Canberra House » Robin Boyd

Going once, going twice…still going…

martin — Wed, 26 Sep 2007 02:11:27 +0000

In July we wrote about the then-imminent sale of the Robin Boyd House II in South Yarra: the auction scheduled for 21 July was postponed when the Victorian Government, the Robin Boyd Foundation and the RAIA Victorian chapter set about finding a way to raise funds to pay the mortgage and deal with the Boyd Foundation’s debt to the National Trust. Those good intentions came to nought and the property was to be auctioned by agents Bennison Mackinnon on Saturday, 22 September at 1:00 PM.

However, at the eleventh hour the auction was postponed again as the State Government and Architects Registration Board of Victoria (ARBV) pledged enough money to keep it in public hands—for now.

The ARBV has contributed $460,000 and the State Government probably somewhere in the region of $2m to the Boyd House, but with a very important condition: within six months the Robin Boyd Foundation has to submit a business plan and find enough financial support to secure the long term financial viability of the house. It won’t be easy. Not only will the Foundation need to figure out how to make the house pay its way, significant remedial work is required. Friends who have visited the house recently tell me that it’s in a relatively poor state of repair—the draped catenary roof in particular will need considerable attention.

This situation – a significant real asset that’s been placed in respectful hands, but needing income streams and business-focused management to stay viable – is a common picture in Australia—Bundanon being another notable example. You can have all the well-meaning ‘friends’ in the world, but when outgoings far outstrip the takings from annual fundraising activities it rapidly becomes unsustainable.

Nevertheless, there’s some cause for optimism. As The Age reports, Victorian Planning Minister Justin Madden said:

This funding will assist the Robin Boyd Foundation in preserving this significant 20th-century building and maintaining the legacy of Robin Boyd, who made such a significant contribution to Australian architectural design.

Nic Dowse – Boyd home owner, National Trust member and architecture student – has waged a tireless campaign to keep the Boyd house in public hands and should be congratulated.

Recent Twentieth Century heritage press coverage

martin — Fri, 14 Sep 2007 01:32:21 +0000

It’s been pleasing to see some coverage of twentieth century heritage in the mainstream media lately.

ABC TV’s The Collectors aired a segment on 7 September about a restored apartment (or a flat, to use a period-correct term that’s gone right out of vogue) in the c. 1940 Sydney building Number Seven Elizabeth Street. The owner, who bought the property perhaps without knowing its history, was captivated by his purchase and set about restoring the apartment with all its original Marion Hall Best furniture and fittings. The result looks a little more like a museum exhibit than a liveable home (indeed, the flat was a star of the Historic Houses Trust of NSW’s recent ‘Homes in the sky: apartment living in Sydney’ exhibition at the Museum of Sydney), but there’s nothing wrong with that. No podcast, unfortunately.

Also last week, another impressive achievement in custodianship turned up in the Sydney Morning Herald’s ‘Essential’ supplement in the form of a two-page spread on the Boyd Baker House at Bacchus Marsh in Victoria. In fact, this property is something of a complex, featuring two homes designed by Robin Boyd and a library by Roy Grounds. The Baker family had maintained the buildings in original condition, and the new owner clearly values his purchase and is happy to share its delights with the public. The houses are open to visitors—see the website for more information.

‘Essential’ delivered the goods again this week with an article on Ken Woolley’s new designs for the reborn Pettit and Sevitt brand. At this stage just the New Lowline is available—an update of the classic single level format, now featuring a fourth bedroom and a garage, with various layout options available—but the architect is working on a New Split-Level design as well. He comments that the success of the project will depend on the availability of new land

ideally, small releases that won’t attract big developers

and also sees a suitable opportunity in knock-down properties in older suburbs.

There’s an example of a first-era Lowline on the market in Canberra at the moment: 9 Crossley Close, Melba.

Robin Boyd Foundation to sell Robin Boyd House 2

martin — Wed, 04 Jul 2007 12:40:10 +0000

On 22 June, 2007 the Directors of the Robin Boyd Foundation announced their decision to sell the Robin Boyd House II in Walsh Street, South Yarra. The house will be auctioned on 21 July, 2007.

The house was designed and built by Robin Boyd in 1958 and since December 2004 has been owned by the Robin Boyd Foundation. The Foundation was an initiative of the National Trust in Victoria, established and operated in conjunction with Robin Boyd’s family. The house was recently awarded the Royal Australian Institute of Architects 25 Year Award and its heritage significance was recognised by inclusion of the house on the Victorian Heritage Register.

