William T. Leighton

William Leighton
Born(1905-07-15)15 July 1905
Fremantle, Western Australia
Died11 March 1990(1990-03-11) (aged 84)
Dalkeith, Western Australia
NationalityAustralian
EducationFremantle Boys School
Perth Technical College
OccupationArchitect
SpouseMiriam Olga Wight
ChildrenGarry
Parent(s)James Leighton, Margaret née Howard

William Thomas Leighton (1905–1990) was a Western Australian architect, well known for his Art Deco[1] and Inter-War Functionalist style of civic, commercial and domestic buildings.

Leighton was born in Fremantle on 15 July 1905 and after an apprenticeship at the architectural offices of Allen & Nicholas in Fremantle, was one of the first group of architects to be registered as part of the WA Chapter of the Royal Australian Institute of Architects.[2]: p12  Leighton then worked in the architectural offices of Eales and Cohen before joining Bohringer, Taylor and Johnson, who sent him on interstate and overseas commissions.[2] Leighton joined the firm Baxter Cox in 1936 and was later to become a partner until the firm was dissolved in the mid-1940s. Leighton joined the Public Works Department for a short time after World War II, before being offered a partnership with Hobbs, Winning and Leighton.[2] Leighton was president of RAIA (WA) between 1951 and 1952[3] Leighton retired in 1975.[2]

William Leighton worked on a number of Western Australian cinemas including the Windsor Cinema in Nedlands, the Cygnet Cinema in South Perth,[4] the Princess in Fremantle, and the Piccadilly Theatre and Arcade,[5] Theatre Royal, Metro, Grand and Plaza Theatres in Perth, and the Lyric in Bunbury.,[6]

Leighton died on 11 March 1990 at his Dalkeith residence.

  1. ^ Sennott, Stephen (2004). Encyclopedia of twentieth century architecture. New York: Fitzroy Dearborn. p. 70. ISBN 1-57958-243-5.
  2. ^ a b c d Assessment Documentation researched for Heritage Council of Western Australia
  3. ^ "History of the WA Architectural Profession". RAIA(WA). Retrieved 12 November 2009.
  4. ^ "Register of Heritage Places : Permanent Entry (Cygnet Theatre)" (PDF). HCWA. Retrieved 12 November 2008.
  5. ^ "Register of Heritage Places : Permanent Entry (Piccadilly Theatre)" (PDF). HCWA. Retrieved 12 November 2008.
  6. ^ "Register of Heritage Places : Permanent Entry (Lyric Theatre)" (PDF). HCWA. Retrieved 12 November 2008.