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25.01.2022 Today on The Design Files, a wonderful and very restrained renovation on a Jack Clarke MCM home in Frankston Sth. Some might remember this home from an episode of Renovation Australia a while back. The story is testament that renovations on mid century homes make them so much more valuable than knock-down-rebuilds. Valuable in terms of the retention of our important post war history AND as investments. What a beautiful job they did and how wonderful that the owners recognize...d the positive contribution they could make by saving it. - Derek Swalwell #mcm #midcenturymodern #renovatedontdetonate #preservation #architecture #design #beaumarismodern #designfiles

25.01.2022 GONE BUT NOT FORGOTTEN #22 Satchell House 21 Summerhill Road, Beaumaris Until its shocking and entirely unforgivable demolition in 2017, this was one of the oldest post-war modernist houses still standing in Beaumaris, if youll pardon the cheeky oxymoron. Dating back to 1950, it remained for nigh on six decades to provide rare evidence of that special moment when the suburbs ti-treed bush-blocks and sandy streets first began to bristle with cutting-edge domestic architect...Continue reading

25.01.2022 We did it! Beaumaris Modern, the book, won the Australian Institute of Architects, Victorian Architects Awards, 2020 - Bates Smart Award for architecture in media tonight! Thank you to all 14 contributors for letting us share your incredible mid-century homes & their stories. And thanks to everyone who has supported the book along the way and bought copies! We cant wait to see book 2 hit the shelves. ... Special thanks to co-authors Simon Reeves and Alison Alexander and photographers @jacksheltonphoto and @derek_swalwell - book designer @sphogan and publisher @melbournebooks and Beaumaris Books for your support ... @architecture_vic @batessmart @baysidecitycouncil #beaumaris #beaumarismodern @fiona_whittle_austin @mcmalexander #simonreeves #victorianmodern #builtheritage @Letitiagreen_photography See more

24.01.2022 Expressions of Interest closing tomorrow 23rd June, for 3 Banksia Avenue Beaumaris. A large block with two houses. We would love to see the front house retained, it has so much potential. It was designed in 1960 by architect K. Murray Forster. To inspire you, here are some lovely images from @letitiagreen ... Contact Sam from Kay and Burton Tel: 0422 026 027

24.01.2022 Legendary designer Mary Featherston is featured in the I-CONIC Australian Design exhibition (see link below) produced by Beaumaris Modern member, collector and senior lecturer at Monash University @ispyid Ian Wong. Commissioned by @designtasmania and supported by @robinboydfoundation The I-CONIC Australian Design exhibition and designer profile series features iconic Australian furniture designed by Grant and Mary Featherston. A particular focus is the Expo67 Talking Chair co...mmissioned by Robin Boyd and available from @graziaandco #designtasmania #robinboydfoundation #featherstonchairs #monashuniversity #monashada #ispyid #ianwongcollection https://vimeo.com/460795215

24.01.2022 GONE BUT NOT FORGOTTEN #13 The Berdy House, 5 Banksia Avenue, Beaumaris. News of the forthcoming sale of a house at 3 Banksia Avenue prompted finger-crossing that it doesnt meet a fate comparable to that of its late lamented neighbour at No 5: An exemplary specimen of the work of Anatol Kagan that was regrettably demolished some thirty years ago. ... Winding the clock back another three decades to c1960, everyones favourite Russian-born émigré architect was commissioned to design a house for Joe Berdy, an SEC electrical engineer, and his schoolteacher wife, Joyce. Fun fact: while Kagan did houses for a veritable slew of Continental compatriots (Germans, Austrians, Poles, Romanians, et al), this house in Banksia Avenue was one of only two that he ever designed for fellow Russians. Joe Berdy, it turns out, had once been Josef Berdychevski. Alas, we dont really know much about the Berdy House, as it never gained any contemporary plaudits nor a glossy profile in a populist home mag of the day. All we have to remember it by is this single colour photograph a snapshot taken by the architect himself, no less, during a return visit to Melbourne in the early 1960s. From it, we can all see that the house was Klassik Kagan: that broad-eaved flat roof, creamy cream brickwork, lively sub-Mondrian fenestration and the architects trademark colourbacked window spandrels in this case, in a rather fetching pastel blue. As far as we can tell, the Berdy family resided therein until the early 1970s, when they retired to the hills of Sassafras. Their former Beaumaris pad hung around for some time only to be quietly razed in the 1980s, inexplicably retaining as a gloomy vacant allotment for some years thence before, in the heady 1990s, being redeveloped with something that was later promoted as a stunning new luxury home. I cant disagree Im still stunned by what was built on the site. In ruminating on the tragic loss of the Berdy House, lets leave the last word to that well-known champion of mid-century cultural heritage, Miss Ann-Margret: Bye bye, Berdy I'm gonna miss you so Bye bye, Berdy Why'd ya have to go? Research and text by Simon Reeves, Built Heritage Pty Ltd #beaumarismodern #beaumarisMCM #MCM #Heritage #gonebutnotforgotten #midcenturymodern #preservation #history @baysidecitycouncil

24.01.2022 For Sale! 25 Hotham Street, Beaumaris. Full of character and warmth, this split level home in a great street comes complete with copper fireplace and beautiful, natural garden. Contact Michael Cooney from Hodges to organise an inspection: 0418 325 052

23.01.2022 GONE BUT NOT FORGOTTEN #16 Spears House, 30 Reid Street, Beaumaris Sure, it hardly needs to be uttered aloud that were all familiar with Beaumaris hallowed reputation as a regionally significant seedbed for progressive residential architecture. But how many of you, in an idle mood of introspection, have ruminated on this question: hey, so what was the first post-war modernist house ever built there? ... While this may be fodder for endless academic bickering, Id like to throw my leading contender into the mix: the house that architect Jimmy Spears designed for himself in Reid Street, completed all the way back in 1946. A shadowy figure in Melbournes post-war architectural scene, Jim Spears worked for many years in a large city-based architectural firm and, as such, didnt maintain his own private practice. As such, his own Beaumaris pad designed pretty much as soon as he became a registered architect - remains one of his few known solo projects. Back in the mid-1940s, obviously one could have ones pick of the best home sites in Beaumaris, and Spears chose a doozy: a block of land on the south-east corner of Reid Street and Ward Avenue, with a capacious northern frontage that virtually demanded a house on an elongated plan that opened outwards into the sunshine. Thats precisely that Jimmy came up with: a narrow rectangular footprint stretched from one end of the site to the other, forming an extended north elevation taken up by a generous verandah and a fully-glazed window-walled gallery. Of timber construction, the house was modestly expressed with a low gabled roof and weatherboard cladding. Deceptively simple yet jaw-droppingly innovative for its day, the house attracted a glut of publicity, cropping up in various newspapers and magazines, to say nothing of a glowing write-up in Robin Boyds first book, Victorian Modern (1947). Amazingly enough, this prototype of progressive living in Beaumaris remained unmolested for over thirty years mainly, because Spears and his wife resided therein until his demise in 1979, aged only 63. Had he lived into his nineties, the house might still be here today. As it turned it, its site became a poster-child for post-war palimpsest: not only was Spearss own house demolished, but the house that replaced it (designed in a quasi-Spanish mode so beloved of the late 1970s) has also since disappeared, replaced in the 1990s by three smaller dwellings. Research and text by Simon Reeves, Victorian Modern

