Atkinson, Henry Wallace

ATKINSON, Henry Wallace (1866–1938) was born at Brisbane, son of Paul Atkinson, a music teacher, and Jane Creech. He was educated at Brisbane and was an articled pupil of the architect Christian WAAGEPETERSEN and a foundation scholar of the Brisbane School of Arts Technical College in 1883. Atkinson was appointed a junior draftsman on trial at 10/- pw in the Queensland Public Works Department in March 1882 and promoted to draftsman in 1884. He became a foreman of works in 1890 shortly before winning a design competition for the head station of the Brisbane Fire Brigade. Atkinson resigned from the public service in March 1890 after having secured this commission and began private practice as an architect in Brisbane. In 1907 he admitted his former Works Department colleague Charles McLAY as a partner, practising as ATKINSON & McLAY until McLay’s death in 1918. Thereafter Atkinson practised with AH CONRAD until 1938. He was placed third in a competition for the Booroodabin Baths in 1895 and won a gold medal for architectural designs at London’s Greater Britain Exhibition of 1899. Atkinson was a champion cyclist, representing Queensland in 1886 at the inaugural inter-colonial cycling races in Sydney and winning the one-mile and five-mile Queensland championships in 1887. He had married Martha Jane Hipwood, daughter of James Hipwood, an ex-Mayor of Brisbane, on 30 April 1891. Their eldest son James Victor Atkinson and son-in-law R.H. Verry were killed in action in France on 5 April 1918. Two other sons became architects: CH ATKINSON and HWM ATKINSON. Atkinson snr died at his home in Cavendish Road, Coorparoo, on 26 April 1938.