Australian Residential Architectural Styles
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Australian residential architectural styles have evolved significantly over time, from the early days of structures made from relatively cheap and imported
corrugated iron Corrugated galvanised iron (CGI) or steel, colloquially corrugated iron (near universal), wriggly tin (taken from UK military slang), pailing (in Caribbean English), corrugated sheet metal (in North America), zinc (in Cyprus and Nigeria) or ...
(which can still be seen in the roofing of historic homes) to more sophisticated styles borrowed from other countries, such as the
California bungalow California bungalow is an alternative name for the American Craftsman style of Residential area, residential architecture, when it was applied to small-to-medium-sized homes rather than the large "ultimate bungalow" houses of designers like Green ...
from the United States, the
Georgian style Georgian architecture is the name given in most English-speaking countries to the set of architectural styles current between 1714 and 1830. It is named after the first four British monarchs of the House of Hanover, George I, George II, Ge ...
from Europe and Northern America, and the Victorian style from the United Kingdom. A common feature of the Australian home is the use of fencing in front gardens, also common in both the United Kingdom and the United States.
Climate Climate is the long-term weather pattern in a region, typically averaged over 30 years. More rigorously, it is the mean and variability of meteorological variables over a time spanning from months to millions of years. Some of the meteoro ...
has also influenced housing styles, with balconies and veranda spaces being more prevalent in subtropical Queensland due to the mild, generally warm winters experienced in the state. For many years, Australian homes were built with little understanding of the Australian climate and were widely dependent on European styles that were unsympathetic to Australian landscapes. In recent times, modern Australian residential architecture has reflected the climatic conditions of the country, with adaptations such as double and triple glazing on windows, coordination considerations, use of east and west shade, sufficient insulation, strongly considered to provide comfort to the dweller. Another aspect of Australian suburbia is that the suburbs tend to have a combination of both
upper middle class In sociology, the upper middle class is the social group constituted by higher status members of the middle class. This is in contrast to the term '' lower middle class'', which is used for the group at the opposite end of the middle-class stra ...
and middle class housing in the same neighbourhood. In Melbourne, for instance, one early observer noted that "a poor house stands side by side with a good house."Davison, Graeme. "The Past & Future of the Australian Suburb." Australian Planner (Dec. 1994): 63–69. This is somewhat less common today, with home renovations,
gentrification Gentrification is the process whereby the character of a neighborhood changes through the influx of more Wealth, affluent residents (the "gentry") and investment. There is no agreed-upon definition of gentrification. In public discourse, it has ...
and the teardown ("knock down, rebuild") method becoming more and more common in affluent suburbs, giving a broader distinction between wealthy and lower class areas. However, the teardown technique has led to home buyers purchasing land or older homes in poorer metropolitan areas and building extravagant homes on the land, which look out of place and excessive, failing to match with the remaining houses in the street.


Variation of styles

Because architectural styles have varied in Australia over the years (from villas to bungalows and brick renders), there is a slight inconsistency in the architectural flow of the suburban streets, with one writer noting that Australian housing styles tend to comingle and coexist awkwardly. This is less common in the United States of America and England, because most of the homes had been long established well into the 19th century and reflect a similar style in both regions. Home planners and architects in Australia have suggested adapting similar styles of new homes with the surrounding established homes to create a sense of uniformity.


History and styles


Pre-colonial period ~40,000 BCE – 1788 CE

Indigenous Australians Indigenous Australians are people with familial heritage from, or recognised membership of, the various ethnic groups living within the territory of contemporary Australia prior to History of Australia (1788–1850), British colonisation. The ...
are traditionally semi-nomadic, rotating between different areas in conjunction with the
seasons A season is a division of the year based on changes in weather, ecology, and the number of daylight hours in a given region. On Earth, seasons are the result of the axial parallelism of Earth's axial tilt, tilted orbit around the Sun. In temperat ...
to harvest and maintain food-producing areas. They managed the land through controlled burning practices involving a biennial burning-off which stunted forest growth and encouraged crop germination. The housing of the
Eora The Eora (; also ''Yura'') are an Aboriginal Australian people of New South Wales. Eora is the name given by the earliest European settlers to a group of Aboriginal people belonging to the clans along the coastal area of what is now known as ...
people first encountered by Europeans in the Sydney region were shelters constructed of a semicircle of stick, covered with large sheets of bark which could be conveniently stripped off
Melaleuca ''Melaleuca'' () is a genus of nearly 300 species of plants in the myrtle family, Myrtaceae, commonly known as paperbarks, honey-myrtles, bottlebrushes or tea-trees (although the last name is also applied to species of '' Leptospermum''). They ...
trees which grew profusely along waterways. Other types of simple structures were seen including lean-tos and in tropical regions raised sleeping platforms. Grass, leaves and reeds were used as a thatch where suitable bark was not available. There are instances of Indigenous peoples constructing partially using dry-stone wall techniques in
Western Australia Western Australia (WA) is the westernmost state of Australia. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Southern Ocean to the south, the Northern Territory to the north-east, and South Australia to the south-east. Western Aust ...
. The Aboriginal people also built dry-stone Fish Traps, of which the most extensive, ranging over 500 metres, is on the Barwon River at
Brewarrina Brewarrina (pronounced ''bree-warren-ah''; locally known as "Bre") is a town in north-west New South Wales, Australia on the banks of the Barwon River in Brewarrina Shire. It is east of Bourke and west of Walgett on the Kamilaroi Highway, a ...
. Its age is unknown. It has been maintained and rebuilt after floods many times and is said traditionally to have been given to the local clans by the Creator Spirit. It appears that in conjunction with such catchment schemes, there may have also been nearby sedentary settlements of people who maintained them. There is evidence at Lake Condah in Victoria of houses in conjunction with eel traps dating back about 8,000 years. In January 2006 bushfires uncovered another nearby site of a village of stone houses that are large enough to have provided sleeping space for several families.


Old Colonial period 1788 – c. 1840

Colonial architecture is the term used for the buildings constructed in Australia between European settlement in January 1788 and about 1840. The first buildings of the British penal settlement in Sydney were a prefabricated house for the Governor and a similarly prefabricated Government Store to house the colony's supplies. Sydney was a tent settlement. Building anything more substantial was made unnecessarily difficult by the poor quality of spades and axes that had been provided and the shortage of nails. The convicts adapted simple country techniques commonly used for animal shelters and the locally available materials to create huts with wattle-and-daub walls. So useful were the local
acacia ''Acacia'', commonly known as wattles or acacias, is a genus of about of shrubs and trees in the subfamily Mimosoideae of the pea family Fabaceae. Initially, it comprised a group of plant species native to Africa, South America, and Austral ...
trees for weaving shelters that they were given the name ''Wattle''. Some pipe clay was obtained from the coves around
Port Jackson Port Jackson, commonly known as Sydney Harbour, is a natural harbour on the east coast of Australia, around which Sydney was built. It consists of the waters of Sydney Harbour, Middle Harbour, North Harbour and the Lane Cove and Parramatta ...
. Bricks were fired in wood fires and were therefore soft. Lime for cement was obtained by burning oyster shells. The first imported roofing material was
corrugated iron Corrugated galvanised iron (CGI) or steel, colloquially corrugated iron (near universal), wriggly tin (taken from UK military slang), pailing (in Caribbean English), corrugated sheet metal (in North America), zinc (in Cyprus and Nigeria) or ...
sheeting. Roofs of this type were to become part of the Australian vernacular. For many years imported roofing was in very short supply. Two local roofing materials were available- there were extensive reed beds near the Cook's river for thatching. There was also bark which could be peeled off a number of the indigenous trees in large sheets. Methods of heating and flattening the bark were used by the Aboriginal people and these were quickly assimilated by the convict builders. The two most significant trees, both of which grew in the Sydney area, were the Melaleuca and the Iron Bark. The Melaleuca bark, having the texture of paper, could be peeled off the tree in layers up to thick, a metre long and perhaps half a metre wide without serious damage to the tree. Although not particularly durable as exterior roofing, the material provided excellent insulation and was used for ceilings and lining the walls. The resilient bark from the iron-bark tree was adapted as a major building material everywhere that such trees grew. It was widely used as a roofing material, was weatherproof, insulating and could last for thirty years. Houses of axe-hewn slabs with Iron-bark roofs continued to be built in rural Australia until WWII. As better tools became available the Colonial builders became adept at working the extremely hard and durable timber of the native hardwood forests. The majority of houses were built of split logs rather than sawn timber. The technique employed for the construction of a wall was to chisel out a deep groove in a straight log, preferably of the local termite-resistant Cyprus pine which became the foundation. Split logs that had been adzed flat at the ends were then stood in the groove and another groove log was placed on top and slotted into place in a circular corner post. The gaps between the split logs were either packed with clay and animal hair or had narrow strips of metal cut from kerosene tins tacked over them. The interior could be plastered with clay, lined with paperbark or papered with newspaper, wrapping paper or calico. Cards, photographs, news clippings and commemorative items were often stuck directly onto the walls. The technique of making durable hardwood roofing shingles was also developed. Where these shingles have been applied to brick houses, they have sometimes survived to the 21st century, covered by subsequent corrugated iron roofs. In the earliest houses windows were usually small, and multi-paned with cylinder glass. When the cost of glass put it beyond reach of the home-owner, blinds of oiled calico were tacked across window openings in the winter months. ;Types of buildings The simplest houses were of a single room, which, if the bread-winner prospered, became the kitchen to a more substantial residence, or conversely, became the living room with a lean-to kitchen added. Houses that grew piecemeal were generally asymmetrical, with the door leading into the original room. Houses that were planned were generally symmetrical, and very simple, usually containing 2 to 4 rooms around a central hallway. The kitchen was frequently detached and entered from a rear verandah or covered breezeway where pantry or scullery might also be located. Fireplaces projected outwards from the walls of the house. Except in the case of some small inner-city Georgian row houses built of brick, houses generally had a verandah added to them, often on three sides. One class of people who maintained the tradition of wattle and daub, with a bark roof was the
squatters Squatting is the action of occupying an abandoned or unoccupied area of land or a building (usually residential) that the squatter does not own, rent or otherwise have lawful permission to use. The United Nations estimated in 2003 that there wer ...
who did not have title to their land, and potentially had to move on every two years. Very few 19th-century houses of wattle and daub or split timber have survived. A small number of split-timber cottages which later became kitchens may be seen adjacent to more substantial homes, generally painted to match the house and barely recognizable. Most buildings erected in the first 50 years of Australian settlement were simple and plain. Convict huts, marine barracks, government stores and houses for officials were simple rectangular prisms covered with hipped or gabled roofs often with verandahs supported on wooden columns in the Classical manner. They were influenced in particular by the regulation British military buildings in India and other tropical locations. At the time of the first settlement,
Georgian architecture Georgian architecture is the name given in most English-speaking countries to the set of architectural styles current between 1714 and 1830. It is named after the first four Monarchy of the United Kingdom, British monarchs of the House of Han ...
was the architectural vernacular in Britain. Craftsmen, including carpenters and plasterers were trained in the classic proportions associated with the Palladian style fashionable across Europe. Palladian ideals reveal themselves in some of the few larger homes of the Regency period such as Elizabeth Bay House. Neoclassism incorporating not only
Greek Greek may refer to: Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe: *Greeks, an ethnic group *Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family **Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor of all kno ...
but also sometimes
Ancient Egypt Ancient Egypt () was a cradle of civilization concentrated along the lower reaches of the Nile River in Northeast Africa. It emerged from prehistoric Egypt around 3150BC (according to conventional Egyptian chronology), when Upper and Lower E ...
ian motifs, beginning in Europe about 1760, also influenced Australian architectural style. "Fernhill" at Mulgoa with its wide colonnaded verandah shows the influence of Neoclassicism. As the Australian economy developed and settlements became more established, more sophisticated buildings emerged.