23.01.2022 GONE BUT NOT FORGOTTEN #25 Bunnett House 2 (Nandina) 9 Point Avenue Beaumaris...Continue reading

23.01.2022 GONE BUT NOT FORGOTTEN #18 Fildes House, 457 Beach Road, Beaumaris Ruminating on the question of architects who lived in Beaumaris, one is inevitably drawn to Alan Fildes, half of the prodigiously progressive partnership of Seabrook & Fildes that caused jaws to drop and mouths to water when they blazed across the Melbourne architectural scene in the early 1930.. So its all rather fitting that that one of Melbournes first modernists became one of Beaumaris first modernists...-in-residence. But heres the rub: Alan Fildes (1909-1955) had not one but TWO houses in Beaumaris. When he and his (as it turned out) first wife settled in the area in the late 1930s, he designed a natty little flat-roofed brick residence in Tramway Parade. Then, in the early 1940s, he reckoned it was time to upgrade and designed a new place on Beach Road. Utilising the same Dudokian character that coloured much of the Seabrook & Fildes output (not just houses but fire stations, factories and even a certain lakeside girls school), Fildes own house was a flat-roofed cream brick confection on a T-shaped plan, with overt horizontality heightened by raked joints, slatted eaves and low planter boxes. Add french doors, reed-glass window wall, portholes and a carport (no, not a garage a carport), and youve got one seriously revolutionary residence. This progressive theme leeched through the interior: built-in-furniture, ingenious storage solutions, concealed lighting and oh-so-fashionable tubular steel chairs. This was surely a dwelling, as one populist magazine duly reflected, that started in Beaumaris the vogue for modern ideas. So, what happened to this superlative domestic game-changer? Divorced and remarried, in 1943, Alan Fildes remained in residence therein for over a decade. In early 1955, six months before Fildes sudden and mysterious death, the house was offered for sale (with vacant possession) as a lovely architect-designed solid brick home. It had a few more owners until it was demolished, with no fuss or opposition, in the late 1970s. And what, I hear you ask, became of its lookalike antecedent in Tramway Parade? Well, thats gone too. Bugger. Research and text by Simon Reeves (with a little help from Dr Christine Phillips) @architecture_vic #beaumarismodern #beaumarisMCM #MCM #Heritage #gonebutnotforgotten #midcenturymodern #preservation @baysidecitycouncil #seabrookandfildes @melburneartdeco #moderne

23.01.2022 IMAGES FROM THE INSIDE #6 As we slowly and somewhat begrudgingly emerge from lockdown, we have a treat for our final image from the inside. Today we get a peek inside the amazing Bricknell House, designed by architect Charles Bricknell in 1952 and now being carefully restored by his grandson David and his partner Keara. David has an enviable set up, where, after brewing his morning coffee he heads downstairs to start his work day in the tranquil, light filled space. ... With a view of the pool and northern wing, the room has proven to be the perfect space for a home office. On her days off, Keara can often be found curled up on the Tessa t4 providing some much-appreciated office banter, says David. Apart from work, after hours the room doubles as a cosy hangout space, the perfect spot to enjoy a magazine and glass of red. But the fun really happens in summer, where the room also provides a great entertaining space for pool parties. And given the months weve just spent in iso, were betting the pool parties of summer 20/21 will be ones to remember Derek Swalwell @noise_co_ #beaumarismodern #mcm #midcenturymodern #architecture #history #preservation

22.01.2022 Were excited to share the transformation of a lovely, albeit previously tired, mid-century home at 145 Dalgetty Rd, Beaumaris. Its been given a fresh new life, retaining as many original features as possible, with an uncomplicated makeover by one of our clever committee members, Carlie at Hygge Spaces and Design Its living proof that these 1960s homes are ripe for renovation a much more preferable and environmentally friendly option than demolition. Read the full story... and see before and after shots on our website https://beaumarismodern.com.au/a-dalgetty-pretty/ The house is currently on the market via Sam Hartrick 0421 272 726 and Peter Kakos 0418 123 993. Will it be your forever family home? thanks to Estate Imagery & @letitiagreen

22.01.2022 Vale Martin Sachs Martin Sachs a talented MCM house designer and builder, has sadly passed away this week aged 95. Martin Sachs, shared an office in Brighton with mid-century architect, Harry Ernest in the 1960's. Sachs built many of Ernests houses and when it came to his own developments, was obviously influenced by Ernests simple modernist flat roof designs and his detailing (although they possibly influenced each other) as there are many similarities between their hous...es. Sachs designed and built many houses in Melbourne, mostly in Caulfield and Brighton. In Beaumaris he is celebrated for his visionary design of Bellaire Court. He purchased 40 blocks of land in Beaumaris - previously a chicken farm - and between 1963 and 1968 designed and built most of the houses in the court (some blocks of land were sold for cash flow). The houses Sachs designed all had a flat roof as he believed a flat roof was better for a good floor plan - which is almost impossible to achieve under a tiled roof. Unusual for the time, the houses were constructed on a concrete slab with ducted heating set into the slab. The houses had private courtyard gardens, a cocktail bar, an ensuite bathroom and walk-in wardrobe, beautiful timber joinery and often a swimming pool. The whole court was conceived as being a luxury modern estate, hence the name, Bellaire Court. He loved being featured in the Beaumaris Modern Book and today Bellaire Court is one of the most intact streetscapes in Beaumaris. These visionary designers and builders have shaped our suburbs and need to be recognised and celebrated. The image is a Bellaire Court house by photographer Jack Shelton for the Beaumaris Modern book. (Available from Beaumaris Books).

21.01.2022 IMAGES FROM THE INSIDE #10 As the stage 4 blues set in, we head into the north facing lounge of Denise Rooks home to bask in the winter sun. This home was designed by its owner, Raymond Milton Johnson, a civil engineer, in 1955. A substantial renovation took place in 1965 by the same owner, which transformed the home almost doubling it in size. When Denise and her husband purchased the home in 2016 it was in its original condition (following the 1965 renovation), most of whi...ch still remains untouched. But back to the lounge where Denise, Beaumaris Moderns first ever life member, is spending many days in iso. It is my favourite room, it is always light filled even on a dull day, says Denise. The walls, painted a soft green, are the perfect backdrop for Denises collection of mid-century art work, most of which has been purchased from Martin and Louise at Outre Gallery, with Shag and Angelique Houtkamp being favourites. Denise has been a collector of mid-century nick knacks, furniture and clothes for years as evidenced everywhere. As owner of @buttonmaniac in Highett and an all-round creative (knitter, sewer, crocheter) there is no shortage of crafting projects to while away her iso-days in lockdown. I am looking into the tree tops, magpies and currawongs are a frequent distraction when I sit knitting next to the windows, says Denise. If only we could join her Artwork: Outré Gallery Louis Poulsen Panthella Floor Light Living Edge: Furniture for Life @letitiagreenstudio @noise_co_ #beaumarismodern #mcm #midcenturymodern #architecture #history #preservation #lockdown #interiors #melbournehomes #melbourneinteriors #midcentury #buttons #buttonmaniac #buttonmania

20.01.2022 MID CENTURY I THIS CENTURY Brick Residence by Preston Lane Architects The ‘Brick Residence’ proposes a modest extension creating a larger light-filled family home which respects and preserves the legacy of the original classic modernist house designed by Ernest Fooks; and remarkably retained in the family since its commission by our clients Grandfather in 1951. The main challenge of this project was how to design an extension to such a fantastic original house by the renowne...d modernist Architect Ernest Fooks. The clients brief was essentially not to ruin the original house - no pressure! Conceptually the project proposes a new series of spaces constructed of recycled bricks from the original garage that was demolished. These walls are then capped with a large thin singular concrete roof that is exposed internally and slides under the existing houses eave line, clearly delineating old and new. Internally the new recycled blonde bricks are exposed in the mid-section of the extension and then painted towards the rear where an angled wall and subtle curve is introduced in contrast to the original. A new larger kitchen, the heart of this family home, is re orientated to address the dining room and terrace directly, as well as importantly sit within the linking space between old and new. The new exposed concrete ceiling is first experienced from above the end of the kitchen, and the existing ceiling is defined with painted lining boards connecting through to the dining room. The proposed extension is located along the south of the site providing expansive north facing windows and doors supplying natural light to all rooms as well as important connections to the rear yard. The concrete roof is designed to provide generous eaves that control the sun seasonally. Existing bricks from the garage and the original terrace handrail have been re purposed and reworked within the new proposal. The laundry and bathroom were carefully renovated avoiding a full fit out to make use of the existing fabric which simply needed some slight updating. The project maintains the integrity of the original house and has been enhanced with a respectful addition that has transforms this into a sustainable family home. TEXT: Nathanael Preston - Preston Lane Architects IMAGES: Derek Swalwell

