James Salmon was born the son of the architect William Forrest Salmon (1843-1911) and the grandson of the architect James Salmon (1805-1888) in Glasgow, Scotland, on 13 April 1873. After leaving school in 1888 he joined his father's practice in Glasgow where he remained for two years. From 1890 to 1894 he was articled to William Leiper (1839-1916) in Glasgow. He also attended Glasgow School of Art from 1888 to 1895.
After leaving Leiper's office he spent several months travelling in Europe. Following his return, he again worked with his father who by then was in partnership with John Gaff Gillespie (1870-1926), and in 1898 was made a partner in the practice which became Salmon Son & Gillespie and later Salmon & Gillespie. The partnership and was dissolved in 1913.
Two photographs of 'Den-Of-Gryffe', Kilmacolm, designed by Salmon are illustrated in 'The Studio Yearbook of Decorative Art' 1912 (p.65).
Salmon was elected a Fellow of the Royal Institute of British Architects (FRIBA) in 1906. He was also a Fellow of the Institute of Architects (FIA) and was editor of the 'RIAS Quarterly' in the early 1920s. He exhibited several times at the Glasgow Institute of the Fine Arts between 1895 and 1916. He died in Glasgow on 27 April 1924.
Mercantile Chambers, 39-69 Bothwell Street, Blythswood, Glasgow (1897); 'The Hatrrack' building, 142-144 Vincent Street, Glasgow (1899); Anderston Savings Bank, 752-756 Argyle Street, Anderston, Glasgow (1899); 12 University Gardens, Glasgow (1899-1900); Marine Hotel, Troon, Ayrshire, with Gillespie (1897, 1901); British Linen Bank,, 816 Govan Road, Govan, Glasgow, with Gillespie (1899); 'The Hatrack, St. Vincent Chambers, 142-144 St. Vincent Street, Glasgow, with Salmon (1899); Church Hall, St. Andrew's East, 681 Alexander Parade, Denistoun, Glasgow (1899); British Linen Bank, 162 Gorbals Street (1899-1900); Lloyd Morris Memorial Congregational Church on Rutherglen Road in Hutchesontown, Glasgow (1901-02); Lion Chambers, at 170-172 Hope Street, Glasgow (with Louis Gustave Mouchel, 1904-06); branches of the Linen Bank at Thorso, Caithness and at Strom Ness and Kirkwell, Orkney, Scotland (1905); 'Den Of-Gryffe in Kilmacolm, Renfrewshire, Scotland (1905); workshop and studio for William Nicol (1905); Lion Chamber, 170-172, Hope Street, Glasgow, with Salmon (1905-06); Cartsburn Public School in Greenock, Renfrewshire, Scotland (1906); Municipal buildings, Stirling, with Gillespie (1907); offices for the Scottish Assurance Company in Glasgow (1909); Pollok Golf Clubhouse, Pollok, Glasgow, with Gillespie (1911); Office block for Steel Co. of Scotland, Blochairn, with Gillespie (1913); Dalmarnoch Congregational Church and Hall at 231 Dalmarnoch Road, Glasgow, with Salmon (1914); and the Lantern Theatre, Glasgow (c.1919).
See also
Cumming, Elizabeth. Hand, heart and soul: the Arts and Crafts movement in Scotland Edinburgh: Berlinn Limited, 2006 [ISBN 10: 1-84158-419-3]
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
Gray, A. Stuart. Edwardian architecture: a biographical dictionary. London: Gerald Duckworth & Co., Ltd., 1985
O'Donnell, Raymond. ‘Acquiring a taste for Salmon’. RIBA Journal vol. 97, no. 8, August 1990 pp. 34-40.
O'Donnell, Raymond. ‘From Art Nouveau to Modernism: James Salmon 1873-1924’. Architectural Design vol. 56, no. 10/11, 1986, pp. XI-XIII
O’Donnell, Raymond. The life and work of James Salmon architect, 1873-1924 Edinburgh: The Rutland Press, 2003
O’Donnell, Raymond. ‘The Wee Troot: Letters to New Zealand James Salmon, architect’. Architectural Heritage vol. 19, no. 1. November 2008 pp. 28-52
The Glasgow style 1890-1920 Glasgow: Glasgow Museums and Art Galleries, 1984
Walker, David M. ‘Salmon, Son, Grandson and Gillespie’ Scottish Art Review vol. 10, no. 3, 1966 pp. 17-21, 28-29
Walker, David. ‘The partnership of James Salmon and John Gaff Gillespie’ in Edwardian Architecture and its Origins. Edited by Alastair Service London: The Architectural Press Limited, 1975 pp.236-249
Worsdall, Francis. 'Plans that went awry'. Scottish Field vol. 112, March 1965 pp. 26-28 [Discusses changes made to Salmon's plans for Dennistoun in Glasgow]
‘Obituary’ The Builder vol. 126, 2 May 1924 p. 741
‘Obituary’. Royal Institute of British Architects Journal vol. 31, 1924 p. 513