Old Colonial Georgian style

The vernacular style of the Old Colonial period. Buildings of this period were often rudimentary compared with British architecture at the time, but Georgian ideas of orderliness still influenced their shape and scale. Buildings built in this style often featured symmetrical facades, rectangular and prismatic shapes, and were well-proportioned.Apperly, Irving, & Reynolds (1989), pg 24 Similar to other British colonies in hot climates, the verandah became a common way to protect a house from the sun, and on single storey houses the Georgian verandah is usually a lower pitched extension of the main roof. File:Elizabeth Farm-1.jpg, Elizabeth Farm Cottage, Rosehill; completed 1793; one of the oldest surviving residences in Australia File:(1)Experiment Farm Cottage 119.jpg, Experiment Farm Cottage, Harris Park; completed 1795 File:(1)Old Government House 010.jpg, Old Government House, Parramatta; completed between 1799 and 1820 File:Brislington parramatta.jpg, Brislington, Parramatta; completed 1821 File:Hobart architecture.jpg, Ingle Hall,
Hobart Hobart ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the island state of Tasmania, Australia. Located in Tasmania's south-east on the estuary of the River Derwent, it is the southernmost capital city in Australia. Despite containing nearly hal ...
; completed 1814 File:St Matthews Anglican Church, Windsor, New South Wales 08.jpg, St Matthew's Anglican Church, Windsor; completed c.1822 File:Loder House Windsor-1.jpg, Loder House, Windsor. Completed 1834 File:Harrisford, 182 George Street Parramatta, New South Wales (2).jpg, Harrisford,
Parramatta Parramatta (; ) is a suburb (Australia), suburb and major commercial centre in Greater Western Sydney. Parramatta is located approximately west of the Sydney central business district, Sydney CBD, on the banks of the Parramatta River. It is co ...
; completed 1820s File:Joyce Farmhouse, Baulkham Hills.jpg, Joyce Farmhouse, Baulkham Hills; built 1794, rebuilt after fire in 1804 File:(1)Greenwich House.jpg, Greenwich House,
Greenwich Greenwich ( , , ) is an List of areas of London, area in south-east London, England, within the Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county of Greater London, east-south-east of Charing Cross. Greenwich is notable for its maritime hi ...
; completed 1836 File:Harper's Mansion front.jpg, Harper's Mansion, Berrima; built 1834-44 File:Oatlands Tasmania (31995607310).jpg, Oatlands Coach House, Oatlands


Old Colonial Regency style

File:Camden Park house.jpg, Camden Park House, Menangle; completed 1831; designed by John Verge. File:Flickr - brewbooks - Panshanger (1).jpg, Panshanger, near
Longford Longford () is the county town of County Longford in Ireland. It had a population of 10,952 at the 2022 census. It is the biggest town in the county and about one third of the county's population lives there. Longford lies at the meeting of ...
. Completed 1831.Apperly, Irving, & Reynolds (1989), pg 28 File:Aberglasslyn.JPG, Aberglasslyn House, Maitland. Completed between 1840 and 1842 File:(1)Rockwall in Potts Point.jpg, Rockwall House, designed by John Verge, in Potts Point. Completed 1837. File:ElizabethBayHouse4.JPG, Elizabeth Bay House, Elizabeth Bay, also designed by John Verge. Completed 1838.Apperly, Irving, & Reynolds (1989), pg 31 File:Clarendon House Tasmania - front entrance.JPG, Clarendon House, Evandale; completed in 1838 File:1 Horbury Terrace.JPG, Horbury Terrace,
Sydney Sydney is the capital city of the States and territories of Australia, state of New South Wales and the List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city in Australia. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Syd ...
. Completed 1842.


Old Colonial Grecian style

In
Georgian era The Georgian era was a period in British history from 1714 to , named after the House of Hanover, Hanoverian kings George I of Great Britain, George I, George II of Great Britain, George II, George III and George IV. The definition of the Geor ...
Britain,
Neoclassical architecture Neoclassical architecture, sometimes referred to as Classical Revival architecture, is an architectural style produced by the Neoclassicism, Neoclassical movement that began in the mid-18th century in Italy, France and Germany. It became one of t ...
mainly drew its inspiration from
Roman architecture Ancient Roman architecture adopted the external language of classical ancient Greek architecture for the purposes of the ancient Romans, but was different from Greek buildings, becoming a new architectural style. The two styles are often con ...
until the rediscovery of
Ancient Greek architecture Ancient Greek architecture came from the Greeks, or Hellenes, whose Ancient Greece, culture flourished on the Greek mainland, the Peloponnese, the Aegean Islands, and in colonies in Asia Minor, Anatolia and Italy for a period from about 900 BC ...
beginning with James "Athenian" Stuart's 1758 trip to Greece.Apperly, Irving, & Reynolds (1989), pg 32–35 By the 1830s the 'Greek Revival' was reaching the heights of its popularity, and had major influences on the development of the Regency style. Old Colonial Grecian buildings used Greek features such as the pedimented temple, porticoes, and Greek order columns such as the Doric and the Ionian. File:Dalwoodh08 front wp.jpg, Dalwood House, Branxton; completed c.1833.Apperly, Irving, & Reynolds (1989), pg 33 File:Launceston House main image.JPG' Franklin House, Launceston; completed 1839.


Old Colonial Gothic Picturesque

File:1 Lindesay1.jpg, Lindesay, Darling Point, c.1834. File:Government House, Sydney, Australia.jpg, Government House, Sydney Built between 1837 and 1843.Apperly, Irving, & Reynolds (1989), pg 36 File:(1)Carthona003a.jpg, Carthona, Darling Point. Built between c.1841-45.


Victorian period c. 1840 – c. 1890

*
Gothic Revival Gothic Revival (also referred to as Victorian Gothic or neo-Gothic) is an Architectural style, architectural movement that after a gradual build-up beginning in the second half of the 17th century became a widespread movement in the first half ...
During the Victorian era, the
British Empire The British Empire comprised the dominions, Crown colony, colonies, protectorates, League of Nations mandate, mandates, and other Dependent territory, territories ruled or administered by the United Kingdom and its predecessor states. It bega ...
, including Australia, was yet heavily
Anglican Anglicanism, also known as Episcopalianism in some countries, is a Western Christianity, Western Christian tradition which developed from the practices, liturgy, and identity of the Church of England following the English Reformation, in the ...
, and thus subject to the influence of the
Oxford Oxford () is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and non-metropolitan district in Oxfordshire, England, of which it is the county town. The city is home to the University of Oxford, the List of oldest universities in continuou ...
and Cambridge Movements, which favored the use of
Gothic Revival architecture Gothic Revival (also referred to as Victorian Gothic or neo-Gothic) is an Architectural style, architectural movement that after a gradual build-up beginning in the second half of the 17th century became a widespread movement in the first half ...
. Thus, while a local
magnate The term magnate, from the late Latin ''magnas'', a great man, itself from Latin ''magnus'', "great", means a man from the higher nobility, a man who belongs to the high office-holders or a man in a high social position, by birth, wealth or ot ...
may have built his home in a classical style, he would potentially fund a church in the Gothic style. Thus, during the 19th century, when Australia was expanding rapidly, two forms of architecture were very evident: Gothic and the Classical styles. Originally Gothic was for God, and the Classical for the man. Later a new "self-made" Australian began to emerge, unhindered by a classical British education dictating classical gentlemanly interests. This new
self-made man A self-made man is a person whose success is of their own making. Benjamin Franklin, one of the Founding Fathers of the United States, has been described as the greatest exemplar of the self-made man. Inspired by Franklin's autobiography, Fr ...
(like his contemporaries in Britain) would often choose Gothic as the design for his home. The great cathedrals of the
Middle Ages In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the 5th to the late 15th centuries, similarly to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire and ...
during the Gothic period of
ecclesiastical architecture Church architecture refers to the architecture of Christian buildings, such as Church (building), churches, chapels, convents, and seminaries. It has evolved over the two thousand years of the Christian religion, partly by innovation and partly ...
formed the inspiration for this particular architectural style; not only in residential buildings, but in many commercial structures, churches and cathedrals built during this time. St. Paul's and St. Patrick's Cathedrals in
Melbourne Melbourne ( , ; Boonwurrung language, Boonwurrung/ or ) is the List of Australian capital cities, capital and List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city of the States and territories of Australia, Australian state of Victori ...
are excellent examples of the Gothic Revival period, often referred to as Victorian Gothic. Characteristics were: steeply pitched roofs often made of slate, narrow doors and windows resolving in a Gothic pointed arch at their height (known as
lancet window A lancet window is a tall, narrow window with a sharp pointed arch at its top. This arch may or may not be a steep lancet arch (in which the compass centres for drawing the arch fall outside the opening). It acquired the "lancet" name from its rese ...
s), diamond pane glazing to windows imitating a stained glass affect, and intricate parapets, often of a religious nature, with a cross. In non-terrace houses, the drawing room was often pulled forward, adding a bay window to the front of the dwelling. The Victorian style in Australia can be divided into 3 periods: Early, Mid and Late. The period in its entirety stretches from 1837 to 1901 and was named after the then Queen,
Queen Victoria Victoria (Alexandrina Victoria; 24 May 1819 – 22 January 1901) was Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 20 June 1837 until Death and state funeral of Queen Victoria, her death in January 1901. Her reign of 63 year ...
. Early styles featured symmetrical layouts and façades, a centrally located front door and a hipped roof of corrugated iron, leading to a veranda on the façade. During the 1850s cast-iron lacework came to Australia, where it made its way on to Mid and Late Victorian Homes with much the same floor plan as the Colonial Style, a central hallway with a standard 4 rooms.
Weatherboard Clapboard (), also called bevel siding, lap siding, and weatherboard, with regional variation in the definition of those terms, is wooden siding (construction), siding of a building in the form of horizontal boards, often overlapping. ''Cla ...
s were often used, although larger homes used red brick and blue stone. In the Mid Victorian Style, decoration began to gain popularity. The bullnosed veranda roof was introduced, sidelights were added either side of the front door, and
terraced houses A terrace, terraced house ( UK), or townhouse ( US) is a type of medium-density housing which first started in 16th century Europe with a row of joined houses sharing side walls. In the United States and Canada these are sometimes known as row ...
were springing up everywhere, containing parapets and detailed dividing walls between the property boundaries. Late Victorian Style homes had perhaps the most decorative features in all of the known architectural styles to date, which is often referred to as Boom Style. Towards the end of the Victorian era, timber fretwork was being used more and more, which led into the Edwardian/Federation Styles.


