| Historical notes: | Aboriginal land
Material in rock shelters reveals that Aboriginal people inhabited the Sydney region at least from the last ice age over 20,000 years ago. 'Kuringgai' was the language spoken on the north shore (DEST & DUAP, 1996, 42, 135, 138). Although British colonisers originally chose the south side of the harbour for the settlement of the First Fleet in 1788, both the Darug people of the southern shores and the Kuringgai people on the northern shores suffered catastrophic loss of life in the smallpox epidemic that soon swept through the indigenous population, with a death rate estimated to have been between 50 and 90 per cent. Over the following century there were numerous documentary recordings of the movements of surviving Kuringgai people within the Ku-ring-gai locality, both attending Aboriginal gatherings and collecting European rations such as blankets. There are also several oral history accounts of small clans travelling through the district in the late nineteenth century (Kur-ring-gai Historical Society, 1996, 12-13). Aboriginal people continue to live within the municipality.
Ku-ring-gai area history
One of first white settlers in the Ku-ring-gai area was William Henry who farmed land next to the Lane Cove River from 1814. The early European colonisers consisted of itinerant workers, timber-getters, farmers and orchardists, self-sufficient people who often lived in isolated communities (Ku-ring-gai Council webpage 'History of Ku-ring-gai', sighted 18 July 2012).
Major transport routes by land and water were in place by the mid-1800s. The construction of the railway in 1890 and the introduction of local government to the area quickly led to the transformation of this series of isolated farming communities into a line of sought-after suburbs. The interwar period (between 1918 and 1939) saw vast improvements in infrastructure and a period of urban consolidation. Almost all of Ku-ring-gai was designated for residential development as opposed to commercial and industrial developments, and very few blocks of flats were permitted before 1940 (Ku-ring-gai Council webpage 'History of Ku-ring-gai', sighted 18 July 2012).
The period between 1950 and 1980 was marked by a doubling in Ku-ring-gai's population from roughly 50,000 to 100,000 as part of the post-war expansion of Australian cities. The increase since 1980 to around 110,000 has been less rapid (Ku-ring-gai Council webpage 'History of Ku-ring-gai', sighted 18 July 2012).
Jack House
62 Boundary Road, Wahroonga is part of what was previously a 2000 acre grant to John Terry Hughes in 1842. Hughes was shortly afterwards declared bankrupt. The land was purchased by the Mayor of Glen Innes, Valentine Sachs in the 1890s with the proceeds from his mining ventures.
When Russell and Pamela Jack purchased the sitefrom a Mr Wayland in 1955 the land was the last undeveloped block on the street;. Jack believed it remained unsold because of the steepness of the site and the creek running diagonally through it. (McCartney, 2007, p. 78) The site's location on the north side of Boundary Road meant the council restrictions were not as strict as on the southern side. The northern side permitted the use of timber construction and materials other than tiles for the roof. (The Jack House has a flat roof of bituminuous membrane.
The Jacks originally intended to construct a steel framed house along the western boundary but abandoned the idea due to the high cost involved. This change of approach, with the Jacks opting instead for brick and timber construction, led to a design that harmonised as much as possible with the existing site, even to the extent of accommodating the small creek. As well as the final design being driven by the challenging site, the Jacks also had a commitment to produce economical but human buildings. The war loan house (low interest loans for returned servicemen and women), controlled in both budget and size, reflected a change in direction by many architects during the period. In designing the house for their own family, Russell and Pamela Jack, combined post and beam Japanese aesthetics with North American influences of Frank Lloyd Wright and Richard Neutra, incorporating the natural aspects of the site, utilising exposed construction, natural materials and a modular plan. (Jahn, 1997, p. 161)
1950s Sydney Architecture
Residential construction in Sydney after WWII was limited to residences using brick and fibro single, double or triple fronted bungalows, with pitched roofs and usually facing the street, regardless of the orientation. Each house was equally spaced from its neighbours in accordance with local regulations. (Taylor, p. 12) At the same time Australian architects who had returned from Europe began to embrace the ideas of the modern movement and adapt them to suit the unique Australian climate and environment.
The 'Sydney School', a term introduced by Robin Boyd in 1967 ( and later classified by Richard Apperly as the Late Twentieth Century Sydney Regional style of architecture,) refers to the architecture of the 1950s and 1960s that was concerned with aesthetics and a rejection of technology. In expanding upon the term, Jennifer Taylor identified the style as first being discernable in three Sydney houses, by Peter Muller, Russell Jack and Bill and Ruth Lucas. Although working separately from each other, they shared a sympathy of materials, economy and simplicity, with an appreciation of nature. They each drew inspiration from the sandstone outcrops of Sydney, water views to the harbour, and the steep terrain. A need for climatic appropriateness and an Australian style was being addressed through modest residential designs, such as the Jack House, using post and beam construction that fully explored breaking down the barriers between inside and outside, and achieving a harmonious union with nature. (Urford, 2012, p. 676) Sites that had been previously considered unusable, such as the Jack House site, were the ideal sites to utilise the cost-effective solutions of post and beams construction, which could be carefully places to cause minimal disturbance to the site's rocks and trees. An important precedent to the natural siting was provided by Sydney Ancher's Maytone Avenue houses in Killara, NSW (1948-49) where the natural rock outcrops were retained.
According to Jennifer Taylor,1957 was a significant year in domestic design in Sydney. Three important houses were put before the jury for the Sulman Medal. All three of the houses were designed by architects as their own residences; Sydney Ancher's house in Neutral Bay, Bill and Ruth Lucas' house in Castlecrag, and the Jack House in Wahroonga. They were all post and beam structures and all expressed an increased awareness of the potential use of outside space. (Taylor, 1984, pp. 11-23)
The Jack House was most notable for its treatment of the site. The Jacks positioned the house perched on the brink of the two principal levels on the site and it is regarded as signifying a change in domestic architecture in Sydney in this regard. (Taylor, 1984, p. 83) Faced with a difficult site that was densely covered with native trees and outcrops of sandstone, Jack House showed what was achievable within a modest budget and without making a significant impact on the site (AIA). The design incorporated the challenges of the site without removing them, allowing the small existing creek to run beneath the structure, and perching the house out over the slope of the site so as to sit amongst the trees.
Russell and Pamela Jack
Russell Jack studied architecture and planning at Sydney Technical College after returning from active service in the Royal Australian Air Force. Jack worked for Rudder, Littlemore & Rudder during his studies, and graduating in 1950 was awarded the Byera Hadley Travelling Scholarship. He sailed to England in 1952 and met his future wife Pamela Purves Lyttle (1928 - 2006) on board. Lyttle had graduated in architecture from the University of Sydney in 1951 and worked for the Commonwealth Department of Works in Canberra prior to heading overseas.
In England, Jack worked for Tripe & Wakeham and Lyttle worked for Stillman & Eastwick-Field. Like many young Australian architects, they travelled around Europe looking at buildings. They married upon their return to Sydney in 1954, and Russell returned to work for Rudder, Littlemore & Rudder until 1956 when he left to set up practice with Denis John Wigram Allen (1926 - ), which lasted until 1976. Allen and Jack were joined by architecture student Keith Cottier in 1957. The firm became Allen Jack + Cottier in 1965.
Upon her return from England, Pamela Jack worked for Baldwinson and Booth until 1958, when she went into practice as Pamela Jack Architect. She later studied ceramics at East Sydney technical College and established herself as an accomplished ceramicist. Russell Jack left the practice of Allen Jack + Cottier in 1976, joining the staff of University of NSW as a lecturer, becoming visiting professor. (Scott Robertson, 2012, p. 358)
Major works by Russell Jack include the Carroll House, St Ives (1959), the Palmer House, Turramurra (1959), the Waterhouse House, St Ives (1962), the Tuckson House, Wahroonga (1961), the Jacobs House, Wahroonga (1963) (Wilkinson Award), the Forsaith House, Pymble (1971), the Griffin House, St Ives (1961), the Selby House, Warrawee (1961), all in NSW, and the Cater House, Canberra, ACT (1965) which won the Canberra Medallion in 1965l and the Canberra RAIA 25 Year medal in2011. (Scott Robertson, 2012, p. 358)
Jack House was the winner of the 1957 Sulman Medal for Domestic design. The Sir John Sulman Medal for Architectural Merit in NSW is an annual award presented by the NSW Royal Institute for Architects. Established in 1932 by Sir John Sulman, the original award conditions allowed for domestic and non-domestic entrants. In 1960 a separate category was developed for residential design with the creation of the NSW Wilkinson Award. The Jack House was featured in Architecture in Australia, July/September 1958 (pp. 76-78).
Comparative Items
Bill and Ruth Lucas - The Glass House, 80 The Bulwark, Castlecrag 1957
Robin Boyd - Lyons House, 733 Port Hacking Road, Dolans Bay, 1966
Peter Muller - The Audette House, Edinburgh Rd, Castlecrag, 1953
Sydney Ancher - Maytone Avenue Houses, Killara, 1949
Arthur Baldwinson - Simpson-Lee House, Roland Ave, Wahroonga, 1959 |
