Housing History

In the 1950s Australian housing was beginning to be modernized. The idea of open-planning was first realized but houses were too small for the idea to have any impact. Most houses were made of just wood, metal and glass, some of the really modern houses also used bricks.

Roofing in 1950s homes was very different from today. Cement tiles were not used and ceilings were the same height through out the house making the roof structure very simple. Roofs were all low pitched; any above moderate slope was considered hideous. Often roofs contained no points or vertices and the roof’s eaves would extend much further away from the house then they would today.

In the 1950’s there were 3 main different types of houses. The Rose Seidler House, the L-Shaped and the Triple Front.

The Rose Seidler House

The Rose Seidler House was the first design by Harry Seidler. It was finished in 1950 for his parents to live in, which they did for 17 years. It is next to a national park and 2 other Seidler houses. The house was basically a cube with windows and a few walls.

The house used lots of windows. Compared with other houses of the time it was a glass house. Every room in the house had a view, except for the bathroom. The windows would only start from about waist height instead of from the ground like a lot of windows do today.

The house was very expansive, mainly because it was based around a kitchen which was the most expansive part of houses in the 1950s. After the Rose Seidler House Harry Seidler went on to build many other similar designs which made him internationally famous.

The L-Shaped

The L-shaped house was almost the same as the houses in the 1930s but with an L-shaped floor plan. It also normally had fences facing the front of the house. This was the last variation of 1930s housing. The style lasted till nearly the end of the 1950s and can not be seen today except for in rural areas.

The Triple Front

The triple front house became popular in the early 1950s and remained popular until the end of the 60s, although some houses today have kept some of the main features. The main difference between the triple front and other houses was the 3 or more front facing walls.

Since the house had multiply fronts the front door was often placed on the side within one of the alcoves. You would not be able to see the front door from a front angle.

The roof of the house was very steep compared to houses of its time. The roof was also made of tiles which were not as common back then as they are today. Most of these houses were also brick. The walls and roofing of the house was very different in the 50s but became common at the end of the 60s.

The L-shaped house has not impacted modern housing but the triple front house and the Rose Seidler have almost combined to make modern houses. Big houses have only come into fashion in the 90s century and were not around in the 50s except for rich people who owned mansions.

Then: Houses were a place to sleep and could just squeeze in a family. Now: There central to human life and we’d all go crazy without them.