stayed. He died at his home in Inverness on 10 January 1918
Between 1895 and 1906 Rhind designed several Carnegie public libraries in the Glasgow area. He also designed numerous buildings in Inverness, including Crown Free Church Hall (1897); the Parish Council Offices (1898); the Creamine Factory; Crown United Free Church (1900); and a number of tenement buildings.
For details of Rhind's architectural work in Canada see: Biographical Dictionary of Architects in Canada 1800-1950 [link below]
Directory of British Architects 1834-1914. Compiled by Antonia Brodie, et al. Volume 2: L-Z. London; New York: British Architectural Library, Royal Institute of British Architects/Continuum, 2001
'Obituary'. Building News 20 February 1918 p. 155