Sadly, the decision to sell the property has resulted from the Foundation being unable to attract major funding partners to support the rollout of various learning and activities programs and, importantly, to replace short term debt funding used to purchase the house in December 2004.

Over the past year, the Foundation has approached a wide range of companies, individuals and philanthropic organisations, as well as the State Government. In addition a media based expression of interest campaign was implemented. Despite these various initiatives, not enough financial support has been received to support the Foundation’s objectives.

It appears that the National Trust has to sell the house essentially because it has no money. It receives a paltry $246,000 a year from the Victorian State Government. Compare this to the $17.7m the NSW Historic Houses Trust receives from the NSW Government.

It would appear that the house will fall into private hands. Whether or not the Foundation continues with its learning activities and events programs would be dependent on the their ability to obtain acceptable access rights to the property with the new owner.

Few architects have made much noise since the decision was announced. However, there is one development that might give cause for optimism.

Earlier this year, in conjunction with the Robin Boyd Foundation, a network of owners of Robin Boyd-designed homes and interested parties was launched—the Boyd Homes Group (BHG). The head of the Boyd Homes Group, Nic Dowse, has also formed a save-the-Boyd-house weblog.

In Nic’s words:

We are people who give a damn about the loss of this house and the Robin Boyd Foundation. We believe there’s enough good will and commitment out there to save it for all Victorians.

Let’s hope that through the efforts of people like Nic Dowse the Victorian State Government, the National Trust and the Robin Boyd Foundation Board can get together and secure one of Australia’s mid-twentieth century modernist masterpieces for the Victorian public.

The Robin Boyd Foundation

martin — Mon, 29 Nov 1999 13:00:00 +0000

Robin Boyd CBE (1919-1971) was a renowned Australian architect, author, critic, and public educator in the 1950s and 1960s. He was a leader of the Modern Movement in Australia, a visionary in urban design and an outspoken commentator on the Australian Identity. Boyd was not only a great architect who was passionate about good design—he also ardently shared his ideas with the wider public, not just within the design community. Above all Boyd was committed to an educated nation, to the establishment of innovative ideas as a way of living in an informed Australia.

The Foundation

Based in Melbourne, the Robin Boyd Foundation has been established to support the on-going vision and legacy of Robin Boyd. Its aim is to develop and deliver innovative educational programs, community lectures, public events and publications that inspire people to develop a greater awareness of the benefits of design.

The Foundation is focused on looking toward the future, sharing the stories and lessons from a great leader and facilitating the application of this knowledge in the context of a changing world. It aims to quickly become an important and recognised contributor to the cultural and intellectual life of Melbourne.

290 Walsh Street, South Yarra

The Foundation has acquired Robin Boyd’s former home at 290 Walsh Street, South Yarra (pictured above), which he designed for himself and his family in 1959. This house is an iconic piece of Australian architecture, and until purchased by the Foundation was lived in by Robin Boyd’s widow. It still contains the Boyd’s furniture and belongings, much of which is retained by the Foundation.

Walsh Street is the home of the Robin Boyd Foundation. It will be a venue for functions, talks and research programs. On occasion it will also be open to the public as a museum facility. Development of a supporter’s program is underway, as is a program of events. There is the possibility of joint promotions being held in Canberra with the Manning Clark House organisation. A website is also in the works.

A National Trust initiative

The Foundation is an initiative of the National Trust in Victoria, established and operated in conjunction with Robin Boyd’s family. It is governed by members representing the Boyd family, the Royal Australian Institute of Architects (Victoria Chapter), the three faculties of architecture at University of Melbourne, Deakin University and RMIT University and the National Trust of Australia (Victoria).

Supporters

The Hon. Gough Whitlam, former Prime Minister of Australia, is the Robin Boyd Foundation’s Founding Patron. The Foundation is supported by the Royal Australian Institute of Architects together with Melbourne, Deakin and RMIT Universities. A group of Melbourne’s leading architects and design professionals have committed to work with the National Trust to guide the establishment of the foundation and assist with fund raising.

Further information

For additional information about the Robin Boyd Foundation’s activities or to be added to their mailing list, you can contact information@robinboyd.org.au.