20.01.2022 Taking another moment to reminisce - this time on OPEN 2019. We had the pleasure of featuring 4 incredible mid-century homes: the Johnson House, Eidlitz House, Bricknell House & Dearie House along with a future classic: the Sheedy House, multiple winner in the Bayside Built Environment Awards 2019. The weather was superb, just like 2018. And attendees enjoyed not only visiting the houses, but our mini mcm marketplace featuring local artists (and BoMo Juniors with their stall...), back at our amazing HQ, Beaumaris Bowls Club As Melbournians taste some long awaited freedom today, the BoMo committee start eagerly planning the events we have had to put on hold, so watch this space... We can't wait to see you all soon! #restorerenovaterevive #mcm #midmod #bmopen #architecture #beaumarismodern #interiors #midcenturymodern #midcenturymoderndesign #openhouse

20.01.2022 FOR SALE Grant House 14 Pasadena Avenue Beaumaris A special opportunity to purchase an original Mid Century Modern home, that has been in the same family since it was designed by celebrated architect, Peter McIntyre, in 1956. The house consists of two modules linked by a central wet area section containing the kitchen, bathroom and laundry, each module has four timber bowstring trusses. The house is described by The Heritage Council of Victoria, ‘as the most intact example o...f a bowstring truss house constructed in Victoria’. The house is further described as having ‘significant innovation and flexibility of the design, specifically for the way it represents the domestic architecture of the time’. Although heritage listed, the house could have another contemporary module added to the rear and side as the land is generous. In fact, architect Peter McIntyre could be engaged to design any new work! Peter and his wife Dione, an interior designer, recently visited the house to assist the owners with the colour scheme for the interior. Contact Michael Cooney at Hodges: Tel: 0418 325 052 Thank you to Letitia Green @letitiagreen_photography for the images.

20.01.2022 MID-CENTURY | THIS CENTURY We’ve been overwhelmed with the positive reactions and encouraging comments on our ‘Gone but not Forgotten’ series and we’ll be continuing it as there are (sadly) many more gems to share. But this week, we start a new series to showcase sympathetic renovations to Mid-Century houses, and hopefully inspire. Mid-Century houses can look a little sad and tired after 60 years, however, renovating and restoring them is an excellent and viable long-term opt...ion, much more preferable than demolition. There’s no denying they often need to be rewired, re-plumbed, re-roofed or have more space added but it’s a sound investment for the long term with their popularity on the up and up. Local estate agents are receiving so many enquiries from prospective purchasers for these rare and very special homes. And there’s nothing we love more than seeing them being brought back to life! After our Beaumaris Modern trip to Palm Springs in Feb, we were encouraged to see so many modest MCM houses sympathetically renovated. These unique, character filled homes sell for high prices, and their features can be hard to replicate in a new build. In Beaumaris, these cleverly designed, modest houses are fast being lost but if you are fortunate enough to find one, they offer a unique opportunity to create a really special home. The purpose of our new series is to inspire the purchase and renovation of those remaining Beaumaris MCM houses. Next week, we’ll kick off the series with an inspiring renovation to a modest MCM house by MRTN architects). Please message us if you’d like to be featured in this series. #beaumarismodern @arcchitecture_vic @baysidecitycouncil #mcm #midcenturymodern #midcentury #modernism #beaumarismodern #beaumaris #architecture #design #interiors #interiordesign #renovatedontdetonate #preservation #history #heritage #restoration #renovation #restorerenovaterevive #revival #modernistrevival #homesofinstagram #australianhome

20.01.2022 GONE BUT NOT FORGOTTEN #11 72 Oak Street Beaumaris So many of us just LOVED this house! We were sure a Mid Century Modern fan would snap it up, but sadly not.... The house was a one-owner, architect designed, (Burrows and McKeown) award winning house, apparently owned by a ceramic artist. It also had a beautiful garden. It was so well designed, with all the rooms facing the courtyard garden. As you can see from the real estate images, it was perfectly designed for the site, with wide eaves and a beautiful northern aspect to the courtyard garden. It would have been very easy to sympathetically restore/renovate. Unbelievably it was knocked down in 2016 and the garden bulldozed. The house that replaced it (Hamptons Style) has ignored the northern aspect and now the house faces the street? Sad, so sad. #Beaumarismodern #BeaumarisMCM #MCM #heritage #gonebutnotforgotten #midcenturymodern #preservation @baysidecitycouncil #saveourmidcenturybeaumarishomes @architecture_vic #history @nationaltrustvic #weneedaheriatgestudy #renovatedontdetonate #architecture #saveourmidcenturybeaumarishomes

19.01.2022 Tune in FREE tonight to the Australian Institute of Architects Victorian Chapter awards on Youtube from 7pm to 8pm https://www.architecture.com.au/vic-chapter/ Included in the categories is the BATES SMART AWARD FOR ARCHITECTURE IN MEDIA... And the book Beaumaris Modern is short listed! Aside from the Media awards, its always interesting to view new houses and renovations and to see what our talented Victorian architects have recently completed.

19.01.2022 GONE BUT NOT FORGOTTEN #19 Jarvis House 5 Coral Avenue, Beaumaris This smart but long-vanished little number is another sterling example of what can happen when an enlightened client colludes with an enlightened builder without the intermediary interference of an actual architect. Before settling in Beaumaris in the late 1950s, medico Dr Barry Jarvis and wife Lorna were self-confessed house-watchers who pored over glossy home magazines from many lands, cast a critical eye ...over just about every house they ever encountered IRL, and kept fastidious notebooks of any layouts or details that happened to take their fancy. So, who needs an architect anyway? When the Jarvises came to build a house for themselves in Coral Avenue, they took their bulging minds and bulging sketchbooks to builder Lindsay Burghard (1921-1972), himself a relative newcomer to Beaumaris but one who had already established himself as a talented designer/builder of local dwellings. For the Jarvises, Burghard rose effortless to the occasion with a flat-roofed brick house on a zany J-shaped plan that incorporated the fashionable full-width glass-walled gallery space opening onto a crazy-paved terrace with a no-less-crazy polygonal fishpond. But thats not the half of it. Drawing from the Jarvis metaphorical and actual catalogue of homebuilding hints, the house incorporated all sorts of quirky details. One aspires to have been a fly on the wall of those client/builder meetings: Hey Lindsay, we want a front door with a wide rendered surround, OK? And the living and dining rooms must be separated by a multi-paned window wall with built-in shelving to chair rail height. Is that a problem? We want an open plan kitchen but dont want our dinner guests being able to peer into it how about a swinging half-door so Wifey can see out but they cant see in? Oh, and she wants a strip heater under the counter to keep her feet warm. And by the way, a kitchen isnt a kitchen without a tea-towel drying rack, pigeon-holes for cake tins and set of concealed steps that can be folded out so that we can reach the high cupboards. And that was just for starters. Clearly, builder Burghard never rolled even one eye at these or any other wild caprices, as the house duly incorporated all that the Jarvises desired. While the house went on to grace the front cover of a certain populist home journal, the couple and their two sons resided therein for only a few years, later relocating to a more conventional cream-brick pile on Beach Road. Alas, their former home in Coral Avenue, once heralded in print as a house worth watching, was demolished in the early 2000's when someone looked the other way. Research and text by Simon Reeves See more

