Modernist Adelaide

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Modernist Adelaide

Celebrating Adelaide’s modernist architecture online, in print and award-winning tours and events.
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Step back in time to the mid-century jet age of Mad Men era Adelaide, when a new wave of modernist architecture redefined the city’s streetscapes and skyline. Many of Adelaide’s iconic examples of 50s, 60s and 70s architecture still stand, well preserved and well worth discovering on this relaxed and informative one-hour walk through downtown Adelaide. From Australia’s first curtain-wall high-rise

of the 50s to the International Style of the 60s and the Brutalism of the 70s, this walk through time will appeal to anyone with a love of mid-century architecture and design, history or just looking up and seeing the beauty in our everyday built environment.

03/07/2024

Have you spotted Adelaide’s sensational Jarosik House in ABC iview’s Ladies in Black series? Designed by George Jacoby of Jacoby & Jacoby in association with Duncan Muirhead of Muirhead, Thompson and Associates, 1959-60, it hosted some wonderful Modernist Adelaide tours in 2019 and has been profiled in numerous magazines and books, including Modernist Adelaide: 100 Buildings 1940s–1970s. That stained glass window is all-time…

11/06/2024

My incredibly talented wife Michelle Pearson is premiering her new work Skinny at the Adelaide Cabaret Festival this Saturday 15 and Sunday 16 June. Winner of the prestigious Frank Ford Commission, Skinny explores society’s obsession with the ideal body image and how to escape its chokehold. Michelle has already been wowing the festival with her phenomenal voice and I’m so excited to see her relentless hard work coming to life through this hilarious, moving and empowering show. Tickets selling fast at https://cabaret.adelaidefestivalcentre.com.au/whats-on/skinny Bonus: it’s at Adelaide’s best modernist building, Adelaide Festival Centre, designed by the great John Morphett. Still stunning. Hope to see you there!

08/06/2024

Massive congratulations to Dr Julie Collins at the Architecture Museum, University of South Australia for being awarded the History Council of South Australia SA Historian of the Year 2024. There would be no Modernist Adelaide without Julie. Her knowledge and care of South Australia’s architectural archives and front-footed enthusiasm for sharing the jewels in this collection lit a fire under me. Always welcoming, quick to help and as wide-eyed as me when unearthing a ‘find’. Damn distinguished academic, too. Thank you and respect, Julie. Many, many of us are extremely grateful.

31/05/2024

A huge thanks to The Robin Boyd Foundation for hosting a beautiful afternoon at Walsh Street, South Yarra, celebrating Adelaide’s modernist architecture including Boyd’s only SA commission, Walkey House. Presented in partnership with the National Gallery of Victoria as part of the Melbourne Art Book Fair and Melbourne Design Week 2024. 📸 by the incredible Mike Lam.

16/05/2024

Pasted-up! On a Stobie pole. Off Port Road in deepest Croyden. Part of History Trust of South Australia’s campaign for South Australia's History Festival featuring South Australians’ perspectives on power. Expertly pasted by Hari Koutlakis, portraits by Jonathan van der Knapp and coordinated by Super Studio. Following a sold-out Modernist Adelaide walking tour last weekend, there are a few tickets remaining for my presentation this Sat 18 May at Payinthi (Prospect Library) about Adelaide’s coolest modernist buildings. Tickets at https://festival.history.sa.gov.au/events/modernist-adelaide-author-talk-with-stuart-symons/

11/05/2024

We had a fantastic time celebrating mid-century architecture, music and dining at two sold-out evenings of Tasting Australia’s Comfort Food Cabaret: A Mid-Century Menu at Pony and Cole. Michelle Pearson and her band blew the roof off the place (as usual) while Nicolle Hahn and her team plated up an incredible three-course indulgence. 📸 by the amazing Rachel Scholich.

05/05/2024

A very beautiful autumn afternoon at Graham Dickson’s incredible 1958 house in Rostrevor designed by his brother Robert Dickson, for Tim Ross and Kit Warhurst’s Mid Century Project. Thank you to the family for their amazing hospitality and care of such an important house.

02/05/2024

Huge thanks to the History Trust of South Australia for including me in this year’s campaign for South Australia's History Festival which features South Australians’ perspectives on power. It’s beautifully put together by Channel 44 and Super Studio.

