On Monday night, Boroondara Council planning committee unanimously recommended two early Robin Boyd homes in North Balwyn for interim heritage protection. This follows a campaign commenced by Monash academic and architect Jacqui Alexander, and the efforts of the Booroondara Residents Action Group and the Robin Boyd Foundation.
Jacqui’s online petition gathered support swiftly via social media, with over 4000 signatories. Thank you Jacqui and all those who signed the petition. We’re also grateful for the action of board member Philip Goad and the documentation on these houses by Tony Lee and Simon Reeves.
Whilst the petition related to a the Don Wood house in Tannock Street, which had been listed for sale as a development / subdivision opportunity, it alerted Boroondara planners to a 2nd Boyd house in Yandilla Road (Dunstan house). Robin returned to both of these homes twice to oversee alterations requested by the original owners.
Both homes, originally designed by Robin Boyd in 1949-50, were recommended for heritage overlay following a 2015 study. Consequently Boroondara Council excluded post WWII properties from inclusion. We are encouraged by the Council’s comments to use this as an opportunity “to get it right this time” on their local heritage protections.
See this week’s article in The Age. Further history on the properties is published on Victorian Modern and Mid Century Domestic Architecture facebook pages.
If you are interested in purchasing the Tannock Street house, it is a suburban gem with perfect pedigree, see the 2018 real estate listing. Contact Fletchers Real Estate, North Balwyn: 03 9859 9561 or balwynnorth@fletchers.net.au.
(source: Robin Boyd Foundation)
‘WWII at Home’ online exhibition
Walsh Street features as one of 18 sites of significance that represent the transformative impact the Second World War had on Victoria. Explore our response to the war effort, sites of reflection that honour the sacrifice of war, and places, including Walsh Street, that embody the post-war rejuvenation that was the birth of modern Australia.
We’ve included a link to the Walsh Street 3D virtual reality tour, which was launched last month as our contribution to Open House Melbourne. The VR tour saw the collaboration between our volunteers and partners, including Arup and Phoria, in creating an immersive experience of Walsh Street. We have proudly nominated the project for the Melbourne Awards.
If you’re not already, please follow us on Instagram and facebook to stay abreast of our online activity.
Opportunities to volunteer
We are busier than ever. With the loss of our regular income due to the cancellation of our 2020 events programme and the closure of Walsh Street for public tours, corporate events and venue hire, the foundation is more reliant than ever on the contribution of our volunteers.
We are thankful for the ongoing support from a regular crew who attend Walsh Street working bees. Our research and collection team are reinvigorated following the virtual reality tour and our Walsh Street guides had planned to resume tours prior to the recent lockdown. We are particular in need of support with our digital content and website. Please contact us at information@robinboyd.org.au if you are interested in getting involved.