McLELLAN, John (1820-1887), a native of Prince Edward Island who began his career as a builder before 1850 and was said to have built (and perhaps designed) the churches at Pomquet and Croquish in the diocese of Antigonish, Nova Scotia. He moved to the United States where he trained under the pre-eminent Patrick Keely of New York City, and likely assisted him with preparation of drawings for St. Simon & St. Jude Roman Catholic Church in Tignish, P.E.I. (built 1859-60) as well as other Canadian projects which Keely had in hand at Saint John, New Brunswick during this period. McLellan returned to Canada after 1870, and was the logical choice to finish the interiors of the church in Tignish which had been designed by his mentor, and to design the nearby Roman Catholic Convent and the Glebe House at Tignish. He also devoted nearly fifteen years of his career working for Bishop McIntyre, designing and completing new Roman Catholic churches in the diocese of Charlottetown.
McLellan appears to have been well-educated and knowledgeable about contemporary ecclesiastical design. The P.E.I. Museum and Heritage Foundation holds a inscribed copy of a pattern book from his personal library entitled Chapel and Church Architecture, by Rev. George Bowler (pub. Boston, 1856). This book contains designs which closely resemble the churches by McLellan at Montague and at Vernon River. McLellan died at Sydney, N.S. on 13 November 1887 (obit. Charlottetown Herald, 23 Nov. 1887, 2; obit. P.E.I. Agriculturalist [Charlottetown], 28 Nov. 1887; biog. H.M. Scott Smith, Historic Houses of Prince Edward Island, 1990, 44; inf. Harry Holman, Charlottetown).
FOXLEY RIVER, P.E.I., St. Brigid’s Roman Catholic Church, 1873 (H.M. Scott Smith, Historic Houses of Prince Edward Island, 1990, 44, with illus. of church and biography of the architect)
MONTAGUE, P.E.I., Church of Christ Baptist Church, 1876 (H.M. Scott Smith, Historic Churches of Prince Edward Island, 1986, 57, illus.)
VERNON RIVER, P.E.I., St. Joachim’s Roman Catholic Church, 1877 (H.M. Scott Smith, Historic Churches of Prince Edward Island, 1986, 57)
CHARLOTTETOWN, P.E.I., St. Joseph's Roman Catholic Convent, Pownal Street, c. 1880. The obituary for McLellan in 1887 reported that he built (and may have designed) this large 3 storey frame building (list of works in Charlottetown Herald, 23 Nov. 1887, 2).
L’ARDOISE, CAPE BRETON, N.S., Roman Catholic Church, 1883 (North Sydney Herald, 1 Aug. 1883; inf. Garry Shutlak, PANS)