LEWIS, Owen Pryce

Architect

Also referred to as PRYCE LEWIS, Owen.

Pryce Lewis was probably born in Natal. In 1927 he was articled to COWIN, POWERS & ELLIS in Durban where he spent three years and attended classes at the Natal Technical College. He won the Emma Smith Art Scholarship in 1931 which enabled him to spend two and a half years at the Architectural Association, London, from which he graduated in 1933. He worked for some time subsequently in the office of H Tanner. While a student at the Architectural Association, he travelled (1931) in Europe, visiting the Netherlands, Germany, Austria, Hungary and Czechoslovakia; on a second visit to Europe (1932) he visited France, where he spent most of his time in Paris. He was elected an Associate member of the RIBA in 1934. In 1935 he was awarded the Bernard Webb Studentship and spent six months at the British School at Rome, using it as a headquarters for his thesis on 'Renaissance architecture and classical sources'. On his return he was a studio master on the staff of the Architectural Association from 1935 to 1937 and in 1938 he joined the staff of the School of Architecture, University of Cape Town, and was in practice on his own account as well as working in association with Professor L Thornton WHITE, whom he had known at the Architectural Association. Most of his career in South Africa took place after the Second World War. In 1936 he was elected a Fellow of the RIBA. In 1969 he was listed in the Register as being Professor.

Note:

Pryce-Lewis list

There is an index to building plans [a list] made by Professor Pryce-Lewis that covers the period 1888 to 1913 for all Cape Town Municipalities except Wynberg (which was too big to cope with). The index can be accessed by street name, owner, architect and plan number (Manuscripts & Archives, UCT). (Carohn, Cornell and Malan, Antonia. 2008. Places at the Cape - a Guidebook for beginner researchers p.30 Places at the Cape.pdf accessed 09:00 UTC +2 2023 11 02). This list has been augmented by architectural historian Stewart HARRIS. We at artefacts.co.za have worked from an electronic copy of this list.

Click here for a list of buildings extracted from the Pryce-Lewis list.

ARIBA 1934; FRIBA 1946. (ARIBA nom papers (1934) 4300; Fellowship nom papers (1946); SAAR Sep 1930:101)

All truncated references not fully cited in 'References' are those of Joanna Walker's original text and cited in full in the 'Bibliography' entry of the Lexicon.

List of projects

With photographs
With notes

Sunningdale: n.d. : 1893 : 1938. Kenilworth, Cape Town, Western Cape - Restoration Architect 1938

Books by LEWIS

Pryce Lewis, Owen. 1989. When first we practise : The life of Jan Michiel Endres, surgeon. Simon's Town: Simon's Town Historical Society

Books citing LEWIS

HSRC. 1987. Dictionary of South African Biography Volume V. Pretoria: Human Sciences Research Council. pp ?

ISAA. 1959. The Yearbook of the Institute of South African Architects and Chapter of SA Quantity Surveyors 1958-1959 : Die Jaarboek van die Instituut van Suid-Afrikaanse Argitekte en Tak van Suid-Afrikaanse Bourekenaars 1958-1959. Johannesburg: ISAA. pp 93, 208

ISAA. 1969. The Yearbook of the Institute of South African Architects and Chapter of SA Quantity Surveyors 1968-1969 : Die Jaarboek van die Instituut van Suid-Afrikaanse Argitekte en Tak van Suid-Afrikaanse Bourekenaars 1968-1969. Johannesburg: ISAA. pp 96, 161

Parker, Howard. 2015. John Parker, 1866-1921 : architect and mayor of Cape Town. Wellington, New Zealand: Howard Parker. pp iv, vi

Entries in books by LEWIS

Pryce Lewis, O. The restoration and preservation of historic buildings : their aesthetic relation to town planning. In The Preservation and restoration of historic buildings in South Africa. 1968. AA Balkema

Bean, Lucy & Pryce-Lewis, O. Parker, John. In Dictionary of South African Biography Volume V. 1987. Human Sciences Research Council