Rae Featherstone

Last updated

Rae Edwin Featherstone (1907-1987) was an Australian architect best known for serving as staff architect at Melbourne University. His early work with the firm Oakley & Parkes influenced his later stylistic approach, which was firmly rooted in an early modernist style. He worked for Harry Stuart Goodhart-Rendel in Europe as Chief Assistant, after which he returned to Australia, working for Stephenson & Turner, and retaining the right to practice on his own. His work on the house Blue Peter (1956) won him national recognition when it was published in the book Best Houses in Australia. He was then appointed his position of senior lecturer at the University of Melbourne, finally achieving the position of staff architect. He later consulted for the Australian University Commission.

Contents

Yule House, 1932 Yule House 1932.JPG
Yule House, 1932
ANZAC House, 1938 The ANZAC House in Collins Street (Oakley & Parkes).png
ANZAC House, 1938
Blue Peter, 1956 21 Gulls way (blue peter).png
Blue Peter, 1956
Redmond Barry Building,1959-61 The Redmond Barry Building (North Building), University of Melbourne.png
Redmond Barry Building,1959-61
Raymond Priestley Building, 1967-70 The Raymond Priestley Building, University of Melbourne.png
Raymond Priestley Building, 1967-70
Raymond Priestley Building, 1967-70 Raymond Priestley Building University of Melbourne.jpg
Raymond Priestley Building, 1967-70

Biography

R.E.Featherstone (b. 1907, Hawthorn, Australia) began his education at Scotch College, and later Swinburne and West Melbourne Technical Colleges. He then began his internship with Edwin J & C L Ruck, while enrolled at the University of Melbourne for the diploma of Architectural Atelier. Upon completing his qualification, he stayed on at the University as an assistant instructor. He was employed by the firm Oakley & Parkes in 1930 and was involved in the design of Yule House(1932). During this period he retained his right to practice outside the firm and designed a residence for C M Werner, 13 Moorakyne Avenue, Malvern. In April 1934 he left Oakley & Parkes to pursue an interest in interior decoration and furniture design in Europe. While in Europe, he was employed in the practice of Harry Stuart Goodhart-Rendel a position which he held for several years as chief assistant working on cathedrals, hospitals and civic commissions. Upon his return to Melbourne he was employed once more at Oakley & Parkes and worked on the ANZAC House entry sequence (1938) and Phosphate House (1940). He then transferred to the practice of Stephenson & Turner, working on military and civilian hospitals. After World War II, Featherstone returned to the University of Melbourne as a lecturer, in charge of a short course of architectural design for returning servicemen. Then in 1947 when the Faculty of Architecture was established he maintained his position of senior lecturer. Three years later he left on a tour of Europe, America and the U.K. to study post-war building developments. This tour was the basis for his published report "Architectural education in Scandinavia, Western Europe, the United Kingdom, the United States of America". [1] In 1954 the current professor of architecture at the University of Melbourne left for overseas travel, and Featherstone was appointed Acting Professor of Architecture. He had still retained the right to private practice and designed the house known as "Blue Peter"(1956) which gained national recognition when it was published in Neil Clerehan’s book "The Best Australian Houses".

In December 1957, Featherstone was given the position of staff architect at the University of Melbourne and worked on notable buildings on the University's Parkville campus, including the Redmond Barry building and the Raymond Priestley building. [2] He retired as the staff architect in 1972 and was given an honorary Master of Philosophy degree. He later moved to Canberra where he was a consultant for the Australian Universities Commission; in 1978 he retired and returned once again to Melbourne. [3]

Details from Rae Featherstone's first Builder's Payment Certificate Book stub of private work, Certificates 1 - 147 dated 16 August 1940 to 13 June 1956, in the possession of his family. Transcription in progress; one example per property.

Additional Details

Notable projects

Yule House, 1932

When he first began working in the office of Oakley & Parkes, Featherstone was involved in the design of the Yule House, [4] 309-311 Little Collins Street. Built in 1932, Yule House is an exceptional example of Moderne Architecture in Melbourne, the "first commercial building in Australia to demonstrate the principles of the emerging Moderne style". The significant influence of Yule House can be seen in many of Featherstones projects. [5]

ANZAC House, 1938

The ANZAC house functions as a library and memorabilia collection for war time diaries, letters and other paraphernalia. [6] This collection is part of the Victorian Collections. [7] The building is a Georgian revival, Palazzo style typical of buildings in the early interwar period. [8] The majority of the building design was done by Stanley Oaks. Featherstone’s involvement with this project specifically pertained to the entrance hall and entry facade itself. [3]

