Old Canberra House

Acton, ACT

22 August 2010

"Commissioned by King O'Malley, the Minister for Home Affairs, and desigend by John Smith Murdoch, the Commonwealth's first architect, Old Canberra House was constructed between October 1912 and December 1913...surrounding gardens were planned and formed in 1914 by Thomas 'Charles' Weston, Canberra's first gardener ...Old Canberra House is a two-storey structure with roughcast walls and a steep roof. It blends stylistic features of the Mediterranean Revival and Californian bungalow (the roughcast walls), Victorian Arts and Crafts (steep roof and exposed after tails), Public Victorian (bar-less windows), Queen Anne (roof gablets) and Italianate (bay window incorporating the chimney). A small but important 'Australian' contribution is the louvred venting at the gablets, providing the signature of J.S. Murdoch, with his Scottish and Queensland experience. ...The 'Moderne', horizontal glazing bars are arresting departures from the simple original window style."-heritage.anu.edu.au

"moderne horizontal glazing" - Art Deco House Style: An Architectural and Interior Design Source Book By Ingrid Cranfield

Page updated 7 May 2015.