John Smith Murdoch (29 September 186221 May 1945)
was a Scottish
architect
An architect is a person who plans, designs and oversees the construction of buildings. To practice architecture means to provide services in connection with the design of buildings and the space within the site surrounding the buildings that h ...
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,
and was responsible for designing many government buildings, most notably the
Provisional Parliament House in
Canberra
Canberra ( )
is the capital city of Australia. Founded following the federation of the colonies of Australia as the seat of government for the new nation, it is Australia's largest inland city and the eighth-largest city overall. The ci ...
,
the home of the
Parliament of Australia
The Parliament of Australia (officially the Federal Parliament, also called the Commonwealth Parliament) is the legislative branch of the government of Australia. It consists of three elements: the monarch (represented by the governor- ...
from 1927 to 1988.
Personal life
John Smith Murdoch was born in Cassieford Farm,
Forres
Forres (; gd, Farrais) is a town and former royal burgh in the north of Scotland on the Moray coast, approximately northeast of Inverness and west of Elgin. Forres has been a winner of the Scotland in Bloom award on several occasions. There a ...
,
Scotland
Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to ...
.
He had a "dry and quiet" personality and was frugal in both his professional and private life. Murdoch never married,
and there are only two official known photographs of him.
Murdoch was a member of the
Masonic order
Freemasonry or Masonry refers to fraternal organisations that trace their origins to the local guilds of stonemasons that, from the end of the 13th century, regulated the qualifications of stonemasons and their interaction with authorities ...
and it is claimed that he incorporated many masonic motifs into his designs.
He died in Brighton, Melbourne.
[John Smith Murdoch]
, ''Dictionary of Scottish Architects
The Dictionary of Scottish Architects is a publicly available online database that provides biographical information about all architects known to have worked in Scotland between 1660 and 1980, and lists their works. Launched in 2006, it was comp ...
1840–1980''.
Professional life
Murdoch was educated at the Parish school at
Rafford
Rafford ( gd, Ràthard) is a village in Moray, Scotland. It is approximately southeast of the town of Forres, and northwest of the village of Dallas.
The parish church was designed by James Gillespie Graham
James Gillespie Graham (11 ...
and at
Forres Academy
Forres Academy is a comprehensive community school serving the town of Forres, Scotland, and its rural catchment area in west Moray. Similar to other Scottish schools pupils are able to leave after the fourth year of schooling, therefore fifth and ...
and received his architectural training in Scotland.
He was articled to the architectural firm Matthews and Mackenzie in 1878.
After completing his articles in 1883 he became assistant in the office of
Alexander Ross in
Inverness
Inverness (; from the gd, Inbhir Nis , meaning "Mouth of the River Ness"; sco, Innerness) is a city in the Scottish Highlands. It is the administrative centre for The Highland Council and is regarded as the capital of the Highlands. Histor ...
before moving to
Glasgow
Glasgow ( ; sco, Glesca or ; gd, Glaschu ) is the most populous city in Scotland and the fourth-most populous city in the United Kingdom, as well as being the 27th largest city by population in Europe. In 2020, it had an estimated popu ...
to work for Campbell Douglas & Sellars and then for the
Glasgow South Western Railway Engineers' Department.
In 1884 Murdoch emigrated with his parents to Melbourne
in response to the severe depression of the 1880s.
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
The Department of Communities, Housing and Digital Economy (CHDE), formerly the Department of Housing and Public Works, is a ministerial department within the Queensland Government, tasked with providing housing (including homelessness and buil ...
in 1885.
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.
Murdoch then joined the firm John Hall and Son where he was employed until 1893.
While working for John Hall and Son, it is claimed that Murdoch designed the
South Brisbane Municipal Chambers
The Old South Brisbane Town Hall is the heritage-listed town hall of the Borough of South Brisbane, later the City of South Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. It is located at 263 Vulture Street (on the south-west corner of the intersection of Gra ...
(1890–1892), Gladstone Place and several South Brisbane hotels, including Broadway Hotel (1889–90) and Burke's Hotel (1890).
In 1893, Murdoch was re-appointed to the Public Works Department where he worked until 1904.
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
Sir Thomas Pye ( – 26 December 1785) was an admiral of the Royal Navy who served during the War of the Austrian Succession, the Seven Years' War, and the American War of Independence. He was briefly Member of Parliament for Rochester, and se ...
and Alfred Barton Brady.
In 1904 Murdoch transferred to the Commonwealth
Department of Home Affairs
An interior ministry (sometimes called a ministry of internal affairs or ministry of home affairs) is a government department that is responsible for internal affairs.
Lists of current ministries of internal affairs
Named "ministry"
* Ministr ...
in Melbourne, as a Senior Clerk.
Here he was promoted to Architect in 1914 and Chief Architect in 1919–29.
He was involved with the planning of
Canberra
Canberra ( )
is the capital city of Australia. Founded following the federation of the colonies of Australia as the seat of government for the new nation, it is Australia's largest inland city and the eighth-largest city overall. The ci ...
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.
He laid out
Forrest Place, Perth (1923), and
Anzac Square, Brisbane (1926).
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
The Most Distinguished Order of Saint Michael and Saint George is a British order of chivalry founded on 28 April 1818 by George IV, Prince of Wales, while he was acting as prince regent for his father, King George III.
It is named in honour ...
) to honour his service to the Commonwealth of Australia.
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.
Works
Queensland
List of known works in Queensland:
Victoria
Notable works include:
* former Royal Australian Field Artillery (RAFA) Barracks, part of the Commonwealth Ordnance Factory,
Maribyrnong (1911–13)
* H.M.A.S. Cerberus Naval Base, Crib Point,
Westernport Bay
Western Port, (Boonwurrung: ''Warn Marin'') commonly but unofficially known as Western Port Bay, is a large tidal bay in southern Victoria, Australia, opening into Bass Strait. It is the second largest bay in the state. Geographically, it is ...
(1913–20)
* RAAF base, Point Cook (1913–18)
*former Naval Drill Hall, 40 Bay Street,
Port Melbourne
Port Melbourne is an inner-city List of Melbourne suburbs, suburb in Melbourne, Victoria (Australia), Victoria, Australia, south-west of Melbourne's Melbourne central business district, Central Business District, located within the Cities of ...
(1912)
* Commonwealth Offices, 4 Treasury Place,
East Melbourne
East Melbourne is an inner-city suburb in Melbourne, Victoria (Australia), Victoria, Australia, east of Melbourne's Melbourne central business district, Central Business District, located within the City of Melbourne Local government areas of ...
(1912)
* former Mail Exchange, cnr Spencer Street and
Bourke Street
Bourke Street is one of the main streets in the Melbourne central business district and a core feature of the Hoddle Grid. It was traditionally the entertainment hub of inner-city Melbourne, and is now also a popular tourist destination and ...
, Melbourne(1913)
*former Federal Woollen Mills,
North Geelong (1915).
* former High Court,
Little Bourke Street
Little Bourke Street (abbreviated to Lt. Bourke St) in Melbourne's CBD runs roughly east–west within the Hoddle Grid. It is a one-way street heading in a westward direction. The street intersects with Spencer Street at its western end and ...
(1926).
*former Australian Wireless Transmitting and Receiving Stations, Fiskville (1926)
*Telephone Exchange, 436 Little Bourke Street (designed 1929, built 1935)
Western Australia
Notable
Western Australia
Western Australia (commonly abbreviated as WA) is a state of Australia occupying the western percent of the land area of Australia excluding external territories. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Southern Ocean to t ...
n works include:
*
Perth
Perth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia. It is the fourth most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a population of 2.1 million (80% of the state) living in Greater Perth in 2020. Perth is ...
General Post Office
The General Post Office (GPO) was the state postal system and telecommunications carrier of the United Kingdom until 1969. Before the Acts of Union 1707, it was the postal system of the Kingdom of England, established by Charles II in 1660. ...
(1914–23), created along with
Forrest Place, which it addresses, was designed in association with
William Hardwick
William Burden Hardwick (1860 – 1941), often referred to professionally as W.B. Hardwick, was an Australian architect who from 1917 until 1927 was Principal Architect of the Public Works Department in Western Australia. ''The Encyclopedia ...
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. It was completed in 1933.
Canberra
Murdoch persuaded
Walter Burley Griffin
Walter Burley Griffin (November 24, 1876February 11, 1937) was an American architect and landscape architect. He is known for designing Canberra, Australia's capital city and the New South Wales towns of Griffith and Leeton. He has been cr ...
to come to Australia from the US, and went to Sydney to greet him on his arrival in 1913. Later, however, he had a difficult relationship with Griffin.
Murdoch designed the
Provisional Parliament House in
Canberra
Canberra ( )
is the capital city of Australia. Founded following the federation of the colonies of Australia as the seat of government for the new nation, it is Australia's largest inland city and the eighth-largest city overall. The ci ...
, which opened in 1927.
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.
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
Canberra Glassworks is an Australian gallery in Canberra and glass art studio open to the general public to view the glass artists working. Opened in May 2007 by Jon Stanhope, it is the largest dedicated glass studio facility in Australia.
Pl ...
, a glass artist studio.
* the
Hotel Canberra
The Hotel Canberra, also known as Hyatt Hotel Canberra, is a major hotel in the Australian national capital, Canberra. It is located in the suburb of Yarralumla, near Lake Burley Griffin and Parliament House. It was built to house politici ...
(Hostel No. 1) (1924) – now the Hyatt Hotel
* the
Hotel Kurrajong
Hotel Kurrajong Canberra is a heritage-listed hotel located in the Canberra suburb of Barton, Australian Capital Territory, close to Parliament House and national institutions within the Parliamentary Triangle precinct. The Hotel has a strong ...
(Hostel No. 2) (1926)
* Secretariat Buildings No. 1 and 2 (1927) – now East and West Blocks
* Gorman House (Hostel No. 3) (1924–25)
* Ainslie Public School (1936)
* several residential hotels necessary for public servants and politicians.
New South Wales
* 12
bungalow
A bungalow is a small house or cottage that is either single-story or has a second story built into a sloping roof (usually with dormer windows), and may be surrounded by wide verandas.
The first house in England that was classified as a b ...
s for staff of the
Royal Australian Navy
The Royal Australian Navy (RAN) is the principal naval force of the Australian Defence Force (ADF). The professional head of the RAN is Chief of Navy (CN) Vice Admiral Mark Hammond AM, RAN. CN is also jointly responsible to the Minister o ...
College (1915), ,
Jervis Bay
Jervis Bay () is a oceanic bay and village on the south coast of New South Wales, Australia, said to possess the whitest sand in the world.
A area of land around the southern headland of the bay is a territory of the Commonwealth of Australia ...
,
New South Wales
)
, nickname =
, image_map = New South Wales in Australia.svg
, map_caption = Location of New South Wales in AustraliaCoordinates:
, subdivision_type = Country
, subdivision_name = Australia
, established_title = Before federation
, es ...
. The bungalows are now
heritage
Heritage may refer to:
History and society
* A heritage asset is a preexisting thing of value today
** Cultural heritage is created by humans
** Natural heritage is not
* Heritage language
Biology
* Heredity, biological inheritance of physical c ...
-listed, and were refurbished in 2006–07.
"Creswell's heritage houses restored"
''Navy News'' 50, no.9, 31 May (2007): 6.
Gallery of work
File:StateLibQld 1 389969 Jubilee Sanatorium, Dalby, 1907.jpg, Dalby Consumptive's Hospital, Dalby, 1897
File:StateLibQld 1 256472 Customs House at Maryborough, 1930.jpg, Maryborough Customs House, Maryborough, 1900
File:StateLibQld 1 188951 Customs House Building, Mackay ca. 1909.jpg, Mackay Customs House, Mackay, 1900–01
File:Brisbane Naval Offices, 1901.tif, Brisbane Naval Offices, 1901
File:Boggo Road Gaol, No. 2 Division, Dutton Park, 1903.tif, Boggo Road Gaol
Boggo Road Gaol in Brisbane, Australia, was Queensland’s main jail from the 1880s to the 1980s, by which time it had become notorious for poor conditions and rioting. Located on Annerley Road in Dutton Park, an inner southern suburb of Brisbane ...
, No. 2 Division, Dutton Park, Brisbane, 1903
File:St. Johns' School and Institute, 1903-04.tif, St. Johns' School and Institute, Brisbane, 1903–04
File:Commonwealth government offices treasury place east melbourne.jpg, Commonwealth Government Offices, Treasury Place, Melbourne, 1912
File:Former melbourne mail exchange.jpg, Former mail exchange, Melbourne, 1913–17
File:Old Parliament House cropped.jpg, Provisional Parliament House, Canberra, 1922
File:GeneralPostOfficePerth WaiHong.jpg, GPO, Forrest Place, Perth, 1923
File:MurrayStreetPerthNight gobeirne.jpg, Commonwealth Bank Building, Forrest Place, Perth, 1923
File:Hotel Canberra.JPG, Hotel Canberra, 1924
File:National Archives of Australia in Parkes, ACT.jpg, East Block, Canberra, 1925–56
File:Anzac Square, Brisbane, 1926.tif, ANZAC Square, Brisbane, 1926
File:Former Queensland Government Offices, 1931-59.tif, Former Queensland Government Offices, Brisbane, 1931–59
File:Commonwealth Government Offices, 1933-36.tif, Commonwealth Government Offices, Brisbane, 1933–36
See also
* Commonwealth Heritage List
The Commonwealth Heritage List is a heritage register established in 2003, which lists places under the control of the Australian government, on land or in waters directly owned by the Crown (in Australia, the Crown in right of the Commonwealth ...
* George David Payne
George David Payne (1853–1916) was an Australian architect. He worked for a short time in the Public Works Department (Queensland), Public Works Department in Queensland, alongside John Smith Murdoch and Thomas Pye, architect, Thomas Pye in a ...
References
Bibliography
*
*
*
External links
Timeline of life and works of John Smith Murdoch, Thomas Pye and George David Payne in Brisbane
Google Maps of Brisbane works of John Smith Murdoch
Google Maps of Queensland works of John Smith Murdoch
* Photograph of John Smith Murdoch
Canberra Glassworks
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
{{DEFAULTSORT:Murdoch, John Smith
1862 births
1945 deaths
People educated at Forres Academy
Australian public servants
Scottish emigrants to colonial Australia
Architects from Queensland
Australian Companions of the Order of St Michael and St George
19th-century Australian architects
19th-century Scottish architects
20th-century Australian architects
Architects from Melbourne
People from Forres