Holiday residence for G Nelson Raymond (Blue Peter), 1956

21 Gulls Way, also known as "Blue Peter" (built prior to the children's show, more likely referring to the nautical flag) gained national recognition when the house was published in ‘Best Australian Houses’ in 1961. Blue peter is a fairly typical example of the more modern and exclusive beach houses of the 1950s. The house consists of two interlocking squares and a triangular raised terrace facing the waterfront. [9] The house was open-plan and could sleep 6 people, with spaces serving multiple purposes. The living room was planned around an elaborate stereophonic installation and served as a living area and dining room with a panoramic view onto the bay, and bay doors that opened onto the triangular terrace. [9] Unfortunately the house was demolished in November 1991, just prior to the Trust councils classification. [10]

Redmond Barry Building, 1959-61

Under his recently appointed position as staff architect of Melbourne University (1957) Featherstone designed North Building in association with Eggleston MacDonald & Secomb. [11] North building, later renamed to the Redmond Barry Building, remains the tallest building on the campus. At twelve storeys high, the landmark tower was constructed in a steel structure slab and podium style system, consisting of shear walls and reinforced concrete columns.

Raymond Priestley Building, 1967-70

Raymond Priestley Building is a large University Administration building, used as office and function space. The building was constructed in a similar way to the Redmond Barry building: concrete slabs with reinforced concrete columns and brick shear walls. [2] Standing eleven storeys high, the five iconic arches branching the building's elevated ground floor undercroft is an example of midcentury Modern Architecture in Melbourne.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John Smith Murdoch</span> 19/20th-century Scottish-Australian architect

John Smith Murdoch was a Scottish architect who practised in Australia from the 1880s until 1930. Employed by the newly formed Commonwealth Public Works Department in 1904, he rose to become chief architect, from 1919 to 1929, and was responsible for designing many government buildings, most notably the Provisional Parliament House in Canberra, the home of the Parliament of Australia from 1927 to 1988.

Sir Roy Burman Grounds was an Australian architect. His early work included buildings influenced by the Moderne movement of the 1930s, and his later buildings of the 1950s and 1960s, such as the National Gallery of Victoria and the adjacent Victorian Arts Centre, cemented his legacy as a leader in Australian architecture.

Neil Clerehan was an Australian architect and architectural writer.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Percy Edgar Everett</span> Australian architect (1888–1967)

Percy Edgar Everett,, was appointed chief architect of the Victorian Public Works Department in 1934 and is best known for the striking Modernist / Art Deco schools, hospitals, court houses, office buildings and technical colleges the department produced over the next 20 years.

John and Phyllis Murphy were architects in Australia. Phyllis was also known for her work with wallpaper design and restoration.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Smith & Johnson</span> Architectural firm in colonial Australia

Alfred Louis Smith and Arthur Ebden Johnson were architects who designed many public buildings of Melbourne in the classical style.

Walter Richmond Butler, was an Australian architect trained in the Arts and Crafts style, born in Somerset, England.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John Beswicke</span> Architect (1847–1925)

John Beswicke (1847–1925) was an architect who practiced in Melbourne between the 1870s and 1915.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Joseph Plottel</span>

Joseph Plottel was a British born architect who was active in Melbourne, Australia between 1911 and World War II, working in a range of revival styles, as well as Art Deco in the 1930s. He is best known for the St Kilda Synagogue (1927) and the Footscray Town Hall (1936).

Beverley Ussher was articled to Melbourne architect Alfred Dunn. Dunn was English and had worked for architect Alexander Lauder in Barnstaple, Devon, where he worked with Arts and Crafts movement theorist and practitioner W.R. Lethaby. Through Dunn's English connections, when Ussher completed his architecture articles in Melbourne, he visited England and was introduced to architect Walter Butler. Later Ussher and Butler formed a partnership in Melbourne.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Yule House</span>

Yule House is a five-story office building situated at 309-311 Little Collins Street, Melbourne, Australia. It was constructed in 1932 from a design by Melbourne-based architecture firm, Oakley & Parkes. Yule House was one of Melbourne’s first commercial buildings to exhibit the Streamline Moderne style of architecture and began the style's rise in popularity throughout the 1930s. The current Yule House stands as a redesigned fireproof replacement of the original, which was destroyed by fire in 1931. William Yule had been the owner of the land since the early 1900s and it remained part of his estate until 1985.