Victorian Georgian

An extension and continuation of the Old Colonial Georgian style into the Victorian era.Apperly, Irving, & Reynolds (1989), pg 42–45
Georgian style Georgian architecture is the name given in most English-speaking countries to the set of architectural styles current between 1714 and 1830. It is named after the first four British monarchs of the House of Hanover, George I, George II, Ge ...
houses built before c.1840 are characterised as Old Colonial Georgian, while buildings between c.1840 and c.1890 are characterised as Victorian Georgian. Both styles are essentially the same, being characterised by symmetrical facades, simple rectangular and prismatic shapes, and orderliness. Six and eight paned windows were common. In the Inter-War period, architects such as William Hardy Wilson revived the Old Colonial Georgian style, leading to the Inter-War Georgian Revival.Apperly, Irving, & Reynolds (1989), pg 150–153 File:Newstead House-04 (2989554029).jpg, Newstead House, Brisbane. Built 1846. File:Wolston House, Wacol, Queensland 09.jpg, Wolston House, Wacol, Built 1852–53. File:EscholParkNSWEPhouse.jpg, Eschol Park House, Campbelltown; completed 1858. File:(1)Georgian homes Denham Street Surry Hills.jpg, Terraces on Denham Street,
Surry Hills Surry Hills is an Eastern Suburbs (Sydney), inner-east suburb of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Surry Hills is immediately south-east of the Sydney central business district in the Local government in Australia, local gover ...
. Completed 1858 File:Brough House on Church St in Maitland (1).jpg, alt=, Brough House, Maitland. Completed 1862 File:Grossmann House - A Photo Says It All Photography (c)-1.jpg, alt=, Grossmann House, Maitland. Completed 1862 File:Hurstmonceux 1874 Lewisham 1.png, Hurstmonceux,
Lewisham Lewisham ( ) is an area of southeast London, England, south of Charing Cross. It is the principal area of the London Borough of Lewisham, and was within the Historic counties of England, historic county of Kent until 1889. It is identified in ...
, c. 1874.''Sands Directory'' (1884), John Sands, Sydney File:Burnie Club 20200826-001.jpg, Breckenborough,
Burnie Burnie ( ; Aboriginal Tasmanians#North, pirinilaplu/palawa kani: ''Pataway'') is a port city located on the North West Tasmania, north-west coast of Tasmania, Australia. It is the fourth largest city on the island, located approximately north ...
. Completed 1883.


Victorian Regency

As with Victorian Georgian architecture, the Victorian Regency style was a continuation of the Old Colonial Regency style into the Victorian era (c.1840 – c.1890). The Regency style was a refinement of the Georgian style, with elaborations like a portico with columns at the front of the house. File:Royal terrace carlton.jpg, Royal Terrace, Carlton. Completed 1857. File:SouthAustralia0003.jpg, Ayers House,
North Terrace, Adelaide North Terrace is one of the four terraces that bound the central business and residential district of Adelaide, the capital city of South Australia. It runs east–west along the northern edge of "the square mile". The western end con ...
. Built c.1858-74. File:Victorian Terrace Houses, Melbourne, Australia.jpg, Cyprus Terrace, East Melbourne. Designed in 1868. File:(1)Jenner House Potts Point-2.jpg, Jenner House, Potts Point. Completed 1871. File:Lower Fort Street (57-61), Millers Point.jpg, 57-61 Lower Fort Street, Millers Point. File:(1) Admiralty House2.jpg, Admiralty House, Kirribilli


Victorian Free Classical

In the Old Colonial era, buildings of the Old Colonial Grecian style attempted to emulate the refined elegance of ancient Greece. However, in the Victorian era, Australia's booming migrant society sought an architectural language to flaunt its newfound prosperity, and found it in an exaggerated Classical style that took inspiration from the "''extroverted pomp of imperial Rome and the grandeur of the fully developed European Renaissance''." The Classical style embodied solidity, permanency, reason and rationality. There were two main sub-divisions of this style. The Victorian Academic Classical style involved strict and faithful interpretation of historical examples, and most examples of this style are non-residential, being often used for town halls, banks, and other public buildings. Buildings the Academic style were symmetrical in plan and massing, and involved correct application of one of the five architectural orders to determine proportions. However the restrictions of this style did not suit the ebullient attitudes of the era, and many buildings were built in the Victorian Free Classical style; which employed classical elements with little care shown towards the proper rules of the Academic style. Buildings in the Free style were often asymmetrical and combined elements of the classical language idiosyncratically, sometimes in combination with other styles. File:Werribee Mansion (4760501956).jpg, Werribee Park, Werribee; completed in 1877 File:Eildon Mansion, Grey Street, Melbourne - 2.jpeg, Eildon Mansion, St Kilda. Completed 1877. File:Three storey terraces in drummond street carlton.jpg, Drummond Terrace, Carlton. Completed 1891. File:Earlsbrae1899.jpg, Earlsbrae Hall, Essendon File:Caulfied grammar malvern.jpg, Valentine's Mansion, Malvern File:Biltmore albert park.jpg, Biltmore apartments, Albert Park File:(1)Randwick Lodge 032 (cropped).jpg, Corana and Hygeia Terraces, Randwick File:Marsfield Curzon Hall 1.JPG, Curzon Hall, Marsfield File:(1)Ilfracombe and Clovelly Avoca Street.jpg, IIfracombe and Clovelly Terraces, Randwick File:(1)Verona.jpg, Verona, Randwick File:KingsCross-Potts-Point.jpg, Terraces in Potts Point


Victorian Mannerist

A classical style that referenced the Italian Mannerist movement. Buildings in this style used classical elements in inventive and imaginative ways. Columns, pilasters, arches, and pediments were crammed into deep and richly modelled stucco facades. File:Lalor house richmond victoria.jpg, Lalor House, Richmond. Circa 1888. File:Medley hall.jpg, Benvenuta, Parkville. Completed 1893.Apperly, Irving, & Reynolds (1989), pg 65


Victorian Italianate

The Italianate style developed as a result of French painters who idealised the Italian landscape and turned it into their version of Arcadia. Their influence was long-lasting and eventually led to the Italianate architectural style of the 19th century. The style featured asymmetry and often, on grander residences, a tower of varying size. In Australia, the addition of a verandah, sometimes arcaded but later decorated with
filigree Filigree (also less commonly spelled ''filagree'', and formerly written ''filigrann'' or ''filigrene'') is a form of intricate metalwork used in jewellery and other small forms of metalwork. In jewellery, it is usually of gold and silver, m ...
cast iron Cast iron is a class of iron–carbon alloys with a carbon content of more than 2% and silicon content around 1–3%. Its usefulness derives from its relatively low melting temperature. The alloying elements determine the form in which its car ...
, gave a regional flavour to the style. File:Bishopscourt east melbourne.jpg, Bishopscourt, East Melbourne; completed 1853 File:Government_House_seen_from_street,_Brisbane,_Queensland,_2019,_01.jpg, Government House, Brisbane; completed 1865 File:Rippon Lea Estate, Victoria.jpg, Rippon Lea,
Elsternwick Elsternwick is an inner suburb in Melbourne, Victoria (Australia), Victoria, Australia, 9 km south-east of Melbourne's Melbourne city centre, Central Business District, located within the City of Glen Eira local government areas of Victoria ...
, Victoria. Designed 1868 by Reed & Barnes. A Lombardic Romanesque version of the style in polychromatic brick. File:Heritage Kamesburgh Gardens in Brighton.jpg, Kamesburgh, North Road, , Victoria. Completed 1874. File:Government House, Melbourne (8416384610) (2).jpg, Government House, Melbourne; completed in 1876.Apperly, Irving, & Reynolds (1989), pg 71 File:287 - Priory and Grounds - The Priory and Grounds (5045324b3).jpg, The Priory, Burwood. Completed 1877 File:Eynesbury 002.jpg, Eynesbury House, Kingswood; completed in 1881 File:(1)St Josephs Village Auburn 043.jpg, Duncraggan Hall, Auburn. Built c.1884. File:(1)Glentworth House-1a.jpg, Glentworth, Ashfield. Built c.1886. File:(1)Mount Royal (Australian Catholic University) Strathfield-2.jpg, Mount Royal "Villa, Strathfield. Completed 1887 File:(1)Windsor Gardens-3.jpg, Windsor Gardens, Chatswood (1888) File:(1)Italianate home The Avenue Randwick-2.jpg, Tayar, Randwick. Completed in the 1890s File:(1)Italianate home Dutruc Street Randwick-1.jpg, Earlswood, Randwick, 'Boom Style' Italianate completed in 1891. File:Myrnong Hall Acland Street St Kilda.jpg, Myrnong Hall, Acland Street, . Built c.1890. File:(1)Italianate home Lang Rd.jpg, Walshome, Centennial Park File:(1)Italianate mansion Strathfield-2.jpg, House in Strathfield File:Epworth repatriation mansion richmond victoria.jpg, Epworth,


Victorian Second Empire

Second Empire was preferred for grander mansions. For the rich, particularly in the wealthier parts of the larger metropolitan areas, the style evoked images of French aristocracy. Although rare, examples can be found in the bigger cities. Distinctive features include towers, quoining, mansard and slate roofs, square domes dormer windows, iron cresting and rich classical details. In the Australian setting, domestic interpretations of the style often combined filigree elements such as cast iron verandahs. File:Labassa.jpg, Labassa, Manor Grove, Caulfield North File:Marion terrace.jpg, Marion Terrace, Burnett Street, St Kilda File:Goodrest corner leopold and domain road south yarra.jpg, Goodrest, Cnr Leopold and Toorak Roads, South Yarra File:Stonnington mansion.jpg, Stonington, Glenferrie Road, Malvern File:Mansion on anderson street south yarra.JPG, House, Pasley Street, South Yarra File:Coffee Palaces in Queenscliff.jpg, Seaside apartments, Queenscliff File:Adelaide-WaterhouseHouse-Aug08.jpg, Waterhouse House,
Adelaide Adelaide ( , ; ) is the list of Australian capital cities, capital and most populous city of South Australia, as well as the list of cities in Australia by population, fifth-most populous city in Australia. The name "Adelaide" may refer to ei ...
.


Victorian Filigree

As housing developed in Australia, verandas became important as a way of shading the house. From the mid-19th century in particular, as people became more affluent, they built more elaborate homes, and one of the favoured elaborations was the filigree, or screen, of
cast iron Cast iron is a class of iron–carbon alloys with a carbon content of more than 2% and silicon content around 1–3%. Its usefulness derives from its relatively low melting temperature. The alloying elements determine the form in which its car ...
or
wrought iron Wrought iron is an iron alloy with a very low carbon content (less than 0.05%) in contrast to that of cast iron (2.1% to 4.5%), or 0.25 for low carbon "mild" steel. Wrought iron is manufactured by heating and melting high carbon cast iron in an ...
, or timber fretwork. This developed to the point where it has become one of the major features of Australian architecture. Many homes with this feature are also considered
Italianate architecture The Italianate style was a distinct 19th-century phase in the history of Classical architecture. Like Palladianism and Neoclassicism, the Italianate style combined its inspiration from the models and architectural vocabulary of 16th-century ...
, the filigree element being the cast iron balcony. File:Melbournia terrace drummond street carlton.jpg, Melbournia Terrace, Carlton. Completed in 1877. File:Tasma Terrace East Melbourne.jpg, Tasma Terrace, East Melbourne. Victorian Free Classical terrace with filigree verandahs; completed 1879. The headquarters of the National Trust (Victoria).Apperly, Irving, & Reynolds (1989), pg 62 File:Holcombe Terrace drummond street carlton.jpg, Holcombe Terrace, Carlton; completed 1884. One of Australia's best examples of the residential filigree style executed in polychrome brick. File:Palma Rosa.jpg, Palma Rosa,
Hamilton Hamilton may refer to: * Alexander Hamilton (1755/1757–1804), first U.S. Secretary of the Treasury and one of the Founding Fathers of the United States * ''Hamilton'' (musical), a 2015 Broadway musical by Lin-Manuel Miranda ** ''Hamilton'' (al ...
, Queensland. Andrea Stombuco, architect; completed 1887. File:"Wardlow", Parkville, Victoria Australia (4596152014).jpg, Wardlow, Parkville, Melbourne; built 1888. Italianate mansion with canted verandah screens. File:Kirkston at Windsor, Queensland.jpg, Kirkston, Windsor; completed 1889. File:Cintra House 2009.jpg, Cintra House, Bowen Hills (1863 remodelled 1890) File:(1)Avonmore in Randwick.jpg, Avonmore Terrace, Randwick. Completed 1891. File:Townhouses at Grange 2.jpg, Marine Terraces, Grange Beach (1884). A key example of the Adelaide-style, with three storeys of setback filigree verandahs.Apperly, Irving, & Reynolds (1989), pg 61 File:Old Terraces in Melbourne (6760448705).jpg, ''Terrace pair'', South Yarra (1890–91) with specially cast "opera-box" balconies. File:Ardmore residential gnangarra-1.jpg, Ardmore Terraces,
Fremantle Fremantle () () is a port city in Western Australia located at the mouth of the Swan River (Western Australia), Swan River in the metropolitan area of Perth, the state capital. Fremantle Harbour serves as the port of Perth. The Western Australi ...
built c.1898. File:Alpha Terrace, Launceston (late-1880s), Pic 1.jpg, alt=, Alpha Terrace, Launceston (late-1880s).


