Robin Boyd House I

Robin Boyd House I
Robin Boyd House I is located in Melbourne
Robin Boyd House I
Location of the house
in Greater Metropolitan Melbourne
Former names158 Riversdale Road, Camberwell
Alternative names
  • Former Robin Boyd House
  • 664–666 Riversdale Road, Camberwell
General information
StatusCompleted
TypeHouse
Architectural style
International style
Location664–666 Riversdale Road, Camberwell, City of Boroondara, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
Coordinates37°49′59″S 145°04′18″E / 37.833145°S 145.071646°E / -37.833145; 145.071646
Year built1946–1947
Completed
1947; 79 years ago (1947)
ClientRobin Boyd and family
Owner
  • Boyd family (1946–1973?)
  • Maria Rajendran (1973–2022)
Technical details
Material
  • Bricks
  • timber
  • glass
  • steel
Grounds2,008 m2 (21,610 sq ft)
Design and construction
ArchitectRobin Boyd
Official name
Former Robin Boyd House
TypeRegistered place
Criteriaa., d., f., h.
Designated2 October 1991
Reference no.VHR H0879
HO116
Category
Residential buildings (private)
Official name
Robin Boyd House
TypeDefunct register
Designatedundated
Reference no.18383

The Robin Boyd House I, also known as the Former Robin Boyd House, is a house located at 664–666 Riversdale Road in Camberwell, in the City of Boroondara, in the inner eastern suburbs of Melbourne, in Victoria, Australia.

The house was designed by Robin Boyd in 1946, which the Boyds moved into a year later. Boyd was known not only as an architect but also an architectural writer, educator and commentator. Born in 1919, as a member of the Boyd family, he came from a creative family background of sculptors, painters and architects. He and his wife Patricia occupied the Camberwell home with their two daughters for approximately twelve years, until 1959, when their Walsh Street home in South Yarra was completed.

Built between 1946 and 1947 on the traditional lands of the Wurundjeri people, the house was added to the Victorian Heritage Register on 2 October 1991 in recognition of its social, historical, and architectural significance; and was also added to a non-statutory list by the Victorian branch of the National Trust on 16 April 1987 and identified for possible future inclusion on the now defunct Register of the National Estate on an unknown date.

History

The International Modernist-style house was built in two phases by Boyd. The house was originally located on the bank of a former creek. This creek, which ran along the eastern half of the site, was converted to an open horse-shoe drain and was subsequently enclosed and covered with fill. Hence, site for the house's construction was restricted to the western half of the site. The first stage was designed in 1946 and was completed in the following year. It is the first house built which Boyd designed himself. The second stage was designed in 1951 after Boyd had returned from his first overseas trip to Europe, made possible by winning the Haddon Scholarship, and was completed in 1952.

Heritage disputes

In 1973, the house was purchased by Maria Rajendran and her husband who, in 1975, further extended the dwelling to the south with a two-storey structure. As a result of these alterations to Boyd's 1952 additions, the original design was significantly altered. In 1987, the Victorian branch of the National Trust added the house to its non-statutory heritage list; and in November 1990 served an interim preservation order forbidding demolition or alteration of the house under the provisions of the Building Control Act 1981. The following year, the house was added to the statutory Historic Buildings Register, the forebares of the Victorian Heritage Register. Over thirty years, Rajendran made multiple unsuccessful applications for the house to be removed from the register.

Without obtaining the necessary heritage permit, in May 1999 Rajendran made structural changes to the house including removing the roof and other parts of Boyd's 1952 extension. On application by the Heritage Council, in a landmark order made under the Heritage Act 1995, the Supreme Court of Victoria ordered Rajendran in 2002 to restore the building to its condition prior to the May 1999 renovations. At the time, Rajendran commented:

"I'm not prepared to make a museum of this house and that is what they want me to do. If the building is of such state and national importance then the state should own it."

— Maria Rajendran, as reported in The Age, April 2002.

The roof of the 1952 section of the building was reconstructed in 2004. Rajendran again unsuccessfully sought to have the house removed for the register in 2015, that was dismissed on appeal in 2017; and a further application was made in 2019, that, in May 2019, was again dismissed. A repair order was issued by Heritage Victoria in 2020 for urgent works to the house; and the works were completed in April 2022.

Following the death of Maria Rajendran, in June 2022 the house, set on 2,008 square metres (21,610 sq ft), was sold by her estate for $2.06 million.

Description

The house is the earliest known extant residence designed by Boyd. It is unique in being a house that Boyd designed for his personal use and occupied and extended over a period of twelve years. This strong association with Boyd is particularly significant because Boyd was an important architect and a prominent social critic and commentator. He played a major role in the development of architecture and architectural thinking in Victoria for four decades. The house through its alteration is important in that it demonstrates the architectural development of Boyd, from the early period of his career in the 1940s when he expounded his theories on "Victorian Regionalism", to the emerging "internationalism" of the 1950s. The building is a seminal work which can be regarded as the prototype of the post-World War II modern house in Victoria. It extended the leading architecture of its time and strongly influenced an emerging group of architects. The house is of architectural significance in that it demonstrates innovative design with regard to response to site, informality in planning, flowing spatial arrangements, innovative use of materials, and incorporation of built-in features. These are all aspects of domestic design which subsequently became common.

See also

Notes

  1. ↑ Previously known as 158 Riversdale Road.
  2. ↑ Rajendran's husband died in 2010.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 "Former Robin Boyd House, Victorian Heritage Register (VHR) Number H0879, Heritage Overlay HO116". Victorian Heritage Database. Heritage Victoria. Retrieved 4 October 2026.
  2. ↑ Clerehan, Neil (2006) [1993]. "Robin Gerard Boyd (1919–1971)". Australian Dictionary of Biography. Vol. 13. National Centre of Biography, Australian National University. ISBN 978-0-522-84459-7. ISSN 1833-7538. OCLC 70677943. Retrieved 5 August 2026.
  3. 1 2 3 4 "Former Robin Boyd House (NTA-V list: Property No B5801)". Victorian Heritage Database. Heritage Victoria. Retrieved 4 October 2026.
  4. ↑ "Robin Boyd House (Place ID 18383)". Australian Heritage Database. Australian Government. n.d. Retrieved 4 October 2026.
  5. ↑ Gearin, Mary (29 June 2022). "Mid-century architect's former home auctioned after 30-year battle over heritage listing". ABC News. Australia. Retrieved 4 October 2026.
  6. 1 2 3 4 Rajendran v Heritage Council [2017] VSCA 48 (16 March 2017), Supreme Court of Appeal (Victoria)
  7. 1 2 3 Redman, Elizabeth (30 June 2022). "Robin Boyd home sold for $2 million at auction after heritage dispute". The Age. Retrieved 4 October 2026.
  8. ↑ "Robin Boyd's first home heritage status challenged". ArchitectureAU. 29 September 2020. Retrieved 4 October 2026.
  9. ↑ "CALL TO ACTION: Help us save Robin Boyd's former family home". National Trust of Australia (Victoria). c. 2020. Retrieved 4 October 2026.
  10. ↑ Tonkin v Rajendran [2002] VSC 128 (23 April 2002), Supreme Court (Victoria)
  11. ↑ Redman, Elizabeth (25 April 2002). "Owner told to fix Boyd house". The Age. Retrieved 4 October 2026.
  12. ↑ Avery, Steve (13 July 2020). "Recommendation of the Executive Director and assessment of cultural heritage significance under Part 3 of the Heritage Act 2017" (PDF). Heritage Victoria. Retrieved 4 October 2026 – via National Trust of Australia (Victoria).
  13. ↑ "664-666 Riversdale Road, Camberwell, Vic 3124". RealEstate.com.au. 29 June 2022. Retrieved 4 October 2026.
  14. ↑ Reedie, Jarrod (4 July 2022). "Architecturally historic house sells at auction despite heritage dispute". Architecture and Design. Retrieved 4 October 2026.