19.01.2022 Bayside City Council & Beaumaris Modern have fought to save the Esme Johnston House, 38 Grosvenor Street Brighton. This inter-war Tudor style home was designed and built by Home Beautiful journalist, Esme Johnston in 1930. The house should have been protected 20 years ago when it was recognised as significant. Although not Mid Century Modern, Beaumaris Modern worked with Bayside community groups to save this significant house and there is still another important step, the ...VCAT panel hearing next month when we hope the house gains a permanent Local heritage listing. Thank you to Jewel Topsfield for her story in the Age today. https://www.theage.com.au//esme-johnston-home-saved-from-d

18.01.2022 One of our amazing sponsor partners, Natalie at The Mid-Century Store has just the bag for Mid Century lovers. And there's nothing like a bit of online shopping, and a parcel arriving on the doorstep, to cheer us up during lockdown. If you're a Beaumaris Modern member, you'll get 15% off all items at the Mid Century Store. If you're not a member, you can sign up here:https://beaumarismodern.com.au/membership-2/ A heartfelt thank you to all our members for your support. We wi...sh we could put on the events we had planned for the latter part of the year, but sadly our OPEN weekend and walking tours are postponed until restrictions lift. But we can't wait to see you all when allowed. Hope everyone is keeping safe. #beaumarismodern #membership #architecture #mcm #midcenturymodern

18.01.2022 GONE BUT NOT FORGOTTEN #15 The Hayward House, 6 Third Avenue, Black Rock. For a change of pace, heres a bit of Beaumaris proto-Modern thats long gone (nigh on forty years ago now) and is teetering on the precipice of being forgotten, if it hasnt already plunged headlong. Some or all of you will know the name of Walter Burley Griffin, and a subset of that will be aware of his quirky yet ingenious Knitlock construction: a patented system of hand-pressed interlocking concret...e tiles from which one could assemble an entire building like a 3D jigsaw puzzle. Ahead of his time much? You betcha. In theory, Knitlock was easy as pie, but sadly ended up being about as easy as . The specially-designed tile-pressing apparatus was tricky to use, assembling the tiles was trickier still, and dont even talk about the faff of waterproofing and reinforcing. Worst of all, the system necessarily imposed a restrictive three-foot module, so you were stuck with narrow corridors and tight alcoves. The smallest room in the house was invariably so small that the toilet pan had to be placed at a jaunty angle to allow the door to open. Ergo, Knitlock didnt exactly catch on to the extent that its starry-eye patentee had envisaged. A handful of examples were built in Victoria in the early 1920s, and a slightly larger handful in Sydney. Exactly how and why a Knitlock house came to be built in Black Rock in 1923 is lost in the murk of undocumented history. The owner was Miss Elsie Hayward (1892-1955), a sprightly milliner from Kew, who wanted the new house as a weekender back in those dim dark ancient days when people actually went to Beaumaris and environs for their holidays. For Miss Hayward and her sisters, Griffin provided a compact two-bedroom beach-house with steeply hipped roof and his trademark casement sash windows with diagonal glazing bars. The Haywards holidayed there regularly until the mid-1930s. Fun Fact: Elsies sister Beatrice was evidently so besotted by this unique construction system that she and her husband subsequently purchased Griffins very own one-roomed Knitlock house in Heidelberg, the phabled Pholiota. Meanwhile, such was the extent of residential settlement in these suburbs-sur-mer that, by the 1940s, Elsies former weekender had been pressed into service as a permanent full-time dwelling. Somewhat of an oddity in its seaside streetscape, the little pyramid-roofed concrete cottage luckily captured the attention of a number of passing photographers and enthusiasts before it quietly demolished, with seemingly little fuss or opposition, in the late 1970s. Research and text by Simon Reeves, Victorian Modern. @architecture_vic #beaumarismodern #beaumarisMCM #MCM #Heritage #gonebutnotforgotten #midcenturymodern #preservation @baysidecitycouncil #saveourmidcenturybeaumarishomes @nationaltrust

18.01.2022 If, over 20 years ago, Bayside Council had implemented the recommendations of its own heritage advisers, this house would have been heritage listed. In Bayside, every time a significant house is threatened, community groups like ours & bodies such as The National Trust have to fight to protect these houses because of the lack of heritage protection. Two studies have been cancelled & recommendations from completed studies not implemented. It should not be like this. Thank go...odness Bayside Council have finally committed to a comprehensive heritage study for all of Bayside. The planning minister has reminded Bayside Council that protecting heritage is not a choice, it’s a parliamentary act that all other councils in Victoria comply with. Thank you to all the supporters including individuals, community groups, heritage architects and The National Trust, who have worked together to help to save this house and get action on the imminent Bayside Heritage Study. @nationaltrustvic @heritagecouncilvic @tallstorey @helen_lardner @australiaicomos @bryceraworth #beaumarismodern #baysideheritage #baysideheritagestudy

17.01.2022 And now, a good news story. The architect behind this stunning MCM renovation said it all with this: In the midst of so much destruction of this type of house, we wanted to show how a weary mid-century home can be invigorated. We think its super important for heritage and diversity not to lose any more houses of this character. ... Here here to the owners & Bower Architecture & Interiors #renovatedontdetonate #preservation #history #midcenturymodern #mcm #architecture

17.01.2022 MID CENTURY I THIS CENTURY Portsea House by Studio Esteta Located along the coastline of Port Phillip Bay, within arm’s reach of the Portsea Pier, Portsea House is the refurbishment of an existing cliff top residence that pays homage to the mid-century era and surrounding coastal context. The Client’s brief sought to rejuvenate the existing double storey residence, whilst maintaining the existing building footprint, with modifications to the spatial arrangement to create a li...ght filled 6-bedroom refuge. Having a deep appreciation for mid-century design, our clients favoured existing details be maintained or used as a point of reference to create a light filled and relaxed interior that feels wholly connected to the adjacent Weeroona Bay, in a non ‘coastal cliché’ way. The new mid-century inspired staircase is a prominent feature within the home that defines the entry foyer (a previously vacuous space) and maintains views through to the bar and coastal aspect beyond. Mid-century classics including two original Semi Pendants feature in both the ground floor and first floor dining areas, accompanied by the Lampe De Marseille wall lamp by Le Corbusier, The Hans J. Wegner Circle Chair, Panton Chair and Entre 1B Oak bedside tables. The tactile palette works cohesively to create an unpretentious and modern seaside home. The introduction of crazy paving, articulates an uninterrupted transition from exterior to interior, promoting a sense of continuity between the previously separate environments. Innovative and unique to this project was the commitment from our clients and ourselves, as the designers, to cautiously alter the existing home whilst remaining true to, and enhancing the stylistic significance of its mid-century undertone. Words Studio Esteta Images Sean Fennessy