Queenslander style

The Queenslander style house is characterized by an all timber painted exterior, a timber stud frame. They are raised high on piles for flood protection, stylistic reasons and to create a multipurpose sheltered area under the house. The elevation can sometimes provide a cooling effect in hot climates. They have wide verandahs (often the length of the house and enclosed by shutters), and roofs are gabled and corrugated iron. The street facing view is often symmetrical. The NSW Queenslander is often smaller than the original classic Queenslander and is less decorative probably due to limited supply of delicate timber detail and trades-people to build them. It is sometimes combined with the Ranch style house. From the 1840s, a specific style of building emerged in
Queensland Queensland ( , commonly abbreviated as Qld) is a States and territories of Australia, state in northeastern Australia, and is the second-largest and third-most populous state in Australia. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Austr ...
. The Queenslander style of houses are identifiable by large verandahs and large double doors which open onto these verandahs, stilts rising the house above ground level (particularly in older houses), metal roofs typically of corrugated design and the houses are always constructed of mostly wood. Queenslander1.JPG, Federation-style Queenslander Queenslander2.JPG, Inter-war Queenslander Queenslander.jpg, Victorian era Queenslander Queenslander House Brisbane1.jpg, A typical 'Queenslander' style house in
Brisbane Brisbane ( ; ) is the List of Australian capital cities, capital and largest city of the States and territories of Australia, state of Queensland and the list of cities in Australia by population, third-most populous city in Australia, with a ...
Kilcoy Old Queenslander-01+ (374769341).jpg, An old Queenslander in Kilcoy


Victorian Free Gothic

The Gothic style gained favour from the early days of Queen Victoria's reign. Free Gothic became a popular choice for architects and their clients because it was not concerned with historical correctness and therefore gave them greater freedom in their designs. The style was much in vogue for religious buildings but was sometimes used in residential architecture as well. File:(1)Gladswood House-A.jpg, Gladswood House,
Double Bay Double Bay is a harbourside eastern suburb of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia 4 kilometres east of the Sydney central business district. It is the administrative centre of the local government area of the Municipality o ...
.
Sydney Sydney is the capital city of the States and territories of Australia, state of New South Wales and the List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city in Australia. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Syd ...
Built 1862–1864. File:Abbey 2.jpg,
The Abbey, Annandale ''The Abbey'' is an historic house located at 272 Johnston Street in the Sydney suburb of Annandale, New South Wales, Annandale, New South Wales, Australia. The house is listed on the (now defunct) Register of the National Estate, the local gover ...
. Completed 1882. File:Cloncorrick.JPG, Cloncorrick, Darling Point. 1884. File:AshfieldNSWAmbleside.jpg, Ambleside, Ashfield. Built 1886–88. File:Kenilworth1.JPG, Kenilworth, Annandale; completed 1889. Free Gothic with Romanesque influences. File:51 - Tulloona - Front elevation of Tulloona. (5045319b1).jpg, Tulloona, Goonellabah. Completed 1896


Victorian Rustic Gothic

The Rustic Gothic style developed out of a "cult of the picturesque" which largely focused on rural images and especially the picturesque rustic house, which became known as the cottage orne. In Australia, this style had a great appeal to British settlers who still carried with them a hankering for things English. File:The Grange, Campbell Town, Tasmania.jpg, The Grange, Campbell Town. Completed 1847. File:(1)Greycliffe House-Sydney.jpg,
Greycliffe House ''Greycliffe House'' is an historic, two-storey residential dwelling situated in the Sydney suburb of Vaucluse, New South Wales, Australia. Completed in in the Victorian Rustic Gothic style, ''Greycliffe'' is listed on the (now defunct) Austral ...
,
Vaucluse Vaucluse (; or ) is a department in the southeastern French region of Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur. It had a population of 561,469 as of 2019.
. Completed . File:Shafston_House.jpg, Shafston House, Kangaroo Point. 1852. Robin Dods File:(1)Kirribilli House Kirribilli.jpg, Kirribilli House, Kirribilli; built 1855.Apperly, Irving, & Reynolds (1989), pg 91 File:13 James Street Richmond.jpg, 13 & 15 James Street, Richmond. Completed 1857. File:Glenfern east st kilda.jpg, Glenfern, St Kilda East. Completed 1857. File:157 Hotham Street East Melbourne.jpg, 157 Hotham Street, East Melbourne. Completed 1861. File:Ruessdale, c.1868, Sydney.jpg, Reussdale,
Glebe A glebe (, also known as church furlong, rectory manor or parson's close(s)) is an area of land within an ecclesiastical parish used to support a parish priest. The land may be owned by the church, or its profits may be reserved to the church. ...
. Completed 1868 File:StMarksRectory.JPG, St Mark's Church, Darling Point. Designed by
Edmund Blacket Edmund Thomas Blacket (25 August 1817 – 9 February 1883) was an Australian architect, best known for his designs for the University of Sydney, St. Andrew's Cathedral, Sydney and Goulburn Cathedral (St. Saviour), St. Saviour's Cathedral, Goulbu ...
. 1873. File:(1)The Hermitage Vaucluse Sydney.jpg, The Hermitage, Vaucluse. Built 1870–78. File:GarthowenLaunceston.jpg, Garthowen, Launceston. Built 1879–82. File:Invercoe (1883), Battery Point 01.jpg, alt=Invercoe, Battery Point, Tasmania. Built 1883. 4Invercoe, Battery Point. Built 1883. File:View-from-rona 02.png, Rona, Bellevue Hill. Built 1883. File:(1)Restored home Oxford Street Woollahra.jpg, House in
Woollahra Woollahra ( ) is a suburb in the Eastern Suburbs (Sydney), Eastern Suburbs of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Woollahra is located east of the Sydney central business district, in the Local government in Australia, local go ...


Victorian Tudor

The Tudor style grew out of a nostalgia for older English concepts, particularly focused on the days of Queen Elizabeth I and Henry VIII. Its role in Australia began when the English architect Edward Blore designed Government House in Sydney in 1834. The style spread all over Australia and also influenced later styles like Federation Queen Anne and Inter-War Old English. File:Abercrombie House, Bathurst (cropped).jpg, Abercrombie House, Bathurst. Completed 1878. File:Swifts Side View.jpg, Swifts, Darling Point. Designed in 1882, this house later became the official residence of the Catholic Archbishop of Sydney.Apperly, Irving, & Reynolds (1989), pg 86 File:Toorak_House_(2009).jpg, Toorak House, Brisbane, remodelled 1891


Federation period c. 1890 – c. 1915

The Edwardian style was named after King Edward (1901–1910) at the time, and was the predominant style in the United Kingdom and its colonies. The style draws on elements of the Victorian era and the earlier Queen Anne style of the early 18th century. The Edwardian style coincided with the
Federation of Australia The Federation of Australia was the process by which the six separate British self-governing colonies of Queensland, New South Wales, Victoria, Tasmania, South Australia (which also governed what is now the Northern Territory), and Wester ...
. Thus, the Federation style was, broadly speaking, the Australian version of the Edwardian, but differed from the Edwardian in the use of Australian motifs, like
kangaroo Kangaroos are marsupials from the family Macropodidae (macropods, meaning "large foot"). In common use, the term is used to describe the largest species from this family, the red kangaroo, as well as the antilopine kangaroo, eastern gre ...
s, the rising sun (of Federation), and
emu The emu (; ''Dromaius novaehollandiae'') is a species of flightless bird endemism, endemic to Australia, where it is the Tallest extant birds, tallest native bird. It is the only extant taxon, extant member of the genus ''Dromaius'' and the ...
s, Australian flora and geometric designs. Some of the most recognisable Federation/Edwardian features include red brick exteriors with embellished wood detail known as fretwork. Cream painted decorative timber features, tall chimneys were all common. Stained glass windows towards the front of the home became increasingly popular during this period. Internally, Victorian-era features were still evident, including plaster ceiling roses and cornices and timber skirting and architraves. Federation style depicted a Tudor type look, especially on
gable A gable is the generally triangular portion of a wall between the edges of intersecting roof pitches. The shape of the gable and how it is detailed depends on the structural system used, which reflects climate, material availability, and aesth ...
s, and Edwardian gave a simpler cottage look. Terracotta tiles or galvanised iron are generally used for roofing, which is designed with a steep pitch. The gable ends and roof eaves often feature ornate timber brackets, and timber detailing and fretwork are a common inclusion on verandahs. Some consider that this style was the Federation version of the Queen Anne style. Other styles during this period were Federation Academic Classical, Federation Free Classical, Federation Filligree, Federation Anglo-Dutch, Federation Romanesque, Federation Gothic, Federation Carpenter Gothic, Federation Warehouse, Federation Free Style,
Federation Arts and Crafts Federation architecture is the architectural style in Australia that was prevalent from around 1890 to 1915. The name refers to the Federation of Australia on 1 January 1901, when the British colonies of Australia collectively became the Commonw ...
and Federation Bungalow. The names all indicated very similar styles with features so minute separating them. Out of the twelve Federation styles, however, only the following four were normally used in residential architecture:


