Grant House - 8 The Parapet

Although financed by, and named after, the Melbourne theatre producer, Julius Grant, this house is more well-known as the residence of Walter Burley Griffin and Marion Mahoney Griffin, from 1925 until 1936. I showed you another shot of the front of this house during Theme Day.

As I clamber the paths and tracks of Griffin's original estate, it becomes increasingly clear, that the jungle is just itching to claim its own back. There is a massive dichotomy pervading the estate: maintain the vision; or, move with the times. One can see it in the houses, both their design and their maintenance. One can see it in the landscaping: run wild, or tame the savage beast. This is most evident at the rear of #8. A narrow access path down beside the garage leads to a fork. To the right, lies Turret Reserve. Straight ahead lies Lookout Reserve. Except thate the look no longer is 'out'. Houses have filled Griffin's blank canvas. The trees that Walter and Marion are thought to have personally planted at the rear of their home, have grown somewhat in 80+ years.

The rear of #8 has a charminly wild sense to it, backing onto the reserve as it does. But it is a tangled mass - not really mess. Perfect for climbing and chasing. Except I was there during school holiday time, and nary a child in sight. Lots of adults though: walking each other, walking a dog, jogging uphill.

Updating the Griffin model

Walter Burley and his architectural partner, Marion Mahoney, moved into their own house on the Castlecrag Estate in 1925. I will show you their house in a later post. My point is that 1925 is a while ago, and only 15 of their designs were made manifest. So, was it a vision, or a mere fancy?

What I am endeavouring to do, is to show you how the Griffins imbibed - for folk from Chicago - a foreign landscape, and made it their own. I have shown you the prestigious 15 The Citadel, and teased you with smears of landscape. Today, I want to show you how glimpses of the Griffin legacy can still be seen in architecture around Castlecrag through the decades since the Griffins moved to India in 1935. Did I mention that the suburb that is Castlecrag today, was originally three development estates - Castlecrag Estate, Sunnyside Estate, and Wireless Estate - with decreasing levels of involvement by the Griffins or by their business partners? Needless to say, I live on the old Wireless Estate. The median house price in Castlecrag is $1.75m.

Anyways, to my untrained architectural eye, there is an whiff of Griffin to each house illustrated. What is missing is a splash of humility, even in the face of natural beauty. But humility is a sparse commodity nowadays.