John Smith Murdoch

John Smith Murdoch CMG (29 September 1862 – 21 May 1945)^[1] was a Scottish architect who practised in Australia from the 1880s until 1930. Employed by the newly formed Commonwealth Public Works Department in 1904, he rose to become chief architect, from 1919 to 1929,^[2] and was responsible for designing many government buildings, most notably the Provisional Parliament House in Canberra,^[2][3] the home of the Parliament of Australia from 1927 to 1988.^[4]

John Smith Murdoch
Born	29 September 1862 Cassieford Farm, Forres, Scotland
Died	21 May 1945 Brighton, Victoria, Australia
Occupation	Architect
Known for	Old Parliament House, Canberra

Opening of Old Parliament House, Canberra, 1927

Old and New Parliament House, Canberra, 2006

Personal life

John Smith Murdoch was born in Cassieford Farm, Forres, Scotland.^[2][1][5]

He had a "dry and quiet" personality and was frugal in both his professional and private life.^[6] Murdoch never married,^[3] and there are only two official known photographs of him.^[7]

Murdoch was a member of the Masonic order and it is claimed that he incorporated many masonic motifs into his designs.^[8]

He died in Brighton, Melbourne.^[3]

Professional life

Murdoch was educated at the Parish school at Rafford and at Forres Academy and received his architectural training in Scotland.^[1][3] He was articled to the architectural firm Matthews and Mackenzie in 1878.^[3] After completing his articles in 1883 he became assistant in the office of Alexander Ross in Inverness before moving to Glasgow to work for Campbell Douglas & Sellars and then for the Glasgow South Western Railway Engineers' Department.^[3] In 1884 Murdoch emigrated with his parents to Melbourne^[1] in response to the severe depression of the 1880s.^[3]

In Melbourne, Murdoch was briefly employed by the architectural firm Reed, Henderson and Smart before being appointed as a draftsman in the Queensland Department of Public Works in 1885.^[1][9] While working for the Public Works Department, Murdoch is said to have designed the Sandgate Post Office (1887) before being retrenched on 30 June 1887 due to a downturn in public works.^[10]

Murdoch then joined the firm John Hall and Son where he was employed until 1893.^[11] While working for John Hall and Son, it is claimed that Murdoch designed the South Brisbane Municipal Chambers (1890–1892), Gladstone Place and several South Brisbane hotels, including Broadway Hotel (1889–90) and Burke's Hotel (1890).^[11]

In 1893, Murdoch was re-appointed to the Public Works Department where he worked until 1904.^[11] During this time he worked on a great number of public buildings throughout Queensland. The design work produced by the department at this time was somewhat collaborative. Other prominent architects working for the Queensland Public Works Department who may have contributed to design work credited to Murdoch (and vice versa) include Thomas Pye and Alfred Barton Brady.^[12][13]

In 1904 Murdoch transferred to the Commonwealth Department of Home Affairs in Melbourne, as a Senior Clerk.^[11][14] Here he was promoted to Architect in 1914 and Chief Architect in 1919–29.^[2] He was involved with the planning of Canberra and designed many significant Commonwealth buildings around Australia including the Provisional Parliament House, Canberra (1927), the Canberra Hotel (1922–25), the General Post Office, Perth (1923), Spencer Street Mail Exchange (1913) and the Former High Court of Australia (1925), both in Melbourne.^[2] He laid out Forrest Place, Perth (1923), and Anzac Square, Brisbane (1926).^[2] Murdoch was promoted to Director-General of Works by 1927 and was appointed C.M.G. (Companion of the Order of St. Michael and St. George) to honour his service to the Commonwealth of Australia.^[11][3] Murdoch moved to Canberra with his department in 1929 and retired later the same year, remaining a member of the Federal Capital Commission until its abolition in 1930.^[3]

Works

Queensland

 

Sandgate Post Office, 1887

 

Burke's Hotel, South Brisbane, 1889–90

 

Broadway Hotel, Woolloongabba, 1890

 

South Brisbane Municipal Chambers, 1890

 

Victoria Bridge, Brisbane, 1897

List of known works in Queensland:

