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Alfred Newman (architect)

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Alfred G Newman – Architect
Lauriston, Strathfield
Born(1875-01-18)18 January 1875
South Australia[2]
Died18 January 1921(1921-01-18) (aged 46)
New South Wales[3]
NationalityAustralian
OccupationArchitect
Projects15 Methodist Churches throughout NSW
DesignThe Tower Wing MLC School[1]

Alfred Gambier Newman (18 January 1875 – 18 January 1921) was an Australian architect active in the first 20 years of the 20th century. He designed significant work for both the Methodist Church[4] and the Newman[5] and Vickery[6] families.

Early life

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Newman was born in Mount Gambier, South Australia, one of eight children of Emma Ann (née Fisher) and the Rev. Charles Thomas Newman. He was educated at Prince Alfred College (PAC), Adelaide (1887–1890) where his art master was James Ashton.[7] After leaving PAC, Newman studied art and design at the South Australian School of Art.[8] In 1896 his mother died in Kapunda.[9] In 1900 his father married Elizabeth Vickery,[10] the daughter of Ebenezer Vickery, merging two prominent Methodist families.

Architect

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Newman was articled to architect Frederick William Dancker. He then worked as an architect in Adelaide and became an Associate of the South Australian Institute of Architects in 1898. He advertised in The Advertiser as "Alfred G Newman A.S.A.I.A. Architect" of Augusta Street Glenelg, South Australia[11] and later in King William Street, Adelaide[12] before moving to Sydney in 1906. He resigned from the South Australian Roll of Architects in 1909.[13]

Marriage and family

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Newman and his wife lived at Ingleburn, Kingsland Road, Strathfield, and had three daughters,[14][15] one stillborn.[16] He died at home in Strathfield in 1921.[17]

Architectural commissions

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From the time Newman moved to Sydney he was a superintendent of the Sunday school at the Strathfield Methodist Church[18] and over a period of 15 years did a substantial amount of design work for the church. His buildings include:

Churches

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For the Church of Christ he designed:

  • Strathfield
    Strathfield
  • Young
    Young
  • Croydon
    Croydon
  • Manilla
    Manilla
  • Woodford
    Woodford
  • Dee Why
    Dee Why
  • Hurlstone Park
    Hurlstone Park

Church school halls

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Parsonages

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Commercial

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  • Shop and Residence (in front of Uniting Church Hall) 282-284 King Street, Newtown, New South Wales.[45]
  • Former Joseph Vickery & Co Building (1908 Scientology House) 201 Castlereagh Street, Sydney[46][47]

Schools

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  • The Tower Wing at MLC School (previously Methodist Ladies' College, Burwood,) was commenced in 1918 in a Tudor Gothic style to harmonise with the existing architecture of the school.[48]

Houses

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The following house designs are attributed to Newman:

  • Tiptree 1906 (later Eva Horden Red Cross Home, demolished 1954) Cnr Llandilo Avenue and Kingsland Road Strathfield, New South Wales, built for Newman's father, Rev. C T Newman, and his wife Elizabeth, a daughter of Ebenezer Vickery[49][50]
  • Lauriston 1907 (now Santa Maria Del Monte School) Cnr The Boulevarde and Margaret Street Strathfield, New South Wales, built for Amy Alfreda Vickery, a daughter of Ebenezer Vickery[51]
  • Ingleburn 1908 13–15 Kingsland Road Strathfield, built by Newman as his own home
  • Wych Hazel 1911 (demolished 2014) 30 Livingstone Street Burwood, New South Wales, built for Oswald Aubrey Parker and his wife Sylvia Jane, a granddaughter of Ebenezer Vickery[52]
  • Camden Lodge 1917 (burnt out 2012) 98–102 Burlington Road Homebush, New South Wales, built as Canlidgy for Robert Trevethan[53][54] In 2023 the front of the house is being restored with James Phillips of Weir and Philips[55] doing the heritage work and Litera Trotta architects designing the new two level rear wing with underground parking.[56]

Apartments

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Architectural legacy

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Dying at 46 years of age, Newman is not well known in historical or architectural circles in Sydney in the 2020s. His residential tