McVean, John

McVEAN, John (1817-1902) was active in Halifax, N.S. as a builder and later as an architect. Born on the Isle of Colonsay in Scotland he arrived in Nova Scotia about 1840 and devoted much of his early career to the building trades. He was briefly in partnership with John W. Ruhland in the firm of J. McVean & Co., but their collaboration ended in 1865 (Halifax Express, 14 July 1865, 3). In 1872 he was invited by J.C. Dumaresq to form a partnership (see list of works under Dumaresq & McVean) and remained with him until 1877 when Dumaresq moved to Saint John N.B. McVean continued to list himself in Halifax city directories as an architect until 1882. He moved to Cape Breton after 1890 and died at Port Hawksbury, N.S. on 31 October 1902 (death notice Morning Herald [Halifax], 6 Nov. 1902, 8; biog. M. Rosinski, Architects of Nova Scotia, 1994, 132)