1887	Sandgate Post Office (former): 1 Bowser Parade, Sandgate 4017^[10]
1888–89	West End School of Arts (demolished): Boundary Street, West End 4101^[11]
1889–90	Burke's Hotel (Red Brick Hotel): 83 Annerley Road, South Brisbane 4102^[11]
1890	Broadway Hotel: 93 Logan Road, Woolloongabba 4102^[11]
1890	South Brisbane Municipal Chambers (South Brisbane Town Hall): 263 Vulture Street, West End 4101^[15]
1894–95	Victoria Bridge Abutments (bridge demolished, abutments existent): Victoria Bridge, South Brisbane 4101 (with A.B. Brady)^[11]
1896	Queensland Agricultural College (University of Queensland Gatton campus) (partially demolished, Foundation Building and Homestead existent): Warrego Highway, Lawes 4343^[11]
1897	Central Watch-tower, Stewart's Creek Gaol (Stuart Creek Jail), Dwyer Street, Stuart, Townsville, 4811^[11]
1897	Charleville Court House (demolished): Alfred Street, Charleville 4470^[11]^[16]
1897	Dalby Consumptive's Hospital (Jubilee Sanatorium, Jubilee Hospital) (demolished), Dalby^[11]^[16]^[17]
1898–1900	Maryborough Customs House: Richmond Street, Maryborough 4650^[17]
1900–01	Roma Court House: 141 McDowall Street, Roma 4455^[18]
1900–01	Mackay Customs House: 31 River Street, Mackay 4740^[19]
1900–01	Gympie Court House, Channon Street, Gympie 4570^[19]
1900–01	Stanthorpe Post Office: 14 Maryland Street, Stanthorpe 4380^[19]
1900–01	Brisbane Naval Offices: 3 Edward Street, Brisbane 4000^[19] (with Thomas Pye?)
1900–02	Bundaberg Customs House (demolished): Quay Street, Bundaberg 4670^[19]
1903	Boggo Road Gaol: No. 2 Division: 150 Annerley Road, Dutton Park 4102^[20]
1903–04	St. Luke's Mission Hall (The Pancake Manor): 10 Charlotte Street, Brisbane 4000^[11]
1903–04	St. John's School and Institute (Webber House): 439 Ann Street, Brisbane 4000 (with Robin Dods)^[11]
1926	Anzac Square, Brisbane: 228 Adelaide Street, Brisbane 4000^[11]
1932–59	Former Queensland Government Offices: 255A Ann Street, Brisbane 4000^[21]
1933–36	Commonwealth Government Offices: 232 Adelaide Street, Brisbane 4000^[22]

Victoria

Notable works include:

• former Royal Australian Field Artillery (RAFA) Barracks, part of the Commonwealth Ordnance Factory, Maribyrnong (1911–13)^[23]
• HMAS Cerberus Naval Base, Crib Point, Westernport Bay (1913–20)^[24]
• RAAF Williams, Point Cook (1913–18)^[25]
• former Naval Drill Hall, 40 Bay Street, Port Melbourne (1912)^[26]
• Commonwealth Offices, 4 Treasury Place, East Melbourne (1912)^[27]
• former Mail Exchange, cnr Spencer Street and Bourke Street, Melbourne(1913)^[28]
• former Federal Woollen Mills, North Geelong (1915).^[29]
• former High Court, Little Bourke Street (1926).^[30]
• former Australian Wireless Transmitting and Receiving Stations, Fiskville (1926)^[31]
• Telephone Exchange, 436 Little Bourke Street (designed 1929, built 1935)

Western Australia

Notable Western Australian works include:

• General Post Office, Perth (1914–23),^[32] created along with Forrest Place, which it addresses, was designed in association with William Hardwick who at the time was the Western Australia Government Architect.
• the Commonwealth Bank, which is adjacent to the Post Office and repeats its architectural elements, is thought to have been designed by Murdoch in 1929, the year he retired, though the plans carry the signature of Thomas Hill, the Director General of Works.^[33] It was completed in 1933.