Federation Queen Anne

File:(1)Caerleon.jpg, Caerleon, Bellevue Hill, the first Queen Anne home in Australia. Built c.1885. File:(1)Amesbury 033.jpg, Amesbury, Ashfield; an early elaborate example of the Queen Anne style. Built c.1888. File:West Maling 2021 - 1.png, West Maling,
Penshurst Penshurst is a historic village and civil parishes in England, civil parish located in a valley upon the northern slopes of the Weald, Kentish Weald, at the confluence of the River Medway and the River Eden, Kent, River Eden, within the Seveno ...
. Built c.1889. File:Hillcrest, 29 High St, East Launceston.JPG, Hillcrest, Launceston; built c.1900. File:Federation style mansion in domain street south yarra.jpg, The Tilba, South Yarra. Completed in 1907. File:Mount Wilga House 07.jpg, Mount Wilga House, Hornsby. Completed in 1914 File:Carlotta, (1909), Marrickville.jpg, Carlotta, Marrickville. Completed 1909. File:Landmark edwardian home on canterbury road middle park.jpg, Edwardian home in Albert Park File:Burwood Appian Way 3.JPG, Alba Longa in the Appian Way, Burwood File:'Olevanus' 6 Appian Way.jpg, Olevanus in Burwood File:7 Thomas Street Coogee NSW.jpg, Residence in Coogee File:36 Lyttleton Street East Launceston.JPG, alt=, House, Launceston. A combination of Queen Anne and
Art Nouveau Art Nouveau ( ; ; ), Jugendstil and Sezessionstil in German, is an international style of art, architecture, and applied art, especially the decorative arts. It was often inspired by natural forms such as the sinuous curves of plants and ...
motifs. File:Edwardian style house in Heidelberg, Victoria.jpg, Edwardian house,
Heidelberg Heidelberg (; ; ) is the List of cities in Baden-Württemberg by population, fifth-largest city in the States of Germany, German state of Baden-Württemberg, and with a population of about 163,000, of which roughly a quarter consists of studen ...
File:(1) The Annery1.jpg, The Annery, Darling Point File:Queens Bess.jpg, Queen Bess Row in East Melbourne, the largest Queen Anne-styled terrace in Melbourne File:Edwardian terraces in park street south yarra.jpg, Federation Queen Anne terraces in Park Street, South Yarra File:Queen Anne style house in Ivanhoe, Victoria.jpg, A Queen Anne residence in
Ivanhoe ''Ivanhoe: A Romance'' ( ) by Walter Scott is a historical novel published in three volumes, in December 1819, as one of the Waverley novels. It marked a shift away from Scott's prior practice of setting stories in Scotland and in the more ...
File:(1)Muston Street house.jpg, House in Mosman


Federation Arts and Crafts

The Arts and Crafts style came out of a movement to get away from mass-production and rediscover the human touch and the hand-made. The architectural style was characterised by rough-cast walls, shingles, faceted bay windows, stone bases, tall chimneys, high-pitched roofs and overhanging eaves. It was widely used in Australia during the Federation period. File:Pibrac.JPG, alt=Pibrac, Warrawee; built 1888; architect, John Horbury Hunt. 9Pibrac, Warrawee; built 1888; architect,
John Horbury Hunt John Horbury Hunt (1838 – 30 December 1904), often referred to as Horbury Hunt, was a Canadian-born Australian architect who worked in Sydney and rural New South Wales from 1863. Life and career Born in Saint John, New Brunswick, the son of ...
. File:'Erica' 21 Appian Way-wide.jpg, alt=, Erica, Appian Way, Burwood, built 1908. William Richards, builder and designer. File:(1)Wahroonga house 107.jpg, Residence in Wahroonga File:(1)The Crossways 056.jpg, alt=The Crossways, Centennial Park; completed 1908; architect, B. J. Waterhouse. 3 The Crossways, Centennial Park; completed 1908; architect, B. J. Waterhouse. File:Kama Llandilo Avenue Strathfield.jpg, alt=Kama, Strathfield; built 1911–1913; architect, Thomas Pollard Sampson. 4Kama, Strathfield; built 1911–1913; architect, Thomas Pollard Sampson. File:Hornsby house 001a.jpg, Residence in Hornsby File:Burwood Appian Way 10.JPG, St Ellero, Appian Way, Burwood, built c.1912-15. William Richards, builder and designer. File:(1)house Shellcove Rd1.jpg, St Ange,
Neutral Bay Neutral Bay is a suburb on the Lower North Shore of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. Neutral Bay is around 1.5 kilometres north of the Sydney central business district, in the local government area of North Sydney Council. Neutral Bay takes ...
, 1918. B.J. Waterhouse, architect. File:(1)Keynsham at Neutral Bay.jpg, alt=Keynsham, Neutral Bay; built 1921; Frank Buckle, architect. 7Keynsham,
Neutral Bay Neutral Bay is a suburb on the Lower North Shore of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. Neutral Bay is around 1.5 kilometres north of the Sydney central business district, in the local government area of North Sydney Council. Neutral Bay takes ...
; built 1921; Frank Buckle, architect. File:Kulahea, May 2021 02.jpg, alt=Kulahea, Cottesloe; built 1922; architect, George Thomas Temple-Poole. 8Kulahea, Cottesloe; built 1922; architect, George Thomas Temple-Poole. File:Devon-4.jpg, alt=Devon, Centennial Park; built; Arthur Leslie Bayley, architect. 9Devon, Centennial Park; built ; Arthur Leslie Bayley, architect. File:23 Waimea Road, Lindfield, New South Wales (2011-04-28).jpg, Waimea Road, File:Warrawee house 002.jpg, House in Warrawee File:Craignairn.JPG, Craignairn, Wahroonga File:15 Arnold Street, Killara, New South Wales (2010-12-04).jpg, Home, Arnold Street, Killara


Federation Bungalow

The bungalow style was usually a single-storey house with a prominent veranda, especially with the roof covering the veranda. It is seen as a transition phase between the Federation period and the California bungalow. File:(1)Federation home Waverton-5.jpg, Federation Bungalow house in Waverton File:(1)house Daisy Street Chatswood.jpg, Cottage on Daisy Street, Chatswood File:(1)Federation cottage Kensington 002a.jpg, Cottage in
Kensington Kensington is an area of London in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, around west of Central London. The district's commercial heart is Kensington High Street, running on an east–west axis. The north-east is taken up by Kensingt ...
File:(1)Springfield-1.jpg, Springfield, Strathfield File:7 Gerald Avenue, Roseville, New South Wales (2011-07-17).jpg, House in Roseville File:'Capua' 8 Appian Way'- Federation Bungalow.jpg, Capua, Appian Way, Burwood File:JoselandHouse.JPG, House in Wahroonga File:'Amalfi' 2 Appian Way Burwood (Western wing).jpg, Amalfi, Appian Way, Burwood File:(1)Federation cottage Strathfield-871.jpg, Residence in Strathfield


Federation Filigree

The filigree style was characterised by the creation of a screen as a prominent style at the front of the house. In the Victorian period, the screen was made of wrought iron, but in the Federation period it was made of wooden fretwork, which could be quite elaborate. It was widely used in Queensland as a way of providing shade and circulation of air for a home. File:Woodlands, Killara, New South Wales 03.jpg, Woodlands, Killara. Completed 1884; verandah added in renovations beginning in c.1895. File:Dilhorn House.jpg, alt=, Dilhorn House,
Perth Perth () is the list of Australian capital cities, capital city of Western Australia. It is the list of cities in Australia by population, fourth-most-populous city in Australia, with a population of over 2.3 million within Greater Perth . The ...
; completed 1897. Designed by Joseph John Talbot Hobbs. File:237 Beaufort St, Perth2.jpg, alt=A row of Federation Queen Anne-Filigree grand-terraces, Perth (c.1897). 6A row of Federation Queen Anne-Filigree grand-terraces,
Perth Perth () is the list of Australian capital cities, capital city of Western Australia. It is the list of cities in Australia by population, fourth-most-populous city in Australia, with a population of over 2.3 million within Greater Perth . The ...
(c.1897). File:SydneyHome29.JPG, Edna, Favo, & Gaza;
Glebe A glebe (, also known as church furlong, rectory manor or parson's close(s)) is an area of land within an ecclesiastical parish used to support a parish priest. The land may be owned by the church, or its profits may be reserved to the church. ...
(c. 1899–1900), eclectic, red-brick terrace row. File:(1)Federation Home Woollahra Sydney.jpg, Elvo,
Woollahra Woollahra ( ) is a suburb in the Eastern Suburbs (Sydney), Eastern Suburbs of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Woollahra is located east of the Sydney central business district, in the Local government in Australia, local go ...
, (c.1900). A Queen Anne style house with strong Federation Filigree elements. File:(1)Wychwood Ku-Ring-Gai Avenue.jpg, alt=Glensloy, Turramurra (1901). 6Glensloy, Turramurra (1901). File:Lamb_House_from_below.jpg, Lamb House, Kangaroo Point (1902-1908) File:Wolverton, 2005.jpg, alt=Wolverton, Townsville. Built . 8
Wolverton Wolverton ( ) is a constituent town of Milton Keynes Milton Keynes ( ) is a city status in the United Kingdom, city in Buckinghamshire, England, about north-west of London. At the 2021 Census, the population of Milton Keynes urban ar ...
,
Townsville The City of Townsville is a city on the north-eastern coast of Queensland, Australia. With a population of 201,313 as of 2024, it is the largest settlement in North Queensland and Northern Australia (specifically, the parts of Australia north of ...
. Built . File:Cremorne,_Hamilton.jpg, Cremorne, Hamilton (1905-1906) File:(1)Hillview guesthouse Turramurra-2.jpg, alt=Hillview, Turramurra (1913) 7Hillview, Turramurra (1913) File:Queenslander house in Roderick Street, Ipswich, Queensland 01.jpg, alt=House, Ipswich, Queensland. Federation Filigree-style Queenslander with double access stairs., Kameruka,
Ipswich Ipswich () is a port town and Borough status in the United Kingdom, borough in Suffolk, England. It is the county town, and largest in Suffolk, followed by Lowestoft and Bury St Edmunds, and the third-largest population centre in East Anglia, ...
(1917). Federation Filigree-style Queenslander with double access stairs. File:Federation Filigree house on Davey Street, Hobart.jpg, alt=, House, Davey Street,
Hobart Hobart ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the island state of Tasmania, Australia. Located in Tasmania's south-east on the estuary of the River Derwent, it is the southernmost capital city in Australia. Despite containing nearly hal ...
, with prominent fretworked verandah. File:Timber terraces in madden street albert park.jpg, Timber fretwork terraces. Madden Street, Albert Park File:QueenslandBuilding0013.jpg, Home,
Rockhampton Rockhampton is a city in the Rockhampton Region of Central Queensland, Australia. In the , the population of Rockhampton was 79,293. A common nickname for Rockhampton is "Rocky", and the demonym of Rockhampton is Rockhamptonite. The Scottish- ...
File:QueenslandBuilding0015.jpg, Building, Rockhampton File:QueenslandBuilding0017.jpg, Home, Rockhampton


Inter-war period c. 1915 – c. 1940

Styles which existed during the 1915–40 period include Edwardian, Georgian Revival, Academic Classical, Free Classical, Bungalow, Mediterranean, Spanish Mission, Art-Deco, Skyscraper Gothic, Romanesque, Gothic and Old English.


