Tuesday 16 April 2013

Updating the Griffin model


Walter Burley and his architectural partner, Marion Mahoney, moved into their own house on the Castlecrag Estate in 1925. I will show you their house in a later post. My point is that 1925 is a while ago, and only 15 of their designs were made manifest. So, was it a vision, or a mere fancy?


What I am endeavouring to do, is to show you how the Griffins imbibed - for folk from Chicago - a foreign landscape, and made it their own. I have shown you the prestigious 15 The Citadel, and teased you with smears of landscape. Today, I want to show you how glimpses of the Griffin legacy can still be seen in architecture around Castlecrag through the decades since the Griffins moved to India in 1935. Did I mention that the suburb that is Castlecrag today, was originally three development estates - Castlecrag Estate, Sunnyside Estate, and Wireless Estate - with decreasing levels of involvement by the Griffins or by their business partners? Needless to say, I live on the old Wireless Estate. The median house price in Castlecrag is $1.75m.


Anyways, to my untrained architectural eye, there is an whiff of Griffin to each house illustrated. What is missing is a splash of humility, even in the face of natural beauty. But humility is a sparse commodity nowadays.

11 comments:

Jim said...

interesting look at the suburb

head in the sun said...

The gate in the first shot is fab-u-lous!
Find it difficult to get excited about the last 2 houses - bit soulless and have all the personality of a prison block.
The median price of a house in Ararat is $0.00001m - hahha crack myself up.

Ann said...

I'm afraid all of those leave me cold.

Joe said...

My favourite is the first one Julie. I find the curves appealing. I am sure I could happily live in any of them.

Julie said...

Interesting that you all want to 'like' them. FB has a lot to answer for! I suspect that the fitout in each and everyone of them would knock our socks off. However, are they carrying on the legacy of the Griffins?

U3A - Logan District said...

Is this the same Griffin who designed Canberra. scuse my ignorance.

diane b said...

Sorry Julie I was signed in as the camera club.Its me diane on all 3 posts.

Julie said...

Yes, Diane, the same Griffins Walter & Marion) who designed Canberra.

Julie said...

Letty, I am not sure of the median price of a house in Ararat, but a little more than $10 I suspect.

If a house in A were to cost $100K and the 2011 census counted 7000 people, then each person would represent $14. In C/C if the median price is $1.750K and the pop. of Sydney [its catchment of purchasers] was 4,605,992 in 2011, then each person would represent 40c. I think I would prefer to try to sell the joint in Sydney.

head in the sun said...

Oh ok - it's $10.50

Joan Elizabeth said...

I can see your point but can't see any Griffin in the second house ... more Sidler.

Truth is I am not very enamoured with the Castle theme.