Canberra

Murdoch persuaded Walter Burley Griffin to come to Australia from the US, and went to Sydney to greet him on his arrival in 1913.^[34] Later, however, he had a difficult relationship with Griffin.^[35]

Murdoch designed the Provisional Parliament House in Canberra, which opened in 1927.^[2] However, he had no enthusiasm for the project, saying expenditure on it could not be justified at the time; and he thought the whole idea was a waste of money.^[36]

Murdoch also designed many of Canberra's first public buildings, such as:

• Kingston Power Station (1913–1915). This was decommissioned in the early 1960s, and reopened on 25 May 2007 as Canberra Glassworks, a glass artist studio.^[37]
• the Hotel Canberra (Hostel No. 1) (1924) – now the Hyatt Hotel^[38]
• the Hotel Kurrajong (Hostel No. 2) (1926)^[39]
• Secretariat Buildings No. 1 and 2 (1927) – now East and West Blocks^[40][41]
• Gorman House (Hostel No. 3) (1924–25)^[42]
• Ainslie Public School (1936)^[43]
• several residential hotels necessary for public servants and politicians.^{[citation needed]}

New South Wales

• 12 bungalows for staff of the Royal Australian Navy College (1915), HMAS Creswell, Jervis Bay, New South Wales. The bungalows are now heritage-listed, and were refurbished in 2006–07.^[44]

Gallery of work

•  
  Dalby Consumptive's Hospital, Dalby, 1897
•  
  Maryborough Customs House, Maryborough, 1900
•  
  Mackay Customs House, Mackay, 1900–01
•  
  Brisbane Naval Offices, 1901
•  
  Boggo Road Gaol, No. 2 Division, Dutton Park, Brisbane, 1903
•  
  St. Johns' School and Institute, Brisbane, 1903–04
•  
  Commonwealth Government Offices, Treasury Place, Melbourne, 1912
•  
  Former mail exchange, Melbourne, 1913–17
•  
  Provisional Parliament House, Canberra, 1922
•  
  GPO, Forrest Place, Perth, 1923
•  
  Commonwealth Bank Building, Forrest Place, Perth, 1923
•  
  Hotel Canberra, 1924
•  
  East Block, Canberra, 1925–56
•  
  Anzac Square, Brisbane, 1926
•  
  Former Queensland Government Offices, Brisbane, 1931–59
•  
  Commonwealth Government Offices, Brisbane, 1933–36