01/05/2024

VERY EXCITED to be speaking at Robin Boyd’s magnificent Walsh Street house in South Yarra, Melbourne on Sat 25 May, where I’ll be celebrating Adelaide’s modernist architecture with a focus on Robin Boyd’s only Adelaide commission, Walkley House. Presented by The Robin Boyd Foundation in partnership with the National Gallery of Victoria as part of the Melbourne Art Book Fair and Melbourne Design Week 2024, the last few tickets for this Melbourne event are available at https://robinboyd.org.au/event/design-matters-walkley-house-with-stuart-symons/ Last time I was at Walsh Street, I proposed to my wife Michelle!

26/04/2024

South Australia's History Festival opens next week - the sixth year that Modernist Adelaide has been involved. Looking forward to presenting about Adelaide’s revolutionary modernist architecture at Payinthi (Prospect Library) for the City of Prospect on Sat 18 May at 1:00pm. There are also a handful of tickets left for a special Mother’s Day Modernist Adelaide walking tour on Sun 12 May at 10:00am. Treat your mum to a relaxing morning stroll through the city! Book now for both events at https://www.modernistadelaide.com 📷 by Sia Duff.

21/04/2024

Really looking forward to helping host Comfort Food Cabaret: A Mid-Century Menu by multi-award-winning cabaret performer Michelle Pearson (my wife!) at Adelaide’s most stylish mid-century café (and winner of 2023 Best Breakfast in Australia!), Pony and Cole in Hindmarsh on Fri 3 and Sat 4 May for Tasting Australia. I’ll be having a chat about Adelaide’s 50s and 60s dining scene and koush design’s stunning transformation of this windowalled 60s office and warehouse, before Michelle presents her unique celebration of live music and dining – with head chef Nicolle Hahn plating up a mid-century inspired menu of culinary classics with a 21st century twist. It’s going to be something special. Tickets selling fast at https://tastingaustralia.com.au/products/events/2024/comfort-food-cabaret-a-mid-century-menu

28/03/2024

South Australia's History Festival invited me to participate in its portrait campaign profiling 100 South Australians and the theme of ‘Power’. Great architecture and design have incredible power. It has the power to make us feel good, to make us healthier, to energise or calm us, to help us think and reflect, to connect us with nature and with other great design around the world. It can transform the way we live. During the festival in May I’ll be hosting a city walking tour and an author talk at Payinthi for the City of Prospect about Adelaide’s powerful modernist architecture. Details at https://www.modernistadelaide.com 📷 by Jonathan van der Knaap

18/03/2024

Immaculate XP Fairmont gracing Gawler Place and the former Grand Lodge of South Australia of the IOOF, designed by EH McMichael & Harris, 1962-64, and to its left the former Building Society House (home of Hindmarsh Building Society), designed by Bruer, Vogt & Hignett, 1971-73. I snapped this between walking tours recently for a very successful Adelaide Fringe season. A huge thanks to over 200 people who joined 4 sold out tours and bought more than 40 books during the Fringe.

13/03/2024

One of my favourite buildings from the book Modernist Adelaide: 100 Buildings 1940s–1970s is the Luxton House, 8A Sunnyside Road, Beaumont, designed by David Turner Associates in association with Judith Brine, 1975. I’ve loved its western red cedar cladding, deep balconies and aluminium vertical sunshades for much of my life passing it hundreds of times to and from my sister’s school and a good friend’s house. As well as an ingenious plan in a lush treetop setting, you get pedigree: Katoomba-based Turner designed one of Australia’s best brutalist buildings, the University of Technology Sydney’s (UTS) Ku-ring-gai campus. On the market at https://www.realestate.com.au/property-house-sa-beaumont-144481468?

21/02/2024

South Australian Minster for Planning Nick Champion MP invited architectural historian Antony Moulis, South Australian Government Architect Kirsteen Mackay and me to commemorate Le Corbusier’s 1950 sketch of Adelaide held by the Fondation Le Corbusier in Paris. Antony also joined Saturday’s Modernist Adelaide walking tour and gave us a fantastic insight into his unearthing of this remarkable treasure. Thanks Antony!

19/02/2024

Fantastic opening to the Adelaide Fringe season with 50 people joining a sold-out walking tour, including Shannon Battison (Immediate Past President & Board Director of the Australian Institute of Architects), Edwina Jans, Amy Jarvis and Rachel Jackson (from the amazing Canberra Modern:) and distinguished architects and academics Antony Moulis, Ann Cleary, Deborah Barnstone and more. Antony gave a very special cameo which I’ll post separately. I’ve just added an additional tour on 10am Sat 16 Mar as the two tours on 3 Mar have also sold out. Tickets at https://adelaidefringe.com.au/fringetix/modernist-adelaide-walking-tour-af2024

13/02/2024

I was very fortunate to have a bite to eat with Grand Designs host Kevin McCloud while he was in Adelaide this week. Once again he was so enthusiastic about Modernist Adelaide and discussed it in his very funny Home Truths show at our beautiful Her Majesty’s Theatre. Incredible.

