biophiliarts
McIntyre House Restoration Project
1956-57
1965
2023
McIntyre House Heritage
It was commissioned in the early 1950's by the Sierakowski family, Polish immigrants and publicans who produced AFL footballers and had an adventurous and sophisticated taste for Modernism. They left soon after to settle in St Kilda as owners of the first drive-in bottle-shop at the St Kilda Hotel that became the home of the St Kilda Football Club. What followed was a few owners until Wally Marftin, a local butcher, who lived with his family here for some 30+ years. Wally kept the bones of the building intact and carefully preserved the mid-century fittings. I am indebted to his role as 'keeper'.
For 26 years I have slowly restored and re-invigorated what is one of the most significant examples of Mid-Century domestic architecture in regional Victoria. I have been guided along the way by Peter McIntyre himself who has made several visits here and stayed en route to his more recent and renowned Alpine Village project, Dinner Plain in Far East Gippsland. The original plans include design elements by his wife architect Dionne McIntyre, including the 'Green" landscape elements. The late George Tibbetts, composer and Architectural Historian at Melbourne University also visited me with his wife Di and significantly enhanced my appreciation of the Mid-Century design elements; the 'hangar' like form, the Bow Arched roof-line, twisted trusses, slot windows and the interior atrium (now covered). Having grown up in sunny Bairnsdale I have vivid memories of the house attracting Sunday drivers to witness its radical Modernist architectural features.I also have a distinct memory of the Sierakoswki family cutting a swathe on Sundays as they entered the local Catholic church, St Mary's, where the extraordinary Italian Mannerist frescoes of Hell, Purgatory and Heaven had an impact on us all. The McIntyre House was listed and recommended for registration to the Victorian Heritage Register in the 1989 Town of Bairnsdale Conservation Study by Conservation Architect and Heritage Advisor, the late Richard Peterson. It was subsequently transferred to the Heritage Overlay of the East Gippsland Planning Scheme in 1998. Former East Gippsland Shire Planner and Heritage expert, Helen Martin, recently noted that a similar McIntyre house design - later than the Bairnsdale McIntyre House, has recently been added to the Victorian Heritage Register.
About Peter McIntyre
As Peter McIntyre leans into his late 90's he is still actively working on numerous projects. He has lived to see his work celebrated by a new generation of young designers and architects who have rediscovered Australian modernism and are keen to understand its underlying principles.
"I'm a romantic," he insists. The idea, he says, is "to focus on the emotional experience of the occupant."He defines the art and individuality of his architectural style as 'emotional functionalism'..."the feel of a building by night and day, from season to season."
As the owner/occupant of his 1956/57 house in Bairnsdale, I have first-hand experience of the calibrated emotional impact from season to season.It has inspired my design practice and given me the confidence to interpret the house and restore it accordingly.
It's an individual design philosophy that emerged from his early work in the post-war Melbourne environment. Like Boyd in the 1950s, he laments the lack of appreciation for the role of the architect in Australian culture. Nevertheless, he has lived to see his early designs achieve iconic status as beacons of regional Modernism.
McIntyre is a child of the Great Depression. As an only child he worked in his father's architectural practice from the age of seven and witnessed its interim collapse during those dark years of struggle. It forced them to sell their home and rely on his mother's hairdressing business. His father Robert McIntyre specialized in designing hotels including the Prince of Wales Hotel in St Kilda and the Olinda Hotel in the Dandenong Ranges. The young boy's first job was to fetch sandwiches. As he grew up, he assisted with surveying, drawing and drafting.By the time that McIntyre entered architecture school his technical skills were embedded.
There have been many prestigious awards and critical milestones.He is particularly proud of his James Barrett Memorial Medal (1974) for his leadership in convening an international working party to develop the Melbourne Strategy Plan for the Melbourne City Council. It paved the way for more intelligent and flexible landuse and development. Similarly, the Sir Zelman Cowen Medal (1986) recognized his ground-breaking design of the Dinner Plain Alpine Village, a milestone that set new planning standards for all Australian alpine developments.
He has gained critical acclaim for architectural design throughout his career including the Sir Zelman Cowen Medal for his Parliament Station in Melbourne's underground and his treasured Robin Boyd Medal in 1983 for the family holiday home 'Sea House' on the Mornington Peninsula. In 2013 the Institute of Architects awarded his Tudor Centre Library at his beloved Trinity Grammar School.
His contribution to the University of Melbourne Department of Architecture as Associate Professor and then Chair, is regarded as pivotal to its revival in the 1990's and his contribution to competition juries, committees and boards attest to a man completely dedicated to his profession. To this day he still pays homage to his life long mentor, Robin Boyd.
I am eternally grateful to Peter for his generous approach to me. He adopted me and encouraged my efforts to restore this early example of his work into a sanctuary, hidden away in East Gippsland. He has stayed overnight on a few occasions en route to and from Dinner Plain and he and Dione invited me to stay at the Kew compound which was a treat. It has been a privilege to experience his immense intellect, creativity and sharp wit.
Pics are by Jo Moulton including my JOMOsteel Winged Dish
Link to Jo's 2017 blog "Peter McIntyre: Revered Riverside Modernist"