References

1. Rowe (1995), p. 36
2. D. I. MacDonald. "Murdoch, John Smith (1862–1945)". Australian Dictionary of Biography. National Centre of Biography, Australian National University. ISSN 1833-7538.
3. "John Smith Murdoch", Dictionary of Scottish Architects 1840–1980.
4. "A Short History of Parliament", Parliamentary Education Office, Commonwealth Parliament of Australia . Archived from the original on 20 April 2013. Retrieved 6 October 2012.
5. CP 965: John Smith MURDOCH CMG, National Archives of Australia, retrieved 18 April 2014
6. Rowe (1997), p. 1
7. Rowe (1997), p. 2
8. Denis Strangman, "John Smith Murdoch, Brisbane, a Wooden Leg, Symbolic Signs, and the OPH Building", retrieved 31 May 2007,
9. Watson & McKay (1994), p. 127
10. Watson & McKay (1994), pp. 127–128
11. Watson & McKay (1994), p. 128
12. "Customs House", Australian Heritage Places Inventory, "AHPI - Record". Archived from the original on 4 December 2012. Retrieved 6 October 2012.
13. "Customs House and Residence (former)", Australian Heritage Places Inventory, "AHPI - Record". Archived from the original on 29 November 2012. Retrieved 6 October 2012.
14. Rowe (1995), p. 25
15. South Brisbane Municipal Building, The Brisbane Courier, 6 June 1892, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article3542993
16. Stuart King, "Queensland Public Buildings 1870 – 1904: Eclecticism and Composition", Cultural Crossroads: Proceedings of the 26th International SAHANZ Conference, 2 – 5 July 2009, University of Auckland, New Zealand, 540–555. ISBN 978-0-473-15065-5 (2009)
17. "The Diamond Jubilee; The Proposal of the Government; Consumptive Hospital at Dalby", The Brisbane Courier (Wednesday 19 May 1897), http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article3651178?searchTerm=dalby%20jubilee%20hospital&searchLimits=
18. "Roma Court House and Police Buildings (entry 601285)". Queensland Heritage Register. Queensland Heritage Council. Retrieved 12 August 2015.
19. Watson & McKay (1994), p. 129
20. "Boggo Road Gaol: No 2 Division and Remnant No 1 Division", Australian Heritage Places Inventory, "AHPI - Record". Archived from the original on 27 November 2012. Retrieved 6 October 2012.
21. "Former Queensland Government Offices (Anzac Square Building)", Australian Heritage Places Inventory, "AHPI - Record". Archived from the original on 27 November 2012. Retrieved 6 October 2012.
22. "Commonwealth Government Offices", Australian Heritage Places Inventory, "AHPI - Record". Archived from the original on 27 November 2012. Retrieved 6 October 2012.
23. "Royal Field Artilliary Barracks". vhd.heritagecouncil.vic.gov.au. Retrieved 28 February 2020.
24. "HMAS Cerberus Central Area Group". Australian Heritage Database. Retrieved 28 February 2020.
25. "Point Cook RAAF base". Victorian Heritage Database.
26. "Naval Drill Hall and Post Office". vhd.heritagecouncil.vic.gov.au. Retrieved 28 February 2020.
27. "Commonwealth Offices", Heritage Victoria, http://vhd.heritage.vic.gov.au/vhd/heritagevic#detail_places;65745
28. "Former Mail Exchange", Heritage Victoria, http://vhd.heritage.vic.gov.au/places/result_detail/709?print=true
29. "VHD". vhd.heritagecouncil.vic.gov.au. Retrieved 1 July 2019.
30. "High Court of Australia (former)", Australian Heritage Database, (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 21 March 2012. Retrieved 7 October 2012.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
31. "former Australian Wireless Transmitting and Receiving Stations". Victorian Heritage Database.
32. "Perth General Post Office". Australian Heritage Database. Retrieved 29 February 2020.
33. "Commonwealth Bank Building". Australian Heritage Database. Retrieved 29 February 2020.
34. Rowe (1995), p. 29
35. Max Bourke, "Old house rules", in Canberra 1900–2000 (supplement to the Canberra Times), 19 March 2000.
36. Robert Messenger, "'Mythical thing' to an iced reality", in Old Parliament House: 75 Years of History (supplement to the Canberra Times), 4 May 2002.
37. "In the Engine Room", Canberra Glassworks, . Archived from the original on 31 March 2013. Retrieved 6 October 2012.
38. ACT Government, "Hotel Canberra", Libraries ACT, http://www.library.act.gov.au/find/history/frequentlyaskedquestions/Place_Stories/hotelcanberra
39. "Hotel Kurrajong and Setting", Australian Heritage Places Inventory, . Archived from the original on 11 August 2014. Retrieved 7 October 2012.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
40. "East Block Government Offices", Australian Heritage Places Inventory, "AHPI - Record". Archived from the original on 3 December 2012. Retrieved 7 October 2012.
41. "West Block and the Dugout", Australian Heritage Places Inventory, "AHPI - Record". Archived from the original on 28 November 2012. Retrieved 7 October 2012.
42. "Gorman House", National Trust Register of Significant Places, (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 13 May 2012. Retrieved 7 October 2012.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
43. "Ainslie Public And Primary Schools, Braddon", Interim Heritage Places Register, http://www.m2cms.com.au/uploaded/18/ClassifiedPlaces/AINSLIE%20PUBLIC%20&%20PRIMARY%20SCHOOLS.pdf 13 May 2012 at the Wayback Machine
44. "Creswell's heritage houses restored" Navy News 50, no.9, 31 May (2007): 6.

Bibliography

• Rowe, David (1995). "John Smith Murdoch and the early development of Canberra". Fabrications. 6: 24–37. doi:10.1080/10331867.1995.10525085.
• Rowe, David (1997). Building a national image: the architecture of John Smith Murdoch, Australia's first Commonwealth Government architect (PhD thesis). Deakin University.
• Watson, Donald; McKay, Judith (1994). Queensland Architects of the 19th Century: a Biographical Dictionary. Brisbane: Queensland Museum. ISBN 0724256571.

External links

 

Wikimedia Commons has media related to John Smith Murdoch.

• Google Maps of Brisbane works of John Smith Murdoch
• Google Maps of Queensland works of John Smith Murdoch
• "IN THE PUBLIC EYE". Canberra Times. 17 May 1927. p. 4. Retrieved 7 October 2012 – via National Library of Australia. Photograph of John Smith Murdoch
• Canberra Glassworks
• Pillars of A Nation; John Smith Murdoch
• National Heritage List Nomination for Old Parliament House and Curtilage
• Dictionary of Scottish Architects; John Smith Murdoch
• Australian Dictionary of Biography; Murdoch, John Smith (1862–1945)
• National Archives of Australia; East Block building, Canberra – Fact Sheet 174
• Queensland Heritage Registry 13 May 2013 at the Wayback Machine
• Discover Queensland Buildings website