HAMILTON, DAVID, a Scotch architect, was born in Glasgow, May 1], 1768. Of his professional education and earlier studies little is known. We must therefore content ourselves with enumerating some of his principal works, which alone will show that be was exten sively employed. At Glasgow, besides the Exchange, he erected the Theatre (1801), the Western Club House, the Glasgow, the British, and some other banks; and in the West of Scotland several private mansions of a very superior class, namely, Hamilton Palsco, the princely seat of the Duke of Hamilton ; Toward Castle, that of the lato Kirkman Finlay, Esq. • Dunlop lions°, Ayrshire, for Sir John Dunlop; acid Lennox Castle, for John Kincaid, Esq., of Kincaid, which last is considered one of his beat works. Among the structures abovenamed, the one by which he will be most generally known is the Glasgow Exchange (erected about 1837.40), an insulated edifice (200 by 70 feet) standing in the centre of a regular 'emplacement' or area of 300 by 200 feet. That end of the building which faces Queen-street is entirely occupied by an octostyle Corinthian portico, which besides being diprostyle has two inner columns behind the second and the seventh of those in front, consequently although there Is exactly the same number of columns (twelve) as in the portico of the Royal Exchange, London, there is considerable difference of plan as regards the interior. Still more does the Exchange itself differ
from the London one, since instead of being an open cortilo like the latter, it is covered over, and forms a spacious room of about 100 by 65 feet, divided into three spaces on its plan by a range of 'even columns on each side.
Hamilton was one of the few architects at a distance who entered into the competition for the New }louses of Parliament, on which occasion he so distinguished himself that one of the four 5001. premiums was awarded to him for his designs. On the completion of the Exchange ho was complimented, in July 1840, by a public dinner, and the present of a service of plate, and gold box, &c., from the citizens of Glasgow. He was in fact universally respected no less for his probity and excellence of character than for his abilities.
He died at Glasgow, December 5, 1843, in his seventy-sixth year, leaving a eon in the same profession, Mr. Thomas Hamilton of Edin burgh, architect of two of the most tasteful structures in that city; the High School, a happy application of Grecian Doric; and the new Physicians Hall, completed in 1845, which, though a small facade, exhibits freshness of design, and is remarkable for the novel and effective manner in which tho two statues are introduced.