17.01.2022 MID CENTURY I THIS CENTURY Peter Maddison writes about his Bayside mid century home - The Lipson House This Walters & Grodski designed house was built in 1969 and commissioned by the Lipson family who were button makers in the city. They went on to live here for 32 years. Being émigré, they had the passion to build an exotic dream home using skilled craftsmen of the day including the highly regarded master furniture designer Dario Zoureff. They craved exotic a...nd fun elements like the pool with diving board, a cabana, plunge spa, built in record player and the mandatory back lit mirrored bar plus a suite of American Walnut furniture pieces. The façade, interior screens and furniture pieces have a reoccurring diamond motif which we contrasted with some new circular elements of operable louvred roof, kitchen island, button lights and mirrors. In renovating this home, we sought to retain its Mid-Century roots. Kitchen joinery is from European Oak with a Japan black stain. The floors and ceilings are also Oak, the handmade original timber stairs were repaired by the original maker at Slattery and Acquroff, the original pampas grass wallpaper were matched and sourced from USA and handmade grout free tiles are from Japan. A shag pile rug now sits resplendent in the lounge reminiscent of a wall to wall version that was original. The Cheltenham based Fasham Windows who installed the window-wall in 1969 were re-engaged to replace them with a bronzed anodized system, this time with double glazing. Other than the kitchen being relocated and reorientated to backyard the open planning is original. Walls and ceiling were re insulated to provide more environmentally credentialed home performing better than 6-Star NCC energy rating. This renovation aims at retaining its original spirit and we, like The Lipson’s, hope to live here for 32 more years - or more. The fondue parties continue! Photography: Derek Swalwell Exterior pool image: Will Watt

15.01.2022 MID CENTURY I THIS CENTURY Director of Pleysier Perkins architects, Ramon Pleysier, writes about his own very original 60's home. ‘I grew up in within walking distance to where I now call home. Mid-century architecture intrigued me even as a child, I’m not sure why but the buildings, gardens and people seemed to stand out to me. When I needed a larger home and couldn’t afford the inner city, I moved back to the old hood to find the ‘forever home’. The building was designed by... Herman Sibbel and constructed by Sibbel Builders Pty Ltd in 1969. Martin Sibbel was a master craftsman and cabinet maker. Even now 50 years on, all of the joinery is in perfect working order. The original building is beautifully planned and zoned. The main living to the north along with parents’ quarters, kitchen and meals located centrally with a brick wall installed providing acoustic insulation to the three kids’ rooms beyond. My attitude to the existing areas has always been to make good rather than to make new. I wanted the fabric of the building to be left alone and we have used furniture and art to personalise the spaces. And then when the twins came. (that made 4) we needed to extend. I allowed myself to explore many designs before committing. In the end just one rear bedroom was stretched to provide a link to a new upper floor section that cantilevers above the rear garden. The addition is only just visible from the street being set back more than 15m from the facade.’ Words: Ramon Pleysier Images: Michael Kai @Pleysier Perkins See more

14.01.2022 GONE BUT NOT FORGOTTEN #12 The Hassett House, 2 Bolton Street, Black Rock. Designed by Architect Donald Crone 1954 for professional sportsman Arthur Lindsay Hassett, whod recently retired from an illustrious career playing first class cricket.... Geelong born Hassett (1913-1993) made his international test debut in 1938 and served as Donald Bradmans vice-captain for three series before taking over after Bradmans retirement in 1948. Completing his final series in 1953, Hassett and his wife Tessie decided to erect a new home for themselves. They had lived in Toorak since their marriage in 1942, then moved to a rented flat in Hampton in 1949. Keen to remain in the area, they purchased a block on the corner of Bolton and Keating Street in Beaumaris where vacant land was plentiful at the time. The couple engaged young architect Don Crone, who according to Mrs Hassett, was a close friend of her husband. Brighton born Crone (1923 1994) graduated in 1950 and when approached by the Hassetts, was employed in the office of Roy Grounds. Mrs Hassett vividly recalls that construction was fraught with conflict between their very, very advanced architect and rather more conservative builder. She remembers arguments about some of Crones boldest ideas, such as the cantilevered stairs and the low-pitched bituminous roof. External timber was finished with a marine grade varnish that was supposed to last forever, however the house was later painted a striking Swedish Red. And the interior was open plan - long before it was fashionable, Mrs Hassett points out. The house was replaced around 6 years ago with a dual occupancy development. Written by Simon Reeves Built Heritage #Beaumarismodern #BeaumarisMCM #MCM #heritage #gonebutnotforgotten #midcenturymodern #preservation @baysidecitycouncil #saveourmidcenturybeaumarishomes @architecture_vic #history @nationaltrustvic #weneedaheriatgestudy #renovatedontdetonate #architecture #saveourmidcenturybeaumarishomes

13.01.2022 IMAGES FROM THE INSIDE #11 (Probably the last in our series, due to being unable to capture shots in homes any longer) Just because 2020 hasnt thrown enough curveballs at you yet, today our image from the inside is actuallyoutside! For MCM home owner Annie Price @half_pricey, the garden has become the go-to spot during these long weeks of isolation, drawing her in with its superpowers.... Ive always loved gardening, its something my folks passed down to me and my green thumb has grown over the years, says Annie, working from home means in my lunch hour, I can nip out and water, plant, prune, weed... you name it, its keeping me sane and centred. Those mad crazy split blocks seen behind Annie are in several places throughout the home. I cant imagine anyone patient enough to lay bricks that way these days, says Annie, Eric McLean, the wonderful builder who designed and built our home in 1961 said his bricklayer was very loyal, working for him and his brother Duncan for almost his entire career. So clearly, they could ask anything of him! The garden is full of curios and colourful retro finds. The concrete seagull/stork bird is one of three who protect the front yard, found on one of the family's pre-covid garage sale hops. If I had a dollar for every time someones asked me if Ill sell them, I would be a rich woman! she laughs. For now, the silver-lining of isolation is found here; the fact that Annie doesnt have to driven hour into the office each day means getting to spend more time in the garden and she is making the most of that time to stop and smell the natives (no roses here!). Probably something we could all be doing more of. @rowenameadowsphoto @noise_co_ #beaumarismodern #mcm #midcenturymodern #architecture #history #preservation #lockdown #interiors #melbournehomes #melbourneinteriors #midcentury

13.01.2022 IMAGES FROM THE INSIDE #7 As we find ourselves in lockdown 2.0, to provide some online distraction, we are pleased to present another round of Images from the Inside. Today we bring you the sunken loungeroom of the John Baird designed Philpot House, one of the 5 houses that featured in our inaugural BM Open House event in 2018. Its easy to see why this spot has become a haven for owners Jo Pritchard and Ian Wong during iso, with its north-facing window wall and open f...ire, and it was love at first sight when they viewed the house nearly 20 years ago. As Jo reminisces, the very first time I entered this house I looked down into what I now call the sunken loungeroom and something clicked I knew this house was the one. Its funny though because over the years this wasnt the room that we spent the most time in. We navigated to the kitchen/dining/lounge room where our lives revolved around children, school lunches, cooking, puppies and homework. But as COVID has descended, Jo and Ian now find themselves empty nesters with a much quieter home and an elderly hound who sleeps a lot. With both of them working from home, and Ians regular overseas travel on hold for the foreseeable future, the room has emerged as their hub and their hearth. The suns streams through making it the warmest room in the house. At night we light the open fire, sit back with a glass of wine and snuggle our gorgeous dog, who has recently gained couch rights. Plus, theres the sense of iso-achievement they gain when taking in the view. From this room we overlook our first iso-project with pride a crazy paved courtyard which we have been meaning to do for the past 10 years. At least something good has come out of this, says Jo. Insta: @jopritchard.im & @ispyid @letitiagreenstudio @noise_co_ #beaumarismodern #mcm #midcenturymodern #architecture #history #preservation #lockdown #interiors #melbournehomes #melbourneinteriors #midcentury