Geoffrey Harley Mewton (1905–1998) was an Australian architect and leading proponent of modern architecture in Melbourne during the 1930s. He is best known for the Woy Woy flats at Elwood, Victoria, amongst the first flat blocks in Melbourne to show the influence of the European Modern movement.

Robert Joseph Haddon (1866–1929) was an England-born architect who practised in Victoria in the 1900s-1910s. He was a major figure in the profession in Victoria, championing the Arts & Crafts in his writing and teaching. He designed some of the most original buildings of the period, featuring restraint, balanced asymmetry and Art Nouveau details.

Acheson Best Overend was an Australian architect. He is best known for the Cairo Flats in Fitzroy, built 1935-6, a daringly Modernist design for Melbourne in the 1930s.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Perrott Lyon Mathieson</span>

Perrott Lyon Mathieson was an Australian architecture firm based in Melbourne, Australia. Founded by Leslie M Perrott in 1914, the firm was responsible for numerous high-profile projects from the 1920s to the 1990s, and was associated with the Perrott and Lyon architectural families, spanning three generations and eight practitioners.

Guilford Marsh Bell was an Australian architect active following from World War II until his death in 1992. During his early studies Bell travelled extensively, drawing influences that were later reflected for his projects. Bell worked prolifically both individually and in various partnerships, allowing him to produce many architectural works. Uncommonly, Bell contributed to local and interstate projects including homesteads, pavilions, suburban houses, large commercial and industrial establishments. Bell died in Melbourne in 1992. His latest practice continues under the directorship of Graham Fisher.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Berg and Alexandra</span>

Berg and Alexandra was an Australian architecture firm from 1962 to 1996, based in Chelsea House, on Flemington Road in North Melbourne. The firm was formed by a partnership between two Melbourne architects Raymond Berg, born in 1913 in South Melbourne, and Douglas Alexandra, born in 1922 in Shepparton, Victoria. Berg retired in 1983 and died five years later, with Alexandra retiring in 1996 and selling the practice to Hudson and Wardrop. Berg and Alexandra were among the first post-war Australian architects to produce modernist works. They were heralded for their simple, stripped back designs that broke away from ‘the old familiar features’ of Australian Architecture.

Douglas Alexandra was an Australian architect, whose works were an important contribution to modernist architecture in Melbourne, Australia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sheridan Close Apartment Block</span>

Sheridan Close is a low-rise apartment complex situated on 485–489 St Kilda Road, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. It has direct access onto Fawkner Park at the rear of the building. It was designed by the architect Sir Bernard Evans, who later became Lord Mayor of Melbourne, and was built by Prentice Builders. Sheridan Close is described as "a stylistic hybrid", combining a concave regency façade, Georgian proportioned windows and Art Deco influences, with serrated side elevations to ensure views of St Kilda Road.

Marcus Martin (1893–1981) was an Australian architect. He was an associate of the Royal Institute of British Architects, fellow of Royal Institute of Architects, and honorary secretary to the Royal Victorian Institute of Architects.

References

  1. ↑ Featherstone, Rae (8 January 2018). "Architectural education in Scandinavia, Western Europe, the United Kingdom, the United States of America". University of Melbourne.
  2. 1 2 Lovell Chen Architects & Heritage Consultants, (2010). The University of Melbourne Heritage Documentation Main Campus Building Data Sheets. Melbourne: Lovell Chen Architects & Heritage Consultants, pp.85.
  3. 1 2 Ltd, Built Heritage Pty. "Rae FEATHERSTONE". www.builtheritage.com.au.
  4. ↑ Ltd, Built Heritage Pty. "Rae FEATHERSTONE". www.builtheritage.com.au.
  5. ↑ "Yule House" (PDF). www.architecture.com.au. 2014. Retrieved 4 May 2014.
  6. ↑ Fishlock, Sean. "Anzac House - 4-6 Collins Street, Melbourne. MELBOURNE [Walking Melbourne Building Information]". www.walkingmelbourne.com.
  7. ↑ "RSL Victoria - Anzac House Reference Library and Memorabilia Collection - Victorian Collections". victoriancollections.net.au.
  8. ↑ "VHD". vhd.heritage.vic.gov.au.
  9. 1 2 Clerehan, N. (1961). Best Australian houses. 1st ed. Melbourne: Cheshire.
  10. ↑ "VHD". vhd.heritage.vic.gov.au.
  11. ↑ Lovell Chen Architects & Heritage Consultants, (2010). The University of Melbourne Heritage Documentation Main Campus Building Data Sheets. Melbourne: Lovell Chen Architects & Heritage Consultants, pp.20.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.