Wrought Iron Grillework Detail of a Streamline Moderne Art Deco Villa - Ballarat

            Set back from the road, this wonderfully sleek and stylised Art Deco villa may be found near to Lake Wendouree in the provincial Victorian city of Ballarat.    

The clean uncluttered lines of the villa are very Streamline Moderne in design.  The mansion is made almost entirely of clinker brick, with the exception of some brown feature bricks along the angular, flat roofline of the enclosed vestibule, the stepped chimney and in-dispersed amongt the clinker bricks of the vestibule columns.  The only real decoration other than he feature bricks is a wrought iron grille that is used as ornamentation over a small window.  The villa features a wide circular vestibule and very tall chimneys, both signature design elements of Ballarat’s most renowned architect of the 1930s, Herbert Leslie Coburn (1891 – 1956).  Streamline Moderne was known in Australia as Modern Ship Style during the 1930s. This nickname was used because the buildings designed in this style often looked very much like the cascading upper superstructures of ocean liners with their towering decks, railings and porthole windows.  The rounded enclosed vestibule with its flat parapet and stepped chimney does not look unlike the prow of a ship with its funnel.  The whole property is surrounded by its original clinker brick wall with brown feature brick decorated newel posts.

Ballarat born Herbert Leslie Coburn grew up to be a renowned Ballarat architect, practicing from 1905 to 1956. He taught Architecture and Building Construction at the Ballarat School of Mines from 1922, resigning in 1948 due to ill health. The Royal Victorian Institute of Architects awarded Herbert Coburn a Silver Medal for the designs of an Anglican Gothic Suburban Church in 1913 while he was still a student of the institute. In 1917 Herbert became associated with Percy Richards, and they formed a partnership in 1918, Richards, Coburn, Richards, which lasted until 1933, when they separated owing to artistic differences.  Whilst Percy Richards wished to retain a more traditional style in keeping with the popular conservative tastes of their clients, Herbert Coburn wanted to be at the vanguard of architectural design and was very interested in following the sleeker and stylised designs of the Streamline Moderne movement which was coming out of Europe.  Herbert Coburn therefore started his own architectural practice. Coburn studied for formal qualifications by correspondence with the International Correspondence School, obtaining an architectural diploma two years later. His rooms were in the Clyde Chambers at 313 Sturt St, Ballarat. He was a Fellow of the Royal Australian Institute of Architects and the Royal Victorian Institute of Architects.  Some of Herbert Coburn's architectural achievements include: St Patrick's Primary School in Drummond Street Ballarat (1935), the Shire of Wimmera Council Offices in Firebrace Street Horsham (1936), Paterson's Furniture Store in Horsham (circa 1936), the Railway Hotel in Maryborough (1938) and the clock tower of the Stawell Town Hall (1939).  In addition to these, there are many beautiful, well designed and executed modernist Art Deco villas around Ballarat that bear his distinct architectural style.  

The community minded Herbert Coburn was elected a Councillor with the City of Ballarat in 1938, and Mayor in 1945. Herbert’s motivation was the 'proper development and advancement of his city.' He held the position of Councillor until 1952.

Taken on: January 14, 2013

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Camera: Canon DIGITAL IXUS 80 IS, f/4.9, 1/500 sec, 18.6mm, ISO 400 (more info) (hide info)

Camera:	Canon DIGITAL IXUS 80 IS
Aperture:	f/4.9
Exposure Time:	0.002 sec (1/500)
Focal Length:	18.6mm
ISO:	400
Exposure Bias:	0 EV
Flash:	Auto, Did not fire
Exposure Mode:	Auto
Metering Mode:	Multi-segment
White Balance:	Auto
Color Space:	sRGB
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