13.01.2022 In just a few days’ time, we would have been hosting our third annual OPEN event. Our committee, home owners and volunteers would have been excitedly counting down to the big day and we'd have been racing around completing all the last-minute tasks. Sadly of course, the events of 2020 have put a stop to proceedings. But rest assured, we'll be back, bigger and better in 2021! In the meantime, we thought we’d share some of the wonderful homes we’ve opened during the last two ye...ars (and reminisce about the good old days of community events with no social distancing or masks). First cab off the rank, our inaugural 2018 OPEN event - featuring: The Bell House, Browne House, Godsell House, Johnson House, St.Michael & All Angels Church and Philpot House, (as seen in the video). We had 450+ attendees from all over Beaumaris, Vic & Australia. The sun was shining for us and the day was a huge success. Beaumaris Bowls Club was our wonderful HQ and we all got to catch up and chat with like-minded people, about our shared passion for MCM. Hope you enjoy the memories as much as we do. We’ll share more in the coming days. #bmopen #openhouse #restorerenovaterevive #architecture #beaumarismodern #midcenturymodern #mcm #interiors #midmod

12.01.2022 Although it was only February this year, it seems like an eternity ago that some of our Beaumaris Modern committee members and friends were lucky enough to visit Modernism Week in beautiful Palm Springs, USA. And with the current stage 4 lockdowns in Victoria, it's a wonderful, happy distraction to see that our podcast with USModernist himself, the charming George Smart, has just gone live! The Australian contingent, interviewed by George, poolside at the Skylark Hotel, inclu...des Annie & Jamie from Beaumaris Modern & The Robin Boyd Foundation, our friends and fellow MCM fanatics, Rachel from Canberra Modern and Annalisa Capurro aka Ms Modernism from Sydney. You can listen to 'The Australia Show' podcast here: https://usmodernist.org/usmodernistradio.htm #mcm #midcenturymodern #architecture #history #preservation #protection

12.01.2022 MID CENTURY I THIS CENTURY The first in our new series to inspire the renovation, restoration and retention of original Mid-Century Modern homes. Renovated MCM houses offer very liveable spaces, connected to the garden, filled with light, oodles of character and strong architecture.... Located in Rye on the Mornington Peninsula, ‘Dark Light House’ is a modest addition to a family home designed and built in the late sixties. Originally built as a holiday home, the owners required additional living space but not at the expense of the detail and character of the original building. MRTN architects have cleverly connected an addition to the corner of the original house and created a play between light and dark, east and west, new and old. Through a minor intervention to the existing house paired with a small addition, the entire house is reimagined. The whole is greater than the sum of its parts. The original holiday home, designed by Peter Fawns in 1966, possesses the traits of well-planned and efficient homes that were typical of the Small Homes Service. The house was remarkably intact and little changed over time with the exception of a bathroom upgrade. The clients’ favourite feature being the hardwood timber ceiling that had developed a rich patina over the past 50 years. As a full-time family home, the house lacked the separation of living spaces that enable simultaneous activities to occur and the original but modified kitchen was also not living up to daily family life. The brief was to provide a second living space and a new kitchen; the budget was limited and managed carefully and which did not change during the course of the project. The most important component of the brief, however, was that the original house should be altered as little as possible. The assumption was the kitchen would be upgraded in its existing location with living space added to the East. MRTN’s proposal was to locate a new pavilion that allowed for a place to eat, live and cook while at the same time becoming the new front entry and access point to the back yard. The new pavilion duplicates the size of the original living area, providing dining and living spaces in both the original and new areas of the home. The new pavilion provides contrast to the original architecture without imitation, it has enhanced and complimented the original house and created a wonderful, character filled family home. Architects: @mrtn_architects Photography: Tatjana Plitt @tatjanaplitt Builder: Robbie Dunball, Saltwater Builders @saltwaterbuilders

11.01.2022 GONE BUT NOT FORGOTTEN # 17 Combermere 29 Beach Road, Beaumaris. This photograph of 29 Beach Road (previously 79 Beach Road) was taken in 1937, just after the house was built. Long-time Beaumaris resident and Beaumaris Conservation Society committee member, Geoffrey Goode, grew up in this fine Moderne style home built by his parents in 1937, complete with an enormous Coast Banksia Banksia integrifolia tree. The house was built with double clinker brick, rendered and pai...nted a cream colour. The horizontal lines were un-rendered protruding brick. The Window frames and shutters were originally painted in Berger Venetain Red Geoffrey inherited the property in 1962, and sold it to its last resident owner, Mrs Stephens, in 1965. She finally left it to move into an aged care home, after which its vacant state led to its being extensively vandalized. For Geoffrey, last summers bushfires awoke strong memories of the Beaumaris bushfire on 14 January 1944, when the fire front was travelling east from Wells Road, and a sudden wind change to a southerly saved the house. Geoffrey with his family sheltered on the beach at the foot of Charman Road. When the family returned to the house in the late afternoon, Geoffrey remembers a long line of house furniture placed along the centre of the then 2-lane Beach Road. Geoffreys late younger brother, Robert, lived across Combermeres side road, Cliff Grove, on the opposite corner, in a house that their father built for his parents on the site of their former 1928 holiday home. (That house is still standing). Robert Goode objected at VCAT to the 6-dwelling structure proposed for the site in 2012, but it set aside Bayside City Councils unanimous refusal of a permit. The permit VCAT granted lapsed, and the site has been vacant ever since. Combermere was demolished in 2013, and it has changed hands and agents several times. Currently there is a new permit for a 4 apartments, which are being advertised on the site. The large Banksia Integrifolia is ailing.

09.01.2022 Big news last night, as Bayside City Council, Victoria voted 4:3 in favor of commencing a heritage study. Huge thanks to National Trust of Australia (Victoria) for all your support. We look forward to the study commencing soon and being implemented in 2020/2021. And we echo this sentiment: "The National Trust supports the need to provide natural justice to home owners affected by heritage studies and planning scheme amendments to introduce new heritage overlays. We advocate ...for heritage protection to be based on rigorous assessment by independent experts, and scrutinised through an independent Planning Panel process which provides all parties with an opportunity to have a say." #preservation #mcm #midcenturymodern #architecture #history Derek Swalwell

08.01.2022 GONE BUT NOT FORGOTTEN #23 Hicks House 63 Oak Street, Beaumaris While Beaumaris can (or could once) boast of having more mid-century houses per square inch than any other neck of Melbournes woods, relatively few were designed by European-trained migrant architects you know, that influential little cluster of Continentals who settled here from the late 1930s to the early 1950s (mostly) and breathed new life into the local architectural scene with their own special brand of a...uthentic International Modernism. While these architects were notably active in certain parts of our town, relatively few ventured into Beaumaris. There were a handful of Kagans, a few Fookses, the odd Popper or Schroeder, and best of all, Tad Karasinskis own house. Sadly, most of these houses are now gone (but not forgotten). Amongst the necrology is this eye-catching residence in Oak Street, designed in the mid-1950s by Swiss-born Rico Bonaldi. An architects son, he began his career in Vaters office (where he designed his first building at the tender age of thirteen) and went on to attend Freddy Rombergs alma mater in Zurich. Rico secured further experience with various architects before moving to Australia in the late 1940s, where he worked as a draftsman for an engineering company and then rose up the ranks of several large city architecture firms. In parallel, he found time to design a few houses for friends and fellow émigrés, including this fine specimen in Beaumaris (his only known work therein). We know little of the client, businessman and ex-RAAF Squadron Leader Bernard Hicks, who in any case lived there for only a few short years before selling up in 1958 his abode promoted as an attractive three-bedroom semi-contemporary home in delightful garden setting. Its next owner was photographer Jack Griffiths, who resided there for some time, and there were one or two subsequent owners before the house was unceremoniously demolished in the late 1990s or thereabouts. But what of architect Bonaldi? He went on to become one of Melbournes leading authorities in curtain wall design and building technology: an internationally sought-after expert, published author, lecturer and all round good egg. He was still working until his death barely a couple of months back at the age of 93 years indubitably, a record-breaking eight-decade career in architecture. Rico, youre gone but not forgotten. Research and text by Simon Reeves

