Lewis Martin

Retired architect Lewis Martin has a passion for buildings, eloquently expressed in Built for Us: The Work of Government and Colonial Architects, 1860s to 1960s (Otago University Press, 2004).

As an architect in private practice he worked on hospitals, as well as fire stations, post offices, libraries, school halls, local authority offices, office blocks and houses. He was chair of the New Zealand Institute of Architects Education Committee during the 1970s, when an attempt was made to introduce architecture in some form into school syllabuses. The Committee believed that only a nation where consumers were interested in and knowledgeable about architecture could create a society where buildings were generally admired and pleasing.

After retiring from architecture Lewis Martin became a professional actor, working in live theatre, radio, television and films.