Wednesday 18 September 2013

Vale mid-century Brisbane home

Very few people bat an eyelid when post-war homes are demolished in Brisbane.

Call me sentimental but I always shed a silent tear for the mid-century homes destroyed, especially when they are replaced with McMansion style homes. It seems an absolute shame that well-designed mid-century homes are fast disappearing from our urban landscape, much like the reckless destruction of Queenslander style homes during the 80s and 90s.

The other week a 1957 architect designed home in the neighbourhood was quietly demolished. It was sold earlier this year. It had previously kept company with homes of a similar style in the street for nearly 60 years. I shudder to think what will be built in its place...however, one must be optimistic!

Jason and I inspected the mid-century house and even contemplated making it ours...unfortunately the timing and our meagre finances were not in our favour (and what would we do with the Sow's Ear?). We are sad we weren't able to buy it and save it from its eventual fate...

I am not sure who the original architect was but, in the mid 1960s, a substantial extension by well-known Brisbane architect Robert Froud (one of the architects of Torbreck) was added to the home.


The home was built at a time of great possibilities. It was by no means a flashy house but in its day it would have been quite cutting-edge compared to the standard post-war homes found in suburban Brisbane. The simple timber and brick home was constructed at an angle on the block to capture the best possible aspect.

The home's entry was quite stunning - floor to ceiling glass was used to create a light-filled and welcoming first impression. An internal rockery with a leafy palm tree located near the front door was a sweet mid-century flourish.


A panelled wall which spanned from the top to the bottom of the split-level home when accessing the internal staircase was another stunning feature. All four bedrooms and the main bathroom were located upstairs, while the kitchen, dining and living were on the ground floor. A second bathroom, laundry and utilities room were situated downstairs.

Timber panelled feature wall
In the picture below there is a large boulder embedded through a wall of glass that formed part of the Froud design. The brick extension was an extra family room which included timber built-in wall cabinets and a sloped beamed ceiling which cut into the original ceiling quite seamlessly.

There was definitely an emphasis on bringing the outdoors inside when the house was designed. It was also obvious that the landscaping was well-considered, with meandering garden paths and rock-edged garden beds dotted throughout the yard.

A boulder feature which goes through a glass wall

mid-century house exterior on auction day
The kitchen was in near original condition and had what would've been an expensive stove in its day - the St George Supermatic!

My modernist friend Susan inspecting the oven situation
The home had so many possibilities and I am certain that if the home was in the right hands it would've made a spectacular and stylish abode. Clearly the new owners thought differently.  And so it is with great sadness that I bring you the last photograph of the mid-century home.

demolished mid-century home 

Vale mid-century Brisbane home. May your successor be as full of possibilities and as sweet.

28 comments:

  1. That saddens me beyond measure.

    My mantra has always been: Money doesn't make class.

    Bastards!

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    1. I'm saddened too. Maybe the new house will be better... xx

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  2. So sad. So, so sad. I love our old home, with all of it's quirks. That looks incredible-it has a story and individuality!!! The poor former owners! So sad!

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    1. A house with quirks is a real home in my opinion! xx

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  3. I also struggle with the McMansion. I love the little old character homes and hate to see them go (and it is happening often in Perth too). Very sad. I know older homes are hard to live in sometimes and renovate (I have done that!) but I think it is worth it....

    That house was beautiful. I love the big wood panelled wall. Gorgeous.

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    1. I hear you about your struggle. Our society lives too big and wants too much that it scares. That wood panelling was the essence of cool. xx

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  4. That's a shame - what did it go for? I liked the house just the way it was (it looked pretty groovy actually!) Interesting to see what will be built in it's place. xx

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    1. $850K at auction. And it was very groovy. Apparently the original owners had a great art collection. xx

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    2. Such a shame, gorgeous entry and love the panel wall - I bet the original owners had bucket loads of style - their art collection must be really amazing !!!

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    3. Such a shame, gorgeous entry and love the panel wall - I bet the original owners had bucket loads of style - their art collection must be really amazing !!!

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  5. Grrrr! That makes me so cross! What a gorgeous home it was, so lucky you had some photos of it. People don't realise how well these homes suit out modern life! Big windows, high ceilings, perfect for Queensland...., no, split the block and build 2 narrow houses with no thought of the orientation, no eaves, but loads of air con!! $850k for a block of land, essentially! Rant over. Xx

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    1. I hear you Elizabeth! I think it's important that a greater appreciation of mid-century architecture is nurtured in Brisbane. A mix of housing styles need to be preserved... xx

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  6. Looks to have been a stunning home - the kind of home I dream of finding down here in Melbourne.
    Very sad indeed.

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    1. It was a lovely home. It needed a bit of tlc but it definitely would've made a great home for a mid-century enthusiast. xx

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  7. Oh what an amazing house, love love the panelled wall. So smooth, I would just be walking up and down the stairs all day to stroke it! And I wish you had a picture of the boulder through the glass wall, sounds amazing. Otherwise I just agree with Elizabeth who has summed it up very well. Grrr indeed. mel x

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    1. I have a lot more pictures. I may do a follow up blog post with those images. And I will definitely photograph the new house when it constructed. xx

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  8. Let's face it ... it's going to be godawful! So sad ... :-(

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  9. It saddens me that most owners (or their families), even of homes that are undoubtedly architecturally significant, don't bother to find a way to get their homes designated as historical sites. There is one neighborhood of 1920/1930s bungalows here in Fort Worth where the neighbors have banded together to have their homes preserved. I'm very impressed with their accomplishment, because their beautifully restored homes will be around for future generations to treasure.

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  10. I don't imagine there will be too many "meandering garden paths" once the replacement goes up...such a shame. It breaks my heart to see our quirky and unique inner suburbs being filled with brick and fibro boxes that go right out to the boundaries.

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  11. I've always said Brisbane City Council has a lot to answer for in terms of what it approves to be demolished and what it allows for in new builds. Disgusting. Makes me angry and sad.
    Anonymous Natalie

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  12. Very sad day, I know each generation is entitled to leave their mark, but... Love the front entrance. Hubby and I sometimes walk around taking pics of old buildings just to remind ourselves what our area used to look like. There is an awful lot of demolition going on around our town, we have a sucky council.

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  13. that house was gorgeous and timeless. My best friend has that same St George stove and recently had it fully serviced. Both she and her husband are super cooks. Its still a fantastic stove. Her husband is a builder and says that the new ovens don't come near it - even the new St Georges. I wonder if two or more units will go up in its place?? That's whats happening in Melbourne.

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  14. So sad to see our mid-Century Modern heritage being wiped out. Imagine my surprise to learn from Don Watson that Robin Gibson's "Mocatta" house in Yeronga has been demolished! It won the RAIA House of the year in 1966!
    Crazy times!

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    1. Oh very sad to hear that. It seems there is very little appreciation for our mid-century architecture in Brisbane. Hopefully that will change in the future and that it wont be too late to save some of these homes. I know that we are doing our bit with our new home. xx

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  15. I know I'm very late to this conversation however, I know the house, looked at it when it was up for sale and I too wished we could have bought it (we considered it long and hard!). I was shocked to see it torn down - I was certain it was going to be restored - it had excellent bones.

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