07.01.2022 House 12 Oak Street, Beaumaris Designed and built by W H Dando, c.1952 Demolished today - 12 Oak Street Beaumaris- The Hexagonal House or Honeycomb House'. Three of these experimental houses were built in Beaumaris and 12 Oak Street was the only one remaining - see story below. Although it looked in poor condition outside, inside it was beautifully constructed - all from timber with a unique layout... it was like a museum with the original kitchen complete with wood bur...Continue reading

07.01.2022 GONE BUT NOT FORGOTTEN #20 Olive Phillips Free Kindergarten 28 Bodley Street, Beaumaris Some weeks back, we paid a virtual visit to architect Alan Fildes own home on Beach Road, sadly razed in the 1970s. Its a sobering quirk that Alans other major contribution to the local architectural landscape also vanished during that heady decade. Were talking about the Olive Phillips Free Kindergarten in Bodley Street. I can already feel you all leaping nimbly to correct me: hey..., the kinder is still there, my own brats are enrolled there as we speak. Au contraire the current building was erected in the 1970s when the old one met its final fate. Now read on. Who was Olive Phillips anyway? Well, she was a pioneer kindergarten teacher who, back in the mid-1940s, established her shrewdly titular facility in Arkaringa Crescent, Black Rock. A forward-thinker in many ways, she was keen to expand her remit and provide snazzy new purpose-built premises. This was reported in late 1947, although plans werent drawn up for another year. The architects of record were Seabrook & Fildes, who proposed a building along the most progressive lines: an L-shaped plan with two large playrooms linked by a shared facilities and a north-facing glazed gallery. This was later revised to a T-shaped plan, with the gallery expanded to form what was enticingly described on the drawings as an outdoor (summer) classroom. Further revision unfolded: the final drawings (dated 1950-51) retained the offset T-shaped plan, added an integrated infant welfare centre but (alas) eliminated the outdoor classroom. This enlightened internal planning was contained within a deceptively simple exterior of slick and reductive modernist form: low roofline, contrasting walls of weatherboard and vertical timber cladding and extensive but varied fenestration. And one classic Seabrookian-and-Fildesian touch: a wall-mounted flagstaff. To raise funds for construction of the new kindergarten, sundry local follies were held including an annual shindig with fireworks, bonfires and barbecues. At one such event, in November 1950, a scale model of the proposed building was proudly exhibited before a hushed crowd (I wonder what became of that?) The new kindergarten opened in 1951 and was a runaway success for years. Well, until one fateful day in October 1972 when it burnt down. Hmm, makes all those fundraising barbecues, bonfires and fireworks kinda ironic, huh? Fortuitously, help was at hand for this char-grilled Olive. Local architect David Godsell stepped in and, rising effortlessly to the occasion, designed the elegantly monumental replacement building that we know and love today. Research and text by Simon Reeves.

06.01.2022 For Sale - 9 Lynette Avenue Beaumaris - an original MCM house - angled on the block to catch the sun and in a lovely street ... save this one from the developers! Contact Romana Altman at Buxton Tel: 0414 804 270.

06.01.2022 ‘The Ahern House’ by Anatol Kagan. For those who have been patiently waiting for a very special mid-century home, 171 Tramway Parade Beaumaris is for sale. The house was designed by celebrated emigre architect, Anatol Kagan, in 1960 and features his signature black glass spandrels on the front facade, upstairs living, large picture windows and balcony. The house is elevated high on the hill, with distant water views from the balcony. Retaining its original staircase and craz...y paved entrance, the Ahern House has five bedrooms & a pool house and has been renovated by its architect owners. The Ahern House is featured in the very excellent book on Anatol Kagan, 'The Gentle Modernist' by heritage architect Simon Reeves. Contact Romana Altman from Buxton Tel: 0414804270

04.01.2022 GONE BUT NOT FORGOTTEN #24 N E Brotchie Pharmacy 21 Keys Street, Beaumaris With Beaumaris so famously peppered with mid-century dwellings, its easy to lose sight of the fact that the suburb also boasted an enviable smattering of other building types from said era: some top-notch architect-designed churches, school buildings, public halls, banks, etc. One of our all-time favourites, of which no trace no remains, has to be Norm Brotchies chemist shop in Keys Road. ... Its fair to say that the career arc of Norman Edward Brotchie (1929-1991) was firmly predestined, as his father was a well-known pre-war pharmacist in Essendon, with a nifty little Deco-style corner shop in Ardoch Street. Following in Dads footsteps, Norm completed his studies and, in late 1951, passed his intermediate exams for admission to the Pharmacy Board. As Norm remained living in Essendon well into the 1950s, it seems fair to speculate that he probably worked for the Old Man. Yet, nearer the end of that decade, he had designs on a pharmacy of his very own. He eyed a potential location far south across the river, down Beaumaris way. By the early 1950s, Keys Street, just off Beach Road, was already starting to development as a local retail hotspot, with outlets that included a butcher, fruiterer, draper and chemist. Norm Brotchie opted to give the latter a run for his money and establish rival premises across the road, at No 21. To design the new building, he turned to none other than Peter McIntyre. The young architect rose effortlessly to the occasion with that you see before you: a simple edifice with recessed window-wall giving way to an interior with fantastically futuristic furniture (note the hovering cabinetry and sub-Meadmore chairs) and an eye-popping (or pill-popping) ceramic mural of overscaled pharmaceutical paraphernalia. McIntyre himself kindly confirmed for us that a well-known Melbourne artist was responsible for the mural, but, alas, couldnt recall his name after all these years. Norm Brotchies Keys Street pharmacy remained a hallowed local dispensary for years and years it was still running in the 1970s, after Norm opened a second outlet on the East Concourse. It would appear that the later finally eclipsed the former, which was duly converted into a medical clinic. While the glazed façade was infilled, the mural was at least partly preserved and remained a nifty snippet of mid-century public art into the early twenty-first century. Then, in 2007, the medical clinic was substantially renovated and we bade a baleful bye-bye to this apotheosis of apothecary jars. Research and text by Simon Reeves

04.01.2022 Please help save the first house Robin Boyd designed for his family... An application has been made to Heritage Victoria to remove the Former Boyd House at 666 Riversdale Road, Camberwell (formerly 158 Riversdale Road) from the Victorian Heritage Register. The Former Boyd House was classified by the National Trust as a place of State significance in 1987, and added to the Victorian Heritage Register in 1991. The Executive Director of Heritage Victoria has assessed the request..., and recommended that the house not be removed from the Register. This recommendation is open for public consultation until Monday 14 September. The Heritage Council will then review submissions and make a final decision. A registration hearing may be held if requested by the property owner or a submitter. We need your support to show the Heritage Council that the Former Boyd House is an important part of our states cultural heritage, and should be protected for current and future generations. How can I help? To make a submission to the Heritage Council of Victoria, fill out the required Form A in support of the Executive Directors recommendation, and submit it via email before close of business on Monday 14 September. It doesnt take long to complete, and every submission counts. For more information go to: : http://www.trustadvocate.org.au/call-to-action-help-us-sav/ Featured image: Former Boyd House, Riversdale Road, Camberwell, by Mark Strizic, 1970, State Library of Victoria

