Pholiota was built as the home of architects

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, New South Wales, Griffith and ...

and

Marion Mahony Griffin Marion Mahony Griffin (; February 14, 1871 – August 10, 1961) was an American architect and artist. She was one of the first licensed female architects in the world, and is considered an original member of the Prairie School. Her work in ...

in 1920 at 23 Glenard Drive in Eaglemont, Victoria, Australia. The house is listed on the

Victorian Heritage Register The Victorian Heritage Register (VHR) lists places deemed to be of cultural heritage significance to the State of Victoria, Australia. It has statutory weight under the Heritage Act 2017. The Minister for Planning is the responsible Minister. H ...

. The Griffins used Knitlock construction to build this, their first home, on land they owned on the Glenard Estate next door to that of his sister Genevieve and brother-in- law Roy Alstan Lippincott at 21 Glenard Drive, the Lippincott House, a house also listed on the Victorian Heritage Register. Walter Burley Griffin with the builder David Charles Jenkins patented the Knitlock concrete units in 1917. The Knitlock system was designed as an economical, flexible and quick do-it-yourself construction system, with machine produced standard concrete tiles, or segments, which were fitted together on site. Few Knitlock buildings were constructed and Pholiota is one of a small number that survive. The house was a small, single storey house with square plan, containing a central room with a pyramidal ceiling, surrounded by alcoves. These alcoves contained the entrance and service areas and two bedroom alcoves. The floor was brick laid directly on the ground. Alterations and extensions in 1938, 1975 and the 1990s by subsequent owners have obscured the view of the original building from the street. In October 2016, for the exhibition “''Pholiota Unlocked”'', students at the Melbourne School of Design,

University of Melbourne The University of Melbourne is a public research university located in Melbourne, Australia. Founded in 1853, it is Australia's second oldest university and the oldest in Victoria. Its main campus is located in Parkville, an inner suburb nor ...

built a full scale plaster replica of the house. The house was named ''

Pholiota ''Pholiota'' is a genus of small to medium-sized, fleshy mushrooms in the family Strophariaceae. They are saprobes that typically live on wood. The genus has a widespread distribution, especially in temperate regions, and contains about 150 spe ...

'' after a genus of mushroom.

References

Houses in Victoria (Australia) Marion Mahony Griffin Buildings and structures in the City of Banyule Houses completed in 1920 1920 establishments in Australia Heritage-listed buildings in Melbourne {{VictoriaAU-struct-stub