Schmidt-Lademann House
1959
General information
TypeResidence
Architectural styleModernist
Address22 Lifford Road
Town or cityFloreat, Western Australia
CountryAustralia
Coordinates31°56′03″S 115°46′53″E / 31.9342°S 115.7815°E / -31.9342; 115.7815
Completed1958
Grounds906 m2
Design and construction
Architect(s)Iwan Iwanoff

The Schmidt-Lademann House[lower-alpha 1] is a residential dwelling built 1958 in Floreat, a suburb of Perth, Western Australia. It is designed by Bulgarian-born architect Iwan Iwanoff and is an iconic example of mid-century modern architecture in Australia.

Design

Siegfried Schmidt-Lademann became consul in Perth for Germany in 1957. He decided to build a residence for the consul in Perth which would be suitable for private living and for formal receptions. The house was the first independent design by the architect Iwan Iwanoff[2] and was built in 1958.[3] It became one of Iwanoff's notable projects.

In 1959 the German consulate in Perth was closed and the house had to be sold.

In contrast to the later more ornamented and playful designs of Iwanoff with some resemblance to Brutalist architecture, the light and clear design of this house is inspired by the Modernist architecture and Bauhaus ideas which Iwanoff was introduced to during his studies and work with Emil Freymuth in Munich, Germany.[4] Characteristic features of this partially single storey, partially double storey house are apart from the distinctive soaring skillion roof line the blending of natural materials granite, timber, copper. It features jarrah ceilings, blackbutt[lower-alpha 2] parquetry floors, wandoo staircase, maple cupboards, Corian benchtops, granite feature walls, a copper-surrounded fireplace.[3] The jarrah framed window front on the south side opened a wide view on the Roscommon Reserve[5] directly opposite. Overall the house shows Iwanoff's tendency to complex composition[2] and with the wall at the southwest corner built from granite boulders Iwanoff already hints his interest in massive structures. The granite wall extends into the interior as a fireplace in the living area and a barbecue pit on the terrace in the west.

Floor plan 1958.[3]

The design of 1958 included a living area on two levels separated by 2 steps into a dining area at the lower level and a sitting area with fireplace on the higher level, 3 bedrooms, a study on the gallery, a kitchen and 1.5 bathrooms.

Original T&M estimate from 1958. The total of £6328 (Australian pound) equates to approximately 197,000 AUD purchasing power in 2018.[6]

History

In 2003 the house received an extension filling out the previous "L" shape on the northwest side with a two-storey block adding an indoor/outdoor dining area on the ground floor and a bedroom and bathroom on the upper floor. This addition merges very well with the original design especially where it repeats the slanted roof.[1]

The residence is listed in the Town of Cambridge Local Government Inventory of Heritage Places as place no. 39.[1]

It has changed ownership several times and increased in value each time:

Value Development[7]
Purchase DateCost ($)
June 1989255,000
February 1998440,000
June 20122,300,000

Footnotes

  1. ↑ In various publications e.g. Town of Cambridge Inventory of Heritage Places[1] and internet websites the house is referred to by the name of the builder and first owner Siegfried and Jutta Schmidt-Lademann
  2. ↑ Blackbutt is a common name for wood from several species of Eucalyptus, and it is unclear which this one is.

References

  1. 1 2 3 Town of Cambridge: Local Government Inventory of Heritage Places (PDF), Town of Cambridge, pp. 216–219, retrieved 31 March 2019, alternatively: Website to download document (3rd document)
  2. 1 2 Margalit, Harry (2019), Australia, modern architectures in history, London: Reaktion Books Ltd, pp. 164–165, ISBN 978 1 78914 124 5
  3. 1 2 3 "House in Perth", Architecture and Arts, Melbourne: Architecture and Arts, no. May 1959, pp. 40–41, retrieved 28 February 2021
  4. ↑ "Iwanoff, Iwan (1919–1986)", Australian Dictionary of Biography, retrieved 31 March 2019
  5. ↑ Roscommon Park, Town of Cambridge, retrieved 31 March 2019
  6. ↑ Consumer Price Index Inflation Calculator, Australian Bureau of Statistics, retrieved 29 April 2019, (please note decimalisation 1£=2$)
  7. ↑ "Property Report for 22 Lifford Road, Floreat WA 6014 – property profile with price history", Domain, Domain Holdings Australia, retrieved 31 March 2019
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