03.01.2022 Gone but not forgotten #14 Ames House, 378 Beach Road, Beaumaris. As Oscar Wilde would have said, to lose one Anatol Kagan house in Beaumaris may be regarded as a misfortune; to lose two looks like carelessness. Hard on the heels of last weeks eulogy for the late-lamented Berdy House in Banksia Avenue, we can now shed further light (and indeed further tears) over the similar fate visited upon the beautifully bayside Ames House on Beach Road. Dating from the mid-1950s, it wa...s commissioned by Leslie Ames, a rag trader late of Coburg, and his wife Vilma. Aside from geographic proximity and premature eradication, the two houses have something else in common: theyre both somewhat little-known entries in the Kagan Kanon. As far as we can tell, neither was ever written up in a newspaper nor profiled in a glossy magazine. In both cases, no drawings have ever been located (at least not by me), nor have they been mentioned by Kagans widow or his circle of former staff and associates. In fact, we only know these houses even existed due to the happenstance that a single photograph exists in the Kagan archive: part of a set of Ektachrome transparencies that the architect himself snapped for his own amusement during a return visit to Melbourne in the early 1960s. Thanks, Anatol! So, please enjoy the image for what it is and nothing more. As with the Berdy House from last week, even this single snapshot shows that the house ticks so many Kagan boxes: the lively fenestration with tinted spandrels, the concealed and cave-like carport and the unmistakable egg-crate pergolas. With no surviving interior photographs to guide us, we can only speculate on what was surely a stunning vista through that capacious front window wall across the canted corner balcony to the saltwater beyond. But alas no more. Precisely akin to the Berdy House, this, too, fell prey long ago, in the needy and greedy 90s. Sure, by that time, the house had been subject to a few changes, including a not-entirely-unsympathetic second story addition along the Wellington Avenue frontage. Still, hardly reason enough, when the place was offered for sale in 1998, for the copy to draw attention to its elegant formal and informal living areas and manicured gardens before adding, in foreboding bold text: NOTE: DEVELOPMENT OPPORTUNITY. Sigh. Research and text by Simon Reeves, Built Heritage Pty Ltd @architecture_vic #beaumarismodern #beaumarisMCM #MCM #Heritage #gonebutnotforgotten #midcenturymodern #preservation @baysidecitycouncil #saveourmidcenturybeaumarishomes

02.01.2022 GONE BUT NOT FORGOTTEN #21 Iggulden House 5 Hutchison Avenue, Beaumaris Architects: Chancellor and Patrick ... In lifting the lid on the post-WW2 milieu of Beaumaris, one sometimes finds the same names cropping up over and over again and again. The Igguldens were one such family, memorable for a quite a lot more than just a tricky glottal stop. An engineer by trade, patriarch William Alfred Iggulden (1878-1963) formed his own industrial design company in the 1910s and resided with his wife in Brighton, where sons William Palmer (1916-1970) and John Manners (1917-2010) were duly born. Both went on to distinction: WP as founder of a successful lighting company (known for the iconic Planet Lamp) and JM as an engineer and novelist; the two siblings were also glider pilots of some renown. In the mid-1950s, each settled in Beaumaris. WP bought an enchanting pre-war cottage in Balcombe Park Lane, while JM went a step further and had a new house built in Wells Road. Its surely well-known to you all: that jaw-dropping three-storey pile at No 50, designed by Chancellor & Patrick. Whats rather less well-known is that, hot on the heels of John Igguldens much-published C&P mansion In Wells Road, his sixty-something father William senior not only decided to relocate to the selfsame suburb but to engage selfsame architects. In this way, Beaumaris obtained another Iggulden House, located on the south side of Hutchison Avenue, a short stagger from the beach. David Chancellors original sketch plans, dated July 1957, proposed a compact two-bedroom dwelling of oh-so-typical style: a stepping flat roofline with projecting beams, stark planar walls and continuous windows. This scheme was subsequently revised, with the built version completed in 1958 to a simpler design , albeit still incorporating some of those nifty C&P trademarks: a posted verandah, full-height windows, brick spur wall and projecting window bay with weatherboard spandrels. After William Iggulden died in 1963, his widow Jessie continued to reside in Hutchison Avenue until her own death in 1975. The house appears to have been demolished soon afterwards, replaced by something blithely described as a glorious modern two storey brick and treated timber home itself since demolished, replaced by another house in the early 2000s. Research and text by Simon Reeves.

01.01.2022 IMAGES FROM THE INSIDE #8 Beaumaris Moderns own photographer, Letitia Green, today turns the lens towards herself. Or more specifically, the dining area of the mid-century home she shares with husband Michael, daughter Tippi and whippets Winnie and Tiger Lily. Huge black steel windows frame a stunning view of the pool, hedge and look out across the bay, making it the place to be for the Green family during isolation. The windows connect them to the beautiful outdoors, and t...he room gets drenched in northern light during the afternoon. The large dining table and floor to ceiling bookcase opposite the windows make it the perfect area to store books, art and craft, games, and a stunning collection of artwork, ceramics and special objects. It really is a hub of our home, says Letitia, the room acts as home schooling area for my daughter, we often play Uno as a family, build lego, do art and have the table completely full of activities. Our two whippets love to lie in the sun and have an afternoon nap here. Built in 1957 and renovated in in the 80s by renowned Beaumaris architect Peter Carmichael, plans to renovate the home are something to look forward to. We are busy researching and getting inspiration from books, online and magazines and other homes we love that belong to friends. An aim to keep open spaces, create more warmth in Winter and some space changing will be an exciting improvement to our lives as we grow with the home. Iso has seen Letitia juggling her work as a visual artist and designer, photography projects, studying an Advanced Diploma and home schooling her 6-year-old! But nature has a way of grounding us all and the family are grateful for their location during these challenging times. It is tricky, but we feel lucky to be in Bayside. Just to have that feeling of space and connection to nature and to be able to see our friends when we go on walks and to the beach, says Letitia. Letitias photography series, Behind the Windows, will continue throughout Lockdown 2.0. Please get in touch if you are interested in being photographed! @letitiagreenstudio @noise_co_ #beaumarismodern #mcm #midcenturymodern #architecture #history #preservation #lockdown #interiors #melbournehomes #melbourneinteriors #midcentury

01.01.2022 IMAGES FROM THE INSIDE #9 Today were in the front room of Eleanor Philpotts 1950s Beauy Classic. While its always been a multi-purpose room for the family - getting ready for the day, morning chats and packing of school bags, and a place to stand and talk when people drop by for short visits - during isolation the space has really come into its own. Its being used as a class room, kids art studio and a place to get away from the main living area without being complet...ely disconnected from the rest of the family, says Eleanor, and the moody Helen Kennedy artwork and Tessa armchair set the tone, with no tv and an open fire, it is the perfect place to relax on a wintery day or night - and we have enjoyed a couple of much needed inter-iso catch ups with friends this way. The room looks onto an internal courtyard, with a stunning weeping cherry tree (not pictured) which is what sold the house to Eleanor originally. I remember walking into this house for the first time (in 2011) and the immediate impact of the central courtyard, and I still enjoy seeing peoples reactions when they first realise we have a tree in the middle of the house. The good news is that the home, thought to be designed by Neil Clerehan (as director of the Small Homes Service) and based on the 1954 Dream Home(since demolished in Surrey Hills), has been earmarked for protection in Bayside Councils voluntary MCM heritage assessment. And as we move through lockdown 2.0, Eleanor and family are living by the old adage the family that plays together, stays together. With a tennis club on just about every corner, nothing seems more Beaumaris than walking to your local court for a hit, says Eleanor, we joined our local club at the end of first isolation and, with family tennis still allowed, we can continue to go there regularly to improve our (beginners) technique and help keep us sane! @letitiagreenstudio @noise_co_ #beaumarismodern #mcm #midcenturymodern #architecture #history #preservation #lockdown #interiors #melbournehomes #melbourneinteriors #midcentury