In the early 1960s, Mr and Mrs Eisenmenger commissioned Brisbane-based architect Barry Walduck to design a small house on a sloping corner plot in Carina, with “as much space as possible in the living and dining room area” to be able to do “a fair amount of entertaining”.
Walduck designed a T-shaped home, with the living areas on the ground floor in the long stroke of the ‘T’ and the bedrooms lined up along the letter’s short arm, four steps higher than the lower level. The living area, dining room and kitchen were all part of one big space, which could be overlooked from the elevated passageway providing access to the bedrooms. A large timber beam running across the ceiling was left exposed to mark the divide between the living and dining sections. The house was constructed entirely of white-painted bricks, chamferboard and glass, which gave the building brightness and lightness that Walduck admired in the Californian Case Study Houses.
Extract: Page 142 from: Hot Modernism Queensland Architecture 1945-1975
Edited by: John Macarthur, Deborah van der Plaat, Janina Gosseye, Andrew Wilson
Discover this slice of Brisbane’s history, during Brisbane Open House.
Tour Information
Frequency of Guided Tours: Tours at: 9am, 10am, 11am, 1pm, 2pm, 3pm
Tour Tips
Not suitable for children
Wheelchair access
No
Awards
Recent Architectural or Engineering Awards: Eisenmenger House has been featured in TV commercials and Grand Designs Australia.