09/02/2024

Modernist Adelaide walking tours are featuring in the Adelaide Fringe for the first time and the response has been amazing. More than 100 tickets have already sold but some are still available for tours at 10am and 12:30pm on Sun 3 Mar. Hope to see you there! Tickets at https://adelaidefringe.com.au/fringetix/modernist-adelaide-walking-tour-af2024

21/01/2024

Thanks to everyone who came out to the Coventry Library in Stirling yesterday. Beautiful space, and great to chat afterwards. Thanks to Luke and the library team for your wonderful hospitality.

11/01/2024

Looking forward to presenting about Adelaide’s incredible modernist architecture at Adelaide Hills Council Libraries' Coventry Library in Stirling on Saturday 20 January at 2:00pm. It’s a free event with books for sale and I’d love to see you then. Book now at https://www.eventbrite.com.au/e/author-talk-modernist-adelaide-with-stuart-symons-tickets-748252973787

20/12/2023

Super summer reading: Catching Light: The architecture of Iwan Iwanoff through the lens of Jack Lovel / The New Modernist House: Mid-century homes renewed for contemporary living by Patricia Callan / Breuer's Bohemia: The architect, his circle, and Mid-century houses in New England by James Crump / The Adelaide Art Scene: Becoming contemporary 1939-2000 by Margot Osborne et al. / Sydney Brutalism by Heidi Dokulil / Young Rupert: The making of the Murdoch empire by Walter Marsh / John Andrews: Architect of uncommon sense by Paul Walker et al. / The Stray Shopping Carts of Eastern North America: A guide to field identification (Revised) by Julian Montague / Chuck a U-ey: Images of Australians and their cars by Tim Ross / A Dictionary of Color Combinations Vol 1 and 2 by Sanzo Wada.

18/12/2023

This Googie riot of breeze blocks with its folded canopy entrance was Apollo Stadium, Richmond. Built in 1969, it hosted Adelaide’s biggest concerts until the early 90s, from B.B. King to Blondie, Paul McCartney to The Police, The Jackson 5 to Queen, Talking Heads and U2 plus Midnight Oil, AC/DC, Cold Chisel, INXS and many, many more. Though the building is long gone, my incredibly talented wife Michelle Pearson Music will be celebrating its heyday with Live at The Apollo: an exclusive fundraising concert to help get her newest production, Mixtape Australia, on tour in 2024. Not only will she play the hits from many of the superstars of the Apollo, she’ll be performing on hallowed ground in Richmond where the Apollo Stadium once stood. Live at The Apollo will feature a thumping five-piece band with special guests, gourmet platters, canapés and a drink on arrival. You’re encouraged to BYO extra drinks – we’ll supply everything else!
$69 strictly limited to 50 tickets
6:30pm arrival
Music from 7:00pm – 9:00pm
Book now at https://events.humanitix.com/live-at-the-apollo

13/12/2023

Almond House, 19 Vancouver Avenue, Panorama (originally known as St James Park), a Small Homes Service of South Australia plan (AC225) designed by the service’s Director Marjorie Simpson for Max and Mollie Almond, 1960, and meticulously refreshed a few years ago by the phenomenal Northern Edge Studio. The Small Homes Service provided well-designed housing for those who wouldn’t normally engage the services of an architect through plans, displays, design competitions, newspaper articles, radio talks, information booklets for libraries and schools and by advising home builders. Owned by loyal supporters of Modernist Adelaide, this beautiful house is available to rent at https://www.realestate.com.au/property/19-vancouver-ave-panorama-sa-5041/

13/12/2023

Treat yourself or a loved one this Christmas with this beautifully-designed 236-page celebration of Adelaide’s superb modernist buildings and the forward-thinking architects and clients behind them. Now on its seventh reprint, it’s the first large-scale survey of Adelaide’s mid-century architecture – and I reckon a nice one to crack open after a day of sparkling shiraz and wrangling the turkey. Available from https://www.modernistadelaide.com/product-page/modernist-adelaide-100-buildings-1940s-1970s and express posted into your hands within days.

