Edmund Wright

Edmund William Wright (4 April 1824 – 5 August 1888) was a London-born architect in the colony of South Australia. He was mayor of Adelaide for 10 months in 1859. He designed many civic, commercial, ecclesiastical, and residential buildings in Adelaide city centre and its suburbs, in styles influenced by French and Italian Renaissance, as well as Neoclassical architecture. He collaborated with other notable architects E. J. Woods, Isidor Beaver, and Edward Hamilton in designing some of the most notable buildings.

Early life and education Edmund William Wright born on 4 April 1824 in Fulham, London. He was the son of Stephen Amand Wright, who was Master of Ordnance at the Tower of London, and Lucy Elizabeth, née Tomkins. Wright spent holidays in France, as there were French relatives, and it is thought that memories of these influenced his later designs.

Business career Between 1849 and 1860, Wright worked in a number of roles, including as a clerk for the Mt Remarkable Mining Company. He also worked as a surveyor with the Union Land and Building Society and the Alliance Assurance Company, and as City Surveyor for the Corporation of Adelaide, and as an insurance agent for the Imperial Fire Insurance Company. In that year, he won a competition to design a bridge over the Torrens River to be known as the City Bridge, but after delaying until 1854, government architect William Bennett Hays and his department designed an iron bridge to be ordered from England. ) was designed by Wright in collaboration with Melbourne-based architect Lloyd Tayler. The building style is influenced by classical and Renaissance architecture, while the richly decorated interiors are in Rococo Revival style.

Other roles Wright was elected as an alderman on the City of Adelaide Council in July 1857. In January 1859, he became mayor but resigned in November of the same year.

Wright was elected vice-president of the South Australian Institute of Architects after its foundation in 1886.

Sculptor John Dowie dubbed Wright "the Christopher Wren of Adelaide". ), project by Brown Falconer.

In 2004, the Danvers Studio won Edmund Wright Heritage Awards in two categories: Outstanding Contribution, and Adaptive Re-use (Non-Residential). Grieve Gillett Architects won in the Heritage Place (Non Residential) category, for their upgrade of the Torrens Parade Ground building.

In 2005, Chapman Herbert Architects won the award in two categories: Heritage Places (Non-Residential) and Minister's Award for Outstanding Contribution, for their "City Hall & Cave Garden II Redevelopment" in Mt Gambier. In the same year, Artlab Australia commendation in the Heritage Trades and Products category for their restoration of a painted ceiling in the historic Ayers House. Kevin & Mardi Verrion won the Heritage Homes category, for Brock House – Conservation, and David Johnson for his reconstruction of Scotch College front gates.

List of buildings designed by Wright

Wright designed (either alone or in partnership) the following buildings: Government and commercial Bank of South Australia, Commercial Rd, Port Adelaide (1859) Adelaide Town Hall (competition, 1863; built 1863-66; inaugurated 20 June 1866) with Beaver and Reed; Beaver was supervising architect in Melbourne

Religious Brougham Place Congregational Church, North Adelaide (competition 1859, in collaboration with Edward Hamilton; built 1861, with construction supervised by Wright & Woods) St. Laurence's Church and Priory, Buxton Street, North Adelaide (1867–1868) Jewish Synagogue, off Rundle Street East (1871)

Residential "Belmont", Brougham Place, North Adelaide (1858) "Linden", Burnside "Paringa Hall" for the Cudmore family, Brighton Road, Somerton Park, now part of Sacred Heart College "Athelney", College Park "Princess Royal" homestead at Burra "The Olives", Glenelg, for his brother

Other Adelaide Educational Institution schoolhouse, 61–71 Young Street, Parkside