Harry Seidler: father of modernist architecture in Australia

My daughter is an expert at photobombing. Photo ©Darren Bradley

When the Austrian-born architect Harry Seidler arrived in Australia after World War II (via North America - that's a long story), he didn't make many friends in the local architecture community. He called the local architecture "sad brick shacks" and poor copies of outdated European architecture. Town councils and distinguished local architects returned the favor, decrying his modernist designs as flimsy and "un-Australian". 

Shades of the Villa Savoye here. Photo ©Darren Bradley

For an architect trained by disciples of the Bauhaus and Le Corbusier, it simply wouldn't do to set up residence in a Georgian or Victorian terrace house or a clapboard cottage (the predominant styles there at the time). So when it came time to build a house for his parents, he decided to design and build it himself. 

Photo ©Darren Bradley

Now in 1948, there really was no such thing as modern architecture in Australia. Seidler had a terrible time and finding builders who could build it and finding the proper materials (in post-war Australia, there were still lots of shortages of materials - so instead of the brick he originally wanted for the walls of the pedestal beneath the house, he was forced to use stone quarried from the site - an adaptation which actually works much better, as far as I'm concerned). 

Side entry with office area. Photo ©Darren Bradley

View to the patio from the main entry staircase. Photo ©Darren Bradley

Harry may have been a modernist but his parents, Max and Rose, certainly weren't. They arrived in Australia from their native Austria with containers full of traditional European furniture. 

The main entry is from the bottom of these stairs. Photo ©Darren Bradley

Incredibly modern kitchen for 1950. Photo ©Darren Bradley

Those orange curtains really overpower the room when the light filters through them. Photo ©Darren Bradley

Master Bedroom. Photo ©Darren Bradley

Harry wouldn't let any of his parents' old, traditional furniture into the house and insisted on furnishing the place with the latest modern designs by the likes of Eames, Saarinen, etc. 

Living area with grasshopper chairs. Photo ©Darren Bradley

The house was completed in 1950, and created quite a stir. It was very controversial and mostly hated by the local town councils and the press of the time.  But he was able to build it because it was such an isolated area, away from the "respectable" neighborhoods with their proper brick homes. The only objection from the local council was the lack of a window in the bathroom, which was resolved when Seidler was able to demonstrate that the bathroom had a skylight in the ceiling. 

That mural just screams Le Corbusier. Photo ©Darren Bradley

Seidler felt that the predominant styles were not well adapted for the local conditions. He hated the narrow hallways, dark rooms, and tiny windows that were typical of those designs. He also said that the local architecture schools did a poor job of encouraging the creativity of their students, or properly training them to design for the local environment. Zing! 

Photo ©Darren Bradley

Despite fierce opposition from the establishment, the house was hugely successful and became both a tourist attraction (much to the chagrin of Seidler's parents, who disliked finding tourists in their rose garden) and a major influence on residential architecture going forward. 

It even won the Sulman Medal in 1951, which proved that it was starting to gain recognition (although this also triggered another round of fierce opposition in the local press). 

Photo ©Darren Bradley

From what I've seen in Australian residential architecture today, most Australians embraced modernist architecture and never looked back. Today, Australian residential architecture is still quite innovative, as a rule, and rarely inspired by traditional designs. So I guess Seidler won that argument. 

The dining area communicates with the kitchen via pass-throughs. Photo ©Darren Bradley

I've not seen a lot of Tuscan villas in Australian suburbia. Perhaps all of those people who objected to his designs immigrated to America?

Photo ©Darren Bradley

Photo ©Darren Bradley

Anyway, the Rose Seidler House is now restored and open to the public. It's a bit of a hike to get there from the center of Sydney, but it's well worth the trip. 

Photo ©Darren Bradley