Monographs - Books

Jennifer Taylor Tall Buildings: Australian Business Going Up 1945-1970

An excellent resource that puts the entire Mid-Century era into a specifically Australian context and features a chapter each on two very important buildings in this style in Melbourne: ICI House and BHP House.

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Karen McCartney 50/60/70 Iconic Australian Houses

A coffee table book of short descriptive essays and lavish colour photographs that focus on fifteen Australian modernist houses from the 1950s to the 1970s, including houses by Robin Boyd and Roy Grounds.

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Norman Day Heroic Melbourne: Architecture of the 1950's

A short colour volume that serves as an introduction to Melbourne architecture of the 1950's. While the book is quite old (1995) it provides a succinct and focused introduction to the topic.

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Philip Goad Melbourne Architecture

This book traces the history of Melbourne architecture from 1835 to the present, by examining the most significant buildings of various periods. It features two chapters that are relevant for those interested in modernist architecture, ‘Postwar Recovery (1945 – 1955)’ and ‘The Contemporary City (1955 – 1970)’.

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G. Wilson & P. Sands Building a city: 100 years of Melbourne Architecture

This book is intended as an historical record of 100 years of Melbourne architecture, and although the 100 years mainly focuses on pre World War II, it does  include several relevant decades.  Very much a historical text, it gives detailed building plans for Melbourne and the outcomes of such plans.  This book is ideal for someone interested in both the history of Melbourne and its architecture. 

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P. Bingham-Hall Austral Eden: 200 years of Australian Architecture

This book looks at what the author classes as the best Australian architecture in the last 200 years.  There are many photographs covering architecture from settlement to the present day.  Again, far more broad than mid century Melbourne, but a relevant resource none the less.

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R. Apperly, P.L. Reynolds & R. Irving A pictorial guide to identifying Australian Architecture: styles and terms from 1788 to present

Details the different architectural styles used in Australia from 1788.  The book is broken up into six sections, the most relevant section for us being Post-War Period c. 1940-1960.  This period is presented in four different ways including a descriptive essay with photographs, a variety of photographs looking at buildings from across the country, more detailed photographs with emphasis on the aspects of the building relating to the relevant style,  and finally a summary of the building’s design and construction.  Again, this book is not exclusively about Melbourne, but does contain several  buildings of relevance.

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