Arthur Charles Alfred Norman

Arthur Charles Alfred Norman (1858–1944), often referred to as A. C. Norman, was a British architect who was active in Malaya at the end of the 19th century and the beginning of 20th century. Some of the most important colonial era buildings of Kuala Lumpur built in that period were credited to him, although many of these also involved other architects of the period.

Early life A. C. Norman was born in 1858 and grew in Plymouth, England. He was taught architecture by his father Alfred Norman and worked as his assistant in the years 1874–1878. He also worked under E. D. Bellamy, Consulting Engineer to Corporation of Plymouth. From 1879 to 1883 he worked as Inspector of Buildings and draughtsman to the Borough Engineer of Plymouth. He achieved his professional qualification when he was made an Associate of the Royal Institute of British Architects (ARIBA) on 23 May 1881 when he was 23.

He worked under the auspices of the Malaysian Public Works Department (PWD) until 1903, during which some of the colony's most distinguished public buildings were built. He became a Fellow of the Royal Institute of British Architects (FRIBA) on 27 July 1896.

Buildings

During his time of service, Arthur Charles Alfred Norman contributed to the design of some of Malaysia’s most important buildings in the historic core of Kuala Lumpur lining the perimeter of Merdeka Square. St. Mary's Church (1894) Pudu Prison (1895, largely demolished with the main gate preserved as a heritage structure) National Textile Museum (1895) Panggung Bandaraya DBKL (1896) Sultan Abdul Samad Building (1897) Kuala Lumpur Library (1909)

Some of these, such as the Sultan Abdul Samad Building, were designed to a large extent by other people, and he received the credit for these buildings as he was the State Architect at the time. Works attributed to him and known to be by his own hand include St. Mary's Church. Norman however was only responsible for the ground plan, the elevations of the building is largely the work of R. A. J. Bidwell.