Daniel Thomas : Newspaper writings

year's arch itectu-,'' When 1 wrote a similar review a year ago my F. booby prize for 1962 went to the crazy -paved em- bankment wall at the Macquarie Street entrance of the Botanic Gardens. It becomes no less offen- sive with time (though its vulgarly curvaceous neigh- bor, the AMP at Circular Quay, Is thankfully be- coming less conspicuous as even taller buildings grow around it). However, It Is sad to report that exactly the same error will be demonstrated at the op- posite entrance to the Gardens, in Mrs. Mac- quarie's Road. On the street line a dwarf wall of rustle rockwork is under construction. Clumsy and timid, succeeds In emasculating the vigorous Victorian gateway in carved stone beyond. '1'1115 error is a simple failure to distinguish be- tween what is appropriate for a private suburban garden on the one hathnd. and on the other, for e heart of a great metro- politan city. Suburban whimsy has invaded this city too much. So it is good to discover that by far the most sig- nificant thing about 1903 was the dramatic arrival of public architecture fit for a metropolis. Not since James Bar- net's palaces of the 18705 --the Lands Department In Bridge Street is the most fabulous - has Sydney received such splendid public buildings. Of these the Fisher Lib- rary rightly won the year's two major architec- tural awards; though it was far enough advanced the previous year to top my private hit parade even in its unfinished state. (And again my fav- orite structure for, 1963 is the skeleton of the State Government Offices in Bent Street; as elegant as Klippel's Junk sculptures). The man in the Govern- ment Architect's office who was largely respon- sible for the design of these two buildings was Ken Woolley, and he also won the year's remaining official award, the Wilkin- son, which is for houses only, with his own house Farmer,: 1 Velma Art.,,. an. 00M Cam Irvit, Edward 11.I weight. David Jones- Jnhn f.r Or e, A suspicion lingers that Ttrry Clone. 59 M11, 51.; John we Von Bertsuch, M0A1 ..11, this former University of Cr, 5.1. .... 25ci.nmen Rd..A,9e.Technology senses an in - ,nu. anCY,O, stilt to its ideals in the Robtta use of junk machine parts nd Lorro.n. Hinnes for sculpture. On the contrary. Klippel's Junk works are songs In praise of the beauty inherent In purely functional man- made objects. And this week when a real engineer sou,tht advice at the Art Gallery of N.S.W. on sculp- ture for his new office building, he decided Klip- pel was exactly right for him. There was nothing In the I 0 Impressive private tese8tortoxpre %gtshtheovernms:o. inOf the office blocks AGC group House at Phillip and Hunter was perhaps the Another outstandinglybest for city sophistication. beau:It til group ..,.And it still believes in the beauty can be credited t w"1 true modern romance of the glass tower when Woolley is the Mona Vale masonry curtain walls are Hospital, and further good Government buildings of 1963 are at Broughton Hall, Prince Alfred and Lldcombe Hospitals, the re- modelling of some of the Art Gallery's squalid In- terior, the extensions to the Registrar -General, and 'to the Nigh Court at Tay- lor Square, and finally (by Peter Halh a positively In- spring University hail of residence at Kensington. This list could not be equalled by any other public authority In Austra- de, nor by the Common- wealth Public Works whose gawky Elizabeth Street "TELEGRAPH" it 9 FEB 1964 Sydney, N.S.W (it Would be made of junk metal he could not com- ' mend that his Counre cil ac- cept the Klippel sculpture commission suggested for his new hall of residence by Its architect, Peter Hall. This building is one of the Government Ai', hi Leers star turns; its inhabitants are bound to be touched by its civilisation. A sculp- ture of same kind had, as usual, been. agreed to, the' theory doubtless being that in an educational institu- tion students should be exposed as fully as possible; to works of art as well as to all the higher values.' The theory Is an admirable one, and Kensington has uite a lot of sculp and 'oqther architecturalture d cora- tion already. But the theory does re- quire that the works of art be good. If they are not, then there has been nits- . use of public money. Ex- pert guidance Is expected on sewers and drains; not to seek it for works of art ALTHOUGH it's now well on into 1964 I mustti a public body. And since is Just as irresponsible in submit to many requests for a review of the pas all expert and disinterested advice ould agree that Klippel is just about the aaaaani............. ............. best sculptor in Sydney, it WHAT'S ON is to some extent scan - TODAY AND 'MKT WIIK dalous that the opinion, or Art GIlery el 11.5 A0.1.00 W,," ww-La. assumed opinion, of the fo 19,J. Lou rank. C,01,g lme 2.1entlikd .o non - expert University rn. on Sruday And Sonday Council should have any ALL MIXT WM The Week in Art by Daniel Thomas GOOD YEAR FOR PUBLIC BUILDINGS 'Imam Hem, 47 Windsor 31.. 11/.14.nnionl Ta0mehl K Dmlnlan, CastNhanh Si; Frmr0; L ,m0u.nc , OPINING wIDNIISO.Y Mequarle, 19 13'10,1 51 P.r C roc. r a, Kell publicised within the Private Government office, and In private offices too it Is well enough known that, any, Mortlock did this, and sector Murray did that. Peter Johnson house. Ken And finally the office has been lending its supervision Woolley,5 on the contrary ruthlessly imposes a single to the restoration of non- formal idea on the whole Government national mo- building, rather as Roy numents lice Greenway's Grounds does, but much St. Matthew's Church, more gracefully. Windsor (Send your tax at Mosman. deductible gift of money He has now left the to the National Trust St. Klippel Government Architect for Matthew's Windsor Appeal to Church House in St. Andrew's Cathedral pre- sculpture It is an enlightened and creative depart ment with which Its head Mr. E. IL fires for ever, but since he Farmer must be very well Is only 30 he might have pleased. thought Nice about so soon depriving New South Wales of future splen- dours. Especially since the old principle of office anonymity no longer holds. His name has been a private partnership where he will no longer have the opportunity of building present day pal- aces. One cannot expect men to stay in the big of - beginning to bury thatI dream. One such is the ANZ Bank at Hunter and ' Pitt, for which an out- standing Victorian monu- ment the P & 0 Building, also de- molished, and another Ls by Wardell was in Hunter Street, decked out like a Christmas tree with a bit too much ap- plied artwork, though Tom Bass' fountain has already galh.'d sane affection. ho ever, there Is no reason why a masonry cur- tain wall should not work well if it careitilly avoided crypto-Georglanism, and if it were less assertive about block badly needed the re-i natural stone as a symbol jected Beasing-Nicholson!of quality. sculptures to give it a I Houses are not normally touch of city slickness. visible to the public and Nor is the defection of will not be mentioned, ex - Woolley so especially sera- cept to say that rough, ous for many buildings on tough - tvoodsiness of the list are by other mem- materials is in. Usually It i bers of E. H. Rembert's s informal and relaxed team. and rather wild as In the This week the Vice- Chancellor of the Univer- sity of N.S.W. at Kensing- ton decided that because