The Bairds’ Contributions to Building Design in 1910s Pyongyang

Explore missionary building design and construction in Volume 95 of Transactions, published this year (2021) by the Royal Asiatic Society, Korea Branch. William Martyn Baird (1862-1931), along with his wife Annie Laurie Adams Baird (1864-1916), was involved in the making of at least two buildings in 1910s Pyongyang. While these two buildings might have been the Bairds’ only foray into the world of architecture, the stories surrounding their construction significantly add to our understanding of what it was like for missionaries to design and build Western-influenced architecture in early modern Korea.

Download the article by clicking the link below:
The Bairds’ Contributions to Building Design in 1910s Pyongyang – Nate Kornegay

Suggested citation:
Nate Kornegay, “The Bairds’ Contributions to Building Design in 1910s Pyongyang,” Transactions 95 (2021), 26-35.

While the article is available for download here on Colonial Korea, I encourage you to write directly to the RASKB and order a hardcopy of the latest volume of Transactions. Not only does it help support the organization, but journal articles cover a wide variety of interesting topics — written by a wide variety of interesting authors. The content for Volume 95 is as follows:

Underfloor Radiant Heating in United States: Frank Lloyd Wright’s Korea-Inspired Dream – Robert J. Fouser

Essay Contest – Song Sumin

The Bairds’ Contributions to Building Design in 1910s Pyongyang – Nate Kornegay

The Life and Work of Pierre Louis Jouy (1856-94), ‘The Smithsonian’s First Man in Korea’ – Peter Juhl

School Records Under Japanese Rule: A Fragment from Gilsang Elementary School, Onsuri, Ganghwa Island, 1920-45 – Russell Kelly

The Forgotten Korean Labourers On Nauru – Ron Munro and Alamanda Lauti

A Passion for a Worthwhile Life: Yi Pangja’s social welfare activities in Korea – Seulkee Nam and Cameron Pyke

What is a Dragon, Really? – Fred Jeremy Seligson

The Bulldozed Future: Exploring Korea’s Urban Redevelopment Zones – Ryan Berkebile

The Emperor and the Miner: The Story of John Kavanaugh – Robert Neff

*Header image from the Presbyterian Historical Society.