Federation Arts and Crafts Architecture of Harold Desbrowe-Annear
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| With thanks to Harriet Edquist “Harold Desbrowe-Annear, A Life in Architecture”
The architectural masterpieces, urban planning projects, and bohemian existence that characterized the life of Australian architect Harold Desbrowe-Annear are examined in this tribute to a major proponent of the arts and crafts movement in architecture.
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See Also
Architecture of Harold Desbrowe Annear |
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Notable Projects |
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Arts and Crafts Houses |
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Melbourne City works |
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Town Houses |
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Country Houses |
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Gardens
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Notable projects
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1. Federation Arch, Princes Bridge 1901
The ephemeral triumphal arch erected on Princes Bridge by the City of Melbourne was designed by Desbrowe-Annear in 1901 to mark the visit of the Duke and Duchess of York for the Federation celebrations. It was influenced by Beaux-Arts civic design and the ‘Arc de Triomphe’ in Paris.[3]
2. Chadwick Houses, Eaglemont 1903
The three houses that Desbrowe-Annear erected in Eaglemont were commissioned by his fathe
r-in-law James Chadwick in 1903.
- They were 36–38 The Eyrie, built as a residence for the architect and his family;
- 32–34 The Eyrie, known asChadwick House and
- 55 Outlook Drive, known as the Officer House.
While relatively modest in size, their design indicates that the architect was prepared to grasp the issue of the “small home” as one of the most challenging of the 20th century.
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36–38 The Eyrie They embody the principles of William Morris in their truth to materials and place, structural ‘honesty’, functionalism and celebration of the builder’s craft.
- They are weatherboard with rough cast and half-timbering and exhibit many technological innovations including wall recessed, sliding window sashes, modular wall-framing and convection heating vents to fireplaces.
- Each house was thoughtfully positioned on the slope of the hill, with increasing setbacks from the street, so as not to block the views from within.
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3. Springthorpe Memorial, Booroondara Cemetery, Kew, 1897–1900
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| Springthorpe Memorial, Booroondara Cemetery |
The Springthorpe Memorial in the Boroondara Cemetery, Kew, was Desbrowe-Annear’s first Arts and Crafts venture.
- The design was influenced by William Lethaby’s writings on the iconography of the domed temple form in “Architecture: Mysticism & Myth”.
- Consequentially the architecture is symbolic.
- The geographic alignment of the tomb ascertains that the intense light of the afternoon sun lights up the temple with brilliant colour. It explores the idea of the hoped-for union of souls.[1]
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4. Inglesby, South Yarra 1915
Inglesby, also called the Francis house, in South Yarra was one of Desbrowe-Annear’s most famous houses, identified by Robin Boyd as an example of Melbourne’s ‘pioneer modernism’.
- It was timber-framed with plain white roughcast walls inspired by Californian architect Irving Gill. The plan of Inglesby centred on a large hall entered from the porch.
- It was flanked either side by the dining room and the living room accessed through sliding doors which when opened extended into a huge living area across the front of the house. Inglesby’s low ceilings and horizontal flow aligned it also to the work of Frank Lloyd Wright.[1]
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