Inter-war Californian Bungalow

1915–1940 This style can almost instantly be recognised by the columns holding up a front veranda area. The name is almost self-explanatory: bungalow, a rugged type of home. This led to the belief that picket fences looked appropriate at the front fence, although originally they were not used. Darker colours were originally used but, as the years went by, new brighter paint served as a welcoming change to open up the spaces and brighten up the homes. Stone, brick and timber, earthy materials were used. A gable roof faced either the front or side always. File:California Bungalow Kensington 002.jpg, Residence in
Kensington Kensington is an area of London in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, around west of Central London. The district's commercial heart is Kensington High Street, running on an east–west axis. The north-east is taken up by Kensingt ...
File:(1)Belvedere in Cranbrook Ave-g.jpg, alt=Belvedere, Cremorne; built 1919; Alexander Stewart Jolly, architect. 8 Belvedere, Cremorne; built 1919; Alexander Stewart Jolly, architect. File:(1)California Bungalow Edward Avenue Kingsford.jpg, House in Kingsford File:(1)California Bungalow Sydney-4.jpg, House in
Kensington Kensington is an area of London in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, around west of Central London. The district's commercial heart is Kensington High Street, running on an east–west axis. The north-east is taken up by Kensingt ...
File:Californian Bungalow style house in Preston, Victoria.jpg, Californian Bungalow, Preston File:Belmont flats st kilda.jpg, Belmont Flats. Alma Road, St Kilda; completed 1923. Rare example of the bungalow style applied to an apartment building File:(1)California Bungalow Sydney-3.jpg, House in
Kensington Kensington is an area of London in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, around west of Central London. The district's commercial heart is Kensington High Street, running on an east–west axis. The north-east is taken up by Kensingt ...
File:Neatly trimmed bungalow, Adelaide.jpg, Home in Glandore File:11 Rogers Avenue Haberfield 094.jpg, House in Haberfield File:Classic Adelaide bungalow.jpg, Bungalow with the characteristic verandah in Pennington


Inter-war Old English

The Old English style involved a certain nostalgia for English ways, and tended to draw on Tudor and such-like English styles harking back vaguely to the days of Henry VIII. It had a certain appeal for what was a predominantly Anglo-Saxon population at the time. File:Bonnington.JPG, Bonnington, Bellevue Hill. Completed . File:Old English style Mosman 001.jpg, Old English style home in Mosman File:(1)Tudor Revival home Turramurra.jpg, House, Pacific Highway, Turramurra. File:(1)Old English house Warrawee.jpg, Home in Warrawee File:(1)Killara house 023.jpg, Home in Killara File:SydneyBuilding0150.jpg, Home, Bexley Road, Bexley File:Tudor Revival house, Adelaide (03).jpg, House, Unley Park File:Gleniffer Brae Manor House Wollongong.JPG, Gleniffer Brae, Keiraville


Inter-war Spanish Mission

Distinctly recognised by twisted pylons to a porch area covering the front door, usually windows grouped in threes to the side of the front door area on simpler homes. The style was influenced by the American Spanish inhabitant influenced American Architectural styles. Walls were brick in accordance with council regulations at the time, with white or cream yellowish cream
stucco Stucco or render is a construction material made of aggregates, a binder, and water. Stucco is applied wet and hardens to a very dense solid. It is used as a decorative coating for walls and ceilings, exterior walls, and as a sculptural and ...
finish and Spanish terra cotta tiles. File:Boomerang113.JPG, alt=Boomerang, Elizabeth Bay; built from 1926 to 1928. Neville Hampson, architect; gardens and grounds by Max Shelley (possibly in conjunction with Hampson and A. J. Doust). 9 Boomerang, Elizabeth Bay; built from 1926 to 1928. Neville Hampson, architect; gardens and grounds by Max Shelley (possibly in conjunction with Hampson and A. J. Doust). File:Belvedere flats St Kilda.jpg, alt=Belvedere Flats, St Kilda; completed in 1929. William H. Merritt, architect; J.R & E. Secull, builders. 0Belvedere Flats, St Kilda; completed in 1929. William H. Merritt, architect; J.R & E. Secull, builders. File:Marne court - 40-42 marne street south yarra.jpg, alt=Marne Court, South Yarra; built . 1Marne Court, South Yarra; built . File:Santa Barbara (2008).jpg, alt=Santa Barbara, New Farm; built from 1929 to 1930; Eric Percival Trewern, architect; D.F Roberts, builder. 2 Santa Barbara, New Farm; built from 1929 to 1930; Eric Percival Trewern, architect; D.F Roberts, builder. File:(1)Point Piper house 162.jpg, alt=Herewai, Point Piper; completed in 1930; Ross & Rowe, architects, most likely by H.E. Ross. 3Herewai, Point Piper; completed in 1930; Ross & Rowe, architects, most likely by H.E. Ross. File:SydneyBuilding0101.jpg, alt=Santiago, Kingsford; architect and date unknown, completed before 1938 4Santiago, Kingsford; architect and date unknown, completed before 1938 File:Beverley_Hill_apartments_South_Yarra_2.jpg, Beverley Hills Apartment Blocks, South Yarra (1930s) Howard Ratcliff Lawson File:Siroccoroseville.jpg, alt=Siroccoro, Roseville; built 1938; Stanley Rickard, architect; Garetti & Son, builders. 5Siroccoro, Roseville; built 1938; Stanley Rickard, architect; Garetti & Son, builders. File:Spanish Mission style house in Heidelberg, Victoria.jpg, Spanish Mission home in
Heidelberg Heidelberg (; ; ) is the List of cities in Baden-Württemberg by population, fifth-largest city in the States of Germany, German state of Baden-Württemberg, and with a population of about 163,000, of which roughly a quarter consists of studen ...
File:Mission Revival style house, Bellevue Hill.jpg, Home, Bellevue Hill File:Art deco apartment on alexandra parade south yarra.jpg, Apartment complex, Alexandra Parade, South Yarra File:Las Palmas flats St Kilda.JPG, Las Palmas, St Kilda File:Bourne place windsor.jpg, Bourne Place, Remodelled Terraces, Windsor File:Santa Barbara 001.jpg, Santa Barbara, Pymble, Stanley Rickard, architect


Inter-war Georgian Revival

A revival of Old Colonial Georgian and Old Colonial Regency architecture. Largely spearheaded by William Hardy Wilson, and inspired by the Georgian revival architecture of the United States and Britain. File:BurnsRoad70a.jpg, Georgian Revival house in Wahroonga File:(1)Purulia(Fox Valley Rd)-2.jpg, alt=Purulia, Wahroonga; constructed 1912–13; architect, William Hardy Wilson. 9 Purulia, Wahroonga; constructed 1912–13; architect, William Hardy Wilson. File:Eryldene2.JPG,
Eryldene, Gordon ''Eryldene'' is a heritage-listed former family residence and now house museum located at 17 McIntosh Street in the Sydney North Shore (Sydney), North Shore suburb of Gordon, New South Wales, Gordon, Australia. It was designed by William Hard ...
. Completed 1914. Designed by William Hardy Wilson. File:Australian Prime Minister's Lodge.jpg, The Lodge,
Canberra Canberra ( ; ) is the capital city of Australia. Founded following the Federation of Australia, federation of the colonies of Australia as the seat of government for the new nation, it is Australia's list of cities in Australia, largest in ...
, completed 1927. Residence of the
Prime Minister of Australia The prime minister of Australia is the head of government of the Commonwealth of Australia. The prime minister is the chair of the Cabinet of Australia and thus the head of the Australian Government, federal executive government. Under the pr ...
. File:(1)Merrivale-1.jpg, Merrivale, Pymble. Completed 1930. File:House in Kirribilli Avenue, Kirribilli, Sydney, New South Wales 19.jpg, Hanover Court flats, Kirribilli. File:Audley 004a.jpg, Audley, Warrawee. Completed 1935


Inter-war Functionalist

A very modern looking style at the time, inspired by a German movement known as
Bauhaus The Staatliches Bauhaus (), commonly known as the , was a German art school operational from 1919 to 1933 that combined Decorative arts, crafts and the fine arts.Oxford Dictionary of Art and Artists (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 4th edn., ...
, representing functional and clinical architecture. Red or cream brick walls and concrete was also first seen. Steel-framed casement sashes, with larger panes of glass and
terra cotta Terracotta, also known as terra cotta or terra-cotta (; ; ), is a clay-based Vitrification#Ceramics, non-vitreous ceramicOED, "Terracotta""Terracotta" MFA Boston, "Cameo" database fired at relatively low temperatures. It is therefore a term used ...
tiled roofs with a moderate pitch. The only featured part of the house included matching decorative front fences, and a featured roof affect. Buildings in this style sometimes were influenced by the Streamline Moderne style, itself a late branch of
Art Deco architecture Art Deco, short for the French (), is a style of visual arts, architecture, and product design that first appeared in Paris in the 1910s just before World War I and flourished in the United States and Europe during the 1920s to early 1930s, ...
. Inspired by
aerodynamic Aerodynamics () is the study of the motion of atmosphere of Earth, air, particularly when affected by a solid object, such as an airplane wing. It involves topics covered in the field of fluid dynamics and its subfield of gas dynamics, and is an ...
design, the style emphasised curving forms, long horizontal lines, and sometimes nautical elements, such as railings and porthole windows. File:BurnhamBeeches1947.jpg, alt=Burnham Beeches, Dandenong Ranges; completed 1933; Harry Norris, architect 3,
Burnham Beeches Burnham Beeches is a biological Site of Special Scientific Interest situated west of Farnham Common in the village of Burnham, Buckinghamshire, Burnham, Buckinghamshire. The southern half is owned by the Corporation of London and is open to th ...
, Dandenong Ranges; completed 1933; Harry Norris, architect. File:Cairo housing.jpg, alt=Cairo Flats, Fitzroy. Completed in 1936; Best Overend, architect. Each apartment was designed to "provide maximum amenity in minimum space for minimum rent". 485] 6 Cairo Flats, Fitzroy. Completed in 1936; Best Overend, architect. Each apartment was designed to "provide maximum amenity in minimum space for minimum rent". File:Woy Woy, Elwood in 1982.jpg, Woy Woy Flats, Elwood; built 1936. Mewton & Grounds, attributed to Geoffrey Harley Mewton. File:Bellaire Flats St Kilda West.jpg, Bellaire Flats, St Kilda, built 1936. Mewton & Grounds, attributed to Geoffrey Harley Mewton. Blocky bands of two-tone brick soften the severe massing of these flats. File:Masel Residence,Stanthorpe, 2015 03.JPG, alt=Masel Residence, Stanthorpe. Built from 1937 to 1938; Charles William Thomas Fulton, architect, Kell & Rigby, builders. 7 Masel Residence, Stanthorpe. Built from 1937 to 1938; Charles William Thomas Fulton, architect, Kell & Rigby, builders. File:(1)Sutherland Road 001.jpg, alt=House, Cheltenham; built for the Barmby family. 8House,
Cheltenham Cheltenham () is a historic spa town and borough adjacent to the Cotswolds in Gloucestershire, England. Cheltenham became known as a health and holiday spa town resort following the discovery of mineral springs in 1716, and claims to be the mo ...
; built for the Barmby family. File:Chateau Nous.jpg, Chateau Nous, Ascot. Built . Architect, Douglas Francis Woodcraft Roberts. File:One of the Forrest Fire Station residences.jpg, alt=Fire Station Residence, Forest; designed by Government architects E. H. Henderson and Cuthbert Whitley in 1939. Seven residences were attached to the station, each with their own garage 8Fire Station Residence,
Forest A forest is an ecosystem characterized by a dense ecological community, community of trees. Hundreds of definitions of forest are used throughout the world, incorporating factors such as tree density, tree height, land use, legal standing, ...
; designed by Government architects E. H. Henderson and Cuthbert Whitley in 1939. Seven residences were attached to the station, each with their own garage File:Newburn Flats 2019.jpg, Newburn Flats,
Melbourne Melbourne ( , ; Boonwurrung language, Boonwurrung/ or ) is the List of Australian capital cities, capital and List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city of the States and territories of Australia, Australian state of Victori ...
. Completed in 1941; designed by Frederick Romberg and Mary Turner Shaw in 1939. File:Glenunga Flats's front view.jpg, alt=Glenunga Flats, Armadale. Completed in 1941; Frederick Romberg and Mary Turner Shaw, architects. A hybrid of Functionalist components with folksy, 'European Chalet Style’ materials. 9Glenunga Flats, Armadale. Completed in 1941; Frederick Romberg and Mary Turner Shaw, architects. A hybrid of Functionalist components with folksy, 'European Chalet Style’ materials.


