The exhibition documents the oeuvre of the architectural firm that has been described as the ‘colossus of Australian architectural practices’. The firm’s work extends into every aspect of Victorian cultural life, from hospitals, banks and factories, to universities, state and religious buildings, and residential designs. Founded in Melbourne under the name of Stephenson & Meldrum, the firm’s groundbreaking works revolutionised health facility design and created many of Melbourne’s architectural landmarks: the (recently demolished) MCG Members’ Stand, and the St Vincent’s, Mercy, Freemasons’, Royal Melbourne and Royal Children’s hospitals.
Drawn mostly from the Library’s own collection, the exhibition explores the firm’s contribution to the architectures of health and prosperity, and, in particular, examines the pivotal role Stephenson & Turner played in importing and developing architectural modernism in Australia.
Illustration
Restaurant balcony at sunset, E. S. & A. Bank, Royal Bank Branch, Collins Street, Melbourne, Victoria, Stephenson & Turner, 1938-42. Photographer: Wolfgang Sievers |