02/11/2023

Brutal or beautiful? You be the judge! The Brutalist Adelaide walking tour returns on Sunday 3 December where we’ll explore some of Adelaide’s heroic sculptural concrete architecture, from the former Motor Registration Centre and Forensic Science Centre (pictured) to government headquarters and banking chambers. Tickets at https://www.eventbrite.com.au/e/brutalist-adelaide-walking-tour-3-dec-10am-tickets-745771591907?aff=oddtdtcreator. Can’t wait!

10/10/2023

I respectfully support the Uluru Statement From the Heart and its call for Voice, Treaty and Truth, and will be voting ‘yes’ on Saturday for an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Voice in the Australian Constitution. It’s a ‘yes’ for recognition, listening, agency, decency and hope. Australia has been systematically excluding First Nations peoples - horrifically so during the mid-century period whose architecture we love. We are so fortunate to have this opportunity to come together and forge something better.

07/09/2023

Carrick Hill’s fantastic exhibition, Adelaide Mid-Century Moderns: Émigrés, mavericks and progressives, is an achingly beautiful tribute to the exuberant wave of European émigré artists who arrived in Adelaide around 1950. From the heyday of mid-century modernism and abstract expressionism to the arrival of Pop and post-painterly abstraction in the late 1960s, this electrifying period of creativity and collaboration between the visual arts, architecture, film, theatre and publishing radiates from the walls, complemented by stunning period furniture chosen by Georgina Downey from the personal collection of Mark Cawdron-White aka That Retro Man. Meticulously curated by Margot Osborne, the exhibition is on until 15 October. Go! https://www.carrickhill.sa.gov.au/events/adelaide-mid-century-modern

16/06/2023

This month the pinnacle of modernist architecture in Adelaide, the Adelaide Festival Centre, celebrates its 50th birthday since opening as Australia’s first multi-purpose arts centre. Designed by the great John Morphett of Hassell and Partners in association with Tom Brown & Associates, 1969, Stage 1 was opened on 2 June 1973 by Prime Minister Gough Whitlam. We’re so lucky to have this incredible cultural, social and architectural masterpiece. https://youtu.be/xjmcDF3MQEs

09/06/2023

Huge congratulations to 4th Floor Elevator for their incredible exhibition MADE IN AUS. Drawn from a private Adelaide collection, it showcases the influence of migrant and local talents in furniture, art, industrial design and manufacturing in Australia between the 1950s-1980s, with a few international gems as well. There’s one of everything and it’s truly spectacular. https://events.humanitix.com/made-in-aus-celebrating-australian-modernism-and-design-circa-1950-1980s-furniture-art-and-industrial-design

18/05/2023

I’m still slightly stunned by this… Last week, the South Australian Government took a copy of my book, Modernist Adelaide: 100 Buildings 1940s–1970s, to the exclusive 16th arrondissement of Paris, and presented it to the Fondation Le Corbusier – the private foundation and archive honouring the work of one of the world’s most influential architects, Le Corbusier. The gift acknowledged Le Corbusier’s hand drawn sketch of Adelaide that’s held by the archive and features in the book. InDaily ran a great piece about this amazing connection, first brought to light by architectural historian Antony Moulis. https://indaily.com.au/news/2023/05/16/light-shines-on-french-drawings-of-adelaide-city-streets/ Pictured are Brigitte Bouvier (Directrice), Arnaud Dercelles (Responsable du centre de ressources) and Nick Champion MP (Minister for Planning).

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Celebrate Adelaide’s modernist architecture

Modernist Adelaide was founded by mid-century modern architecture and design enthusiast Stuart Symons to celebrate Adelaide’s modernist architecture online and through walking tours, house tours and events.

Immerse yourself in the mid-century jet age of Mad Men era Adelaide, when a new wave of modernist architecture redefined the city’s streetscapes and skyline. Many of Adelaide’s iconic examples of 50s, 60s and 70s architecture still stand, well preserved and well worth discovering on these popular tours.

From Australia’s first curtain-wall high-rise of the 50s to the International Style of the 60s and the Brutalism of the 70s, Modernist Adelaide will appeal to anyone with a love of mid-century architecture and design, history or just looking up and seeing the beauty in our everyday built environment.

Stuart has recently published Modernist Adelaide: 100 Buildings 1940s–1970s, the first book to provide a large-scale survey of Adelaide’s mid-century architecture. By profiling the architects and clients, specific design features and historical points of interest of 100 existing modernist buildings, Modernist Adelaide: 100 Buildings 1940s–1970s reveals South Australia’s lesser-known but substantial contribution to this architectural revolution.