Inter-war Ashgrovian

Originally specific to Queensland, the Ashgrovian style developed from the hipped bungalow style and was characterised by a frontage with a grand gable roof, often surrounded by secondary smaller gables behind, the smaller gables usually sheltering verandahs and sleep-outs. A staircase almost always dominated the front yard leading to the verandah.


Post-War Period c. 1940 – 1960


Austere

The Austere style reflected the lack of availability of building materials and labour in the years following World War II.


Waterfall (Art Deco) 1940–1950

Fashionable modern houses of the thirties in the
Streamline Moderne Streamline Moderne is an international style of Art Deco architecture and design that emerged in the 1930s. Inspired by Aerodynamics, aerodynamic design, it emphasized curving forms, long horizontal lines, and sometimes nautical elements. In indu ...
style were sometimes described as being like ocean liners, with walls, windows and balconies all sweeping around corners. By the 1940s these details were entrenched into suburban designs. The 'Waterfall' or 'Waterfall Front' style came to be known as such from the use of descending curves in chimneys, fence pillars and other vertical elements. Robin Boyd, the Australian architect and writer, noted that three was 'the key to decorative smartness'; three steps usually being used for the waterfall effect and featured parallel lines were often in threes. Defining features of houses from this period are curved corner windows, including Venetian blinds, some rare examples of which are curved. With a slightly steeper pitched roof than the Early Modern Style, this style was generally of brick veneer cream brick but also could have dark brown glazed feature brickwork incorporated into the external walls, and under windowsills. Chimneys were either stepped or plain, and together with the round windows perhaps gave meaning to the "Waterfall" name. Ecclesiastical, International, Melbourne Regional, Brisbane Regional and American Colonial were also styles which existed in the period 1940–1960. Waterfall (Art Deco) style house in Eaglemont, Victoria.jpg, The Waterfall style and Art Deco combined,
Heidelberg Heidelberg (; ; ) is the List of cities in Baden-Württemberg by population, fifth-largest city in the States of Germany, German state of Baden-Württemberg, and with a population of about 163,000, of which roughly a quarter consists of studen ...
204 Monaro Crescent Red Hill ACT.jpg, House in Red Hill, designed by Robin Boyd. Typical of the post-war Melbourne regional style: long unbroken roof line, wide eaves, extensive windows.


International style

The Rose Seidler House built by Harry Seidler for his parents between 1948 and 1950 in Sydney incorporated Modernist features of open planning, a minimal colour scheme, and labour saving devices that were new to Australia at the time. The house won the Sir John Sulman Medal in 1951 and is today preserved as a museum as a very influential house. After
World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
, architects in Australia were influenced by the development of the International style of architecture. Some regional variations developed. In Melbourne, Robin Boyd and Roy Grounds articulated a Melbourne interpretation of the modern style. Boyd's book ''Victorian Modern'' (1947) traced the history of architecture in the state of Victoria and described a style of architecture that he hoped would be a response to local surroundings as well as the popular international style. In particular he nominated the work of Roy Grounds and in some outer suburban bush houses of the 1930s as being the early stages of such a style. Grounds and Boyd later worked in partnership. The houses were typically narrow, linear, and single storey with a low pitched gable roof. They had exposed rafters and wide eaves. Walls were generally bagged or painted brick and windows were large areas of glass with regularly spaced timber mullions. File:RoseSeidlerHouseSulmanPrize.jpg, Rose Seidler House in the northern Sydney suburb of Wahroonga. Completed 1950. File:Roy Grounds House.jpg, Roy Grounds House, Toorak; built . File:Julian Rose House (c.1954) in Wahroonga NSW, Australia.jpg, Julian Rose House, Wahroonga. Built c.1954, architect Harry Seidler. File:House at Caulfield.JPG, alt=Lind House, Caulfield; constructed 1954–55; architect, Anatol Kagan. 6 House at Caulfield; constructed 1954–55; architect, Anatol Kagan. File:McCraith House Dromana 2012.JPG, alt=McCraith House, Dromana; constructed in 1955, architects, Chancellor and Patrick. 7 McCraith House, Dromana; constructed in 1955, architects, Chancellor and Patrick. File:Designed by Robyn Boyd (10215628384).jpg, alt=Walkley House, North Adelaide; completed 1956; architect, Robin Boyd. 8Walkley House,
North Adelaide North Adelaide is a predominantly residential precinct (Australia), precinct and suburb of the City of Adelaide in South Australia, situated north of the River Torrens and within the Adelaide Park Lands. Laid out in a grid plan in three section ...
; completed 1956; architect, Robin Boyd. File:Schmidt-Lademann House northeast view 1959.jpg, alt=, Schmidt-Lademann House, Floreat; completed 1958; architect, Iwan Iwanoff. File:OIC perth cbd council house.jpg,
Council House, Perth Council House is a 13-storey office building on St Georges Terrace, Perth, St Georges Terrace in Perth, Western Australia. Located beside Stirling Gardens and Government House, Perth, Government House in the city's Perth central business district ...
; from 1959. File:1800 - Simpson-Lee House I - Rear Elevation (5052085b3).jpg, alt=Simpson-Lee House I, Wahroonga; constructed from 1958 to 1962; architect, Arthur Baldwinson; builder, George M. Koch. 1 Simpson-Lee House I, Wahroonga; constructed from 1958 to 1962; architect, Arthur Baldwinson; builder, George M. Koch.


L-shape 1945–1955

This style represented a change in the overall floor plan, the plan resembling a large "L" Shape. Usually with gabled ends to the L, with
terra cotta Terracotta, also known as terra cotta or terra-cotta (; ; ), is a clay-based Vitrification#Ceramics, non-vitreous ceramicOED, "Terracotta""Terracotta" MFA Boston, "Cameo" database fired at relatively low temperatures. It is therefore a term used ...
tiles still being used, as concrete tiles didn't appear until the late 1960s. Timber or steel framed windows were used, and front-facing fences resembled the house, much the same as had been seen since the Early Modern Period.


Dutch Colonial

1967 Adelaide Dutch Colonial House.jpg, Dutch Colonial home in
Adelaide Adelaide ( , ; ) is the list of Australian capital cities, capital and most populous city of South Australia, as well as the list of cities in Australia by population, fifth-most populous city in Australia. The name "Adelaide" may refer to ei ...
(1950s) Dutch_Colonial_Revival_house_in_Adelaide.jpg, Dutch Colonial house in
Mitcham Mitcham is an area within the London Borough of Merton in South London, England. It is centred southwest of Charing Cross. Originally a village in the county of Surrey, today it is mainly a residential suburb, and includes Mitcham Common. It ...


Timber and fibro fisherman's cottage

The original fisherman's cottage was built in many coastal towns between the 1930s and 1950s. It was originally a simple timber-framed structure of one or two rooms and a verandah which was clad with asbestos sheeting. The floors were generally raised on piles. The verandah sometimes had handsome wooden balustrade that was sometimes enclosed to make an additional room or sleep-out. Timber detail around windows and gables were often painted- cheery red being one of the most popular traditional colours. The original cottages, being relatively cheap to purchase, are now popular for renovation. Construction is easy and owner-building is common. The older buildings require insulation in the ceiling and walls. Timber and fiber cement sheeting now replaces the original asbestos and often the interior is completed gutted to create a modern open plan style of living. Timber strap-work can be used and windows frames painted for effect. RenovatedFishermansCottage.jpg, Renovated fisherman's cottage


Triple front (cream brick) 1950 – 1960s

Distinctly recognisable by their front-facing walls have 3 and sometimes even 4 front-facing walls. This led to the front entrance sometimes brought round to the side within one of the alcoves created by the multiple fronts. Roofs were medium pitched and hipped with concrete tiles being used towards the end of the style in the late 60s. Front fences had a castellated top and feature piers raised above the top of the rest of the brick fence. Decorative iron was used very minimally, in gates to driveways, and balustrades to entrances. The architectural style was mainly built by Anglo-Celtic Australians to deal with housing shortages that arose after
World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
. Triple Front (With 4 Fronts) style house in Heidelberg, Victoria.jpg, Triple Front (With 4 Fronts),
Heidelberg Heidelberg (; ; ) is the List of cities in Baden-Württemberg by population, fifth-largest city in the States of Germany, German state of Baden-Württemberg, and with a population of about 163,000, of which roughly a quarter consists of studen ...
.


Late 20th century

Styles of the late 20th century have largely been derived from the current world architectural trends, or have been imitative of previous Australian styles. These styles include Stripped Classical, Ecclesiastical, International, Organic, Sydney Regional, Perth Regional, Adelaide Regional, Tropical, Brutalist, Structural, Late Modern, Post Modern, Australian Nostalgic and Immigrants' Nostalgic. In the 1980s and 1990s, most parts of Australia had a building boom which strained building supplies, so many buildings from this era are characterised by cheap and low quality materials. A good cross section of Australian residential architectural styles from this period, although not necessarily falling into one of the categories above, follows. Almost all of the houses shown in this section were built after 1960 and photographed just north of Sydney on the Central Coast of NSW. Each of these styles has a different emphasis to practicality (physical needs, layout, and views), land and environmental considerations (structural requirements for foundations, design for weather protection) and aesthetic considerations (planar, volumetric, and sculptural form, emotional and spiritual qualities.) All of these requirements and qualities should be considered when designing a house.


Migrant House

In the 1950s and 1960s, large influxes of migrants from eastern and southern Europe arrived to Australia and settled in cities, mainly in Melbourne and Sydney. The need to house the non-English speaking migrants became a high priority and the migrant house developed as an architectural type in neighbourhoods of the inner-city, later spreading to outer suburbs. Over time the suburban dwellings built by migrants became known as the migrant house. The architectural style of housing has also been referred to as "Late-Twentieth-century Immigrants’ Nostalgic". Certain decoration and construction features identify the migrant house. They are a (dark) brick-veneer, concrete balustrades atop a staircase going toward a terrace, arches, expanses of concreted areas that replace the front yard lawn, trees such as olive or citrus (often lemon), decorative fences made from iron, and stone lions.


Regional gabled cottage

This popular style has emerged from the triple fronted brick veneer. While the house footprint and floor plan may be quite similar, the gabled cottage has a very different feel. In this style the distinctive gabled roof is a dominant design element, and a practical means of providing shade and entertaining space. Constructions can be entirely of brick (often painted), entirely timber, or a combination of brick on the lower part of the house and timber on the upper. Some houses of brick construction have featured verandahs and porticos. Roofs are usually galvanized iron and windows metal framed. While it is well suited to sloping blocks, this style can also be built on a slab. The use of timber cladding greatly reduces weight and construction costs. TimberGabledRegional.jpg, Timber regional gabled style architecture


Ranch–style

The ranch-style became popular in the nineties. With conception in the United States, it originated in suburban Adelaide and subsequently became popular in regional and coastal New South Wales. The floor plan is simple and footprint (of at least the street-facing section) is often rectangular. Walls are usually brick, or brick and timber, and windows are often colonial style floor-to-ceiling. Roofs usually tiled with extended eaves. The garage was often integrated into the house. Some ranch style houses were boomerang shaped, others were L-shaped for corner allotments. Ranch style houses can be readily combined with the Murcutt/Drew style (timber and galvanized iron). These smaller ranch style houses often have balconies the width of the house.


Murcutt/Drew steel and corrugated iron house

A number of styles have emerged from the influence of architects Phillip Drew and Glenn Murcutt. The geometric play of angles is often a signature, likewise the (sometimes exposed) steel framing and corrugated iron cladding which is available in a variety of colours. Fiber cement and timber cladding is often used with the iron to create a sympathetic blend of textures. Being of light weight construction, the steel and corrugated iron approach is relatively cheap and suitable for both flat and steeply inclined land. Interior cladding is most often gyprock but can be timber or even plywood. Butterfly roofs can also be employed quite successfully in this design. This style of house is suited for steel framed pole houses on steep slopes. MurcuttDrewStyle.jpg, Murcutt Drew style architecture


Federation revival

During the early-1990s, many of the design elements that characterised the Federation architecture of old were popularised in mainstream architecture. This Federation revival form is also known as "mock Federation" or "faux Federation". The style was widespread within the realm of residential housing (especially in new development suburbs) and for apartment buildings; however, smaller shopping centres and other public buildings also made use of the revival style that retained widespread popularity until the early 2000s. Suburbs of Sydney that developed in the 1990s—such as Cherrybrook, Wetherill Park, Green Valley, Cecil Hills, Edensor Park, Castle Hill, and Menai—are notable in the sense that large tracts of these developments contain almost exclusively Federation revival homes. The construction of Federation revival architecture varied little from that of other basic styles, with the Federation elements merely forming the facade and decorating elements of the building. For example, the typical brick and roof tile construction, hexagonal
turret Turret may refer to: * Turret (architecture), a small tower that projects above the wall of a building * Gun turret, a mechanism of a projectile-firing weapon * Optical microscope#Objective turret (revolver or revolving nose piece), Objective turre ...
s, ornate
gable A gable is the generally triangular portion of a wall between the edges of intersecting roof pitches. The shape of the gable and how it is detailed depends on the structural system used, which reflects climate, material availability, and aesth ...
work,
finial A finial () or hip-knob is an element marking the top or end of some object, often formed to be a decorative feature. In architecture, it is a small decorative device, employed to emphasize the Apex (geometry), apex of a dome, spire, tower, roo ...
s, prominent
verandah A veranda (also spelled verandah in Australian and New Zealand English) is a roofed, open-air hallway or porch, attached to the outside of a building. A veranda is often partly enclosed by a railing and frequently extends across the front an ...
, steep pitched roofs, and faceted
bay window A bay window is a window space projecting outward from the main walls of a building and forming a bay in a room. A bow window is a form of bay with a curve rather than angular facets; an oriel window is a bay window that does not touch the g ...
s served to parallel the traditional Federation architecture. File:(1)Field Place house.jpg, Federation revival home in Wahroonga File:60 Clanville Road, Roseville, New South Wales (2011-07-17).jpg, Federation revival home in Roseville (1994) File:(1)Federation Revival house Pretoria Parade.jpg, Federation Revival house in Hornsby File:45 Tryon Road, Lindfield, New South Wales (2011-04-28) 02.jpg, Lindfield File:(1)house Kingsford Sydney-3.jpg, Federation revival house in Kingsford File:15 Dudley Avenue, Roseville, New South Wales (2011-07-17).jpg, Bungalow style Federation Revival home in Roseville File:(1)house High Street Glenbrook.jpg, Glenbrook File:Apartments, 8-10 Russell Avenue, Lindfield, New South Wales (2011-07-17).jpg, Federation revival apartments in Lindfield (1996) File:Apartments, Kingsway, Miranda, New South Wales (2010-07-25) 02.jpg, Federation revival apartments in Miranda (c. 1993)


Pavilion style

The Pavilion style house is characterized by a simple rectangular, box shaped volumetric style, open plan interior with glass replacing much of the wall space. Windows are often also steel framed. The transparency of the walls makes it well suited for blocks with privacy and/or views. Open patios are an integral part of living area, and like the rooms, they are orientated according to the aspect. Roofs are often low pitched roof and skillion. The style was a favorite of architect Harry Seidler who favoured walls of rendered brick however it is also well suited to a steel, fiber cement, and corrugated iron treatment. This approach often requires the thinness of steel framing to create the desired look. File:(1)Mosman house-3.jpg, Contemporary pavilion style house with an angled facade in Mosman File:(1)Contemporary home Coogee.jpg, House in Coogee File:11-13 Elvina Street, Dover Heights, New South Wales (2011-01-12).jpg, Cement rendered pavilion style semi-detached houses in Dover Heights


Australian Nostalgic

File:House on James Street.jpg, Victorian Filigree Revivalist house, Templestowe. Lacework and polychrome brick pay homage to Victorian era architecture.


Painted and rendered triple-fronted brick veneer

This style of house has a brick facade (exterior) with timber frames supporting interior walls, usually of gyprock. Roofs are always hipped or gabled and tiled. As mentioned previously in this article, this style, without the painted and rendered brick facade, dominated suburban architecture in the 1950s – 1960s. Due to its familiar and cheap construction, it still is the dominant style in housing estates and many consider the style the scourge of Australian domestic architecture. The basic style has been made more interesting by rendering and painting, adding more angles, variations in roofing, porticos, verandahs, and
bay window A bay window is a window space projecting outward from the main walls of a building and forming a bay in a room. A bow window is a form of bay with a curve rather than angular facets; an oriel window is a bay window that does not touch the g ...
s. Large homes, two-story homes of this style have often been described as McMansions. File:Minimalist Modern Residential Architecture in Flemington, New South Wales.jpg, Typical modern suburban home in Flemington File:Townhouses in Victoria Australia.jpg, Modern
Townhouse A townhouse, townhome, town house, or town home, is a type of Terraced house, terraced housing. A modern townhouse is often one with a small footprint on multiple floors. In a different British usage, the term originally referred to any type o ...
s in Victoria File:Modern house in Sydney.jpg, McMansion style house


Brutalist

Evolving from the modernist style in postwar Europe,
Brutalist architecture Brutalist architecture is an architectural style that emerged during the 1950s in the United Kingdom, among the reconstruction projects of the post-war era. Brutalist buildings are characterised by Minimalism (art), minimalist constructions th ...
emphasises bare building materials and function over form. Buildings of this style commonly feature exposed, unpainted concrete; solid, geometric forms; exaggerated slabs; massive forbidding walls; and a predominantly monochrome palette. File:(1)Seidler house Kalang Avenue-1.jpg, Harry and Penelope Seidler House, Killara Completed 1967. File:Sirius Apartments 135 BLG ScreenRes.jpg, Sirius Building, The Rocks Designed by Tao Gofers and completed in 1980 File:Gottlieb House entrance.jpg, Gottlieb House, late Brutalist, completed in 1990–94. Caulfield.


Highrises

Highrise residential buildings became popular in Australia in the late 20th century, due to the trend towards increasing density in cities. New construction technology allowed modernist styles to be adapted to taller buildings with larger footprints, with Harry Seidler a key proponent of the style in Australia. Around the turn of the 21st century, highrise residential architecture became largely indistinguishable from commercial skyscraper styles. File:Blues Point Tower.jpg, Blues Point Tower (1962), McMahons Point. Designed by Harry Seidler. File:HorizonApartments-Sydney-01.jpg, Horizon Apartments (1990–1998), Darlinghurst. Also designed by Harry Seidler. File:Seidler skyscraper CBD.jpg, Meriton Tower (2001–2006), Sydney. File:Eureka Tower, Melbourne - Nov 2008.jpg, Eureka Tower (2002–2006), Southbank. File:Infinity Tower, seen from William Jolly Bridge, Brisbane 02.jpg, Infinity Tower (2014)


Contemporary styles

Contemporary styles from 2000 onwards are often eclectic, incorporating a variety of influences such as classical revival, post modernism, modernism and pop architecture, without holding rigidly to the prescriptions of any one style. File:Pamela anderson house st kilda.jpg, Newman House in St Kilda; completed 2000. An example of contemporary Post modern pop architecture File:Modern house Bronte.jpg, A house in Bronte with modernist influences File:(1)Cheltenham house-4.jpg, A contemporary classical revival house with strong Regency influences,
Cheltenham Cheltenham () is a historic spa town and borough adjacent to the Cotswolds in Gloucestershire, England. Cheltenham became known as a health and holiday spa town resort following the discovery of mineral springs in 1716, and claims to be the mo ...
File:Beecroft house 004.jpg, House in Beecroft with a more eclectic mix of various revival styles File:(1)Sans Souci house 071.jpg, A modern adaptation of French provincial style, Sans Souci File:Weatherboard house in Lockleys, South Australia.jpg, Contemporary
weatherboard Clapboard (), also called bevel siding, lap siding, and weatherboard, with regional variation in the definition of those terms, is wooden siding (construction), siding of a building in the form of horizontal boards, often overlapping. ''Cla ...
house in Lockleys


Adaptive

With widespread gentrification and urban renewal in the late 20th and early 21st century, conversions of disused industrial and commercial buildings to residential has become widespread. This includes adaptive reuse conversions which retain to some extent the form of the existing building. File:Cairns memorial presbyterian church east melbourne.jpg, Former Cairns Memorial Church (1895) turned apartments (1988) File:Bay_View_from_Port_Melbourne.jpg, Sandridge Bay Towers,
Port Melbourne Port Melbourne is an inner-city suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, south-west of the Melbourne central business district, located within the Cities of City of Melbourne, Melbourne and City of Port Phillip, Port Phillip Local government ...
(left) 1891 brick sugar factories and warehouses turned fashionable apartments (1996) File:Malthouse richmond.jpg, The Malthouse, Richmond an innovative conversion of 1920s silos by Fender Katsalidis (1997) File:Colgate-Palmolive Building, Balmain.jpg, Former
Colgate-Palmolive The Colgate-Palmolive Company, commonly known as Colgate-Palmolive, is an American multinational corporation, multinational consumer products company headquartered on Park Avenue in Midtown Manhattan, New York City. The company specializes in ...
factory in Balmain, after residential conversion (1998) File:Love and lewis building.jpg, Love & Lewis building
Prahran Prahran ( , also colloquially or ), is an inner suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 5 km south-east of Melbourne's Central Business District, located within the City of Stonnington local government area. Prahran recorded a population ...
, a 1913 department store converted to apartments (2004) File:Teneriffe_Woolstore_Teneriffe_Village.JPG, One of many old woolstores converted as part of the Urban renewal in Woolstore Precinct, Teneriffe (2004-2010)


See also

* Terraced houses in Australia * Architecture of Sydney * Architecture of Melbourne


References


Bibliography

*Murcutt, Glenn (1995). "Works and Projects", Thames and Hudson. *Drew, Phillip (1996). "Leaves of Iron",
Angus & Robertson Angus & Robertson (A&R) is a major Australian bookseller, publisher and printer. As book publishers, A&R has contributed substantially to the promotion and development of Australian literature.Alison, Jennifer (2001). "Publishers and editors: A ...
*Picket, Charles (1997). "Fibro Frontier", Powerhouse. *Irving, Robert (1985). "The History and Design of the Australian House",
Oxford University Press Oxford University Press (OUP) is the publishing house of the University of Oxford. It is the largest university press in the world. Its first book was printed in Oxford in 1478, with the Press officially granted the legal right to print books ...
*Perse, JN (1981). "House Style in Adelaide – A Pictorial History", Stock Journal Publishers.


External links

{{Architecture of Sydney , state=autocollapse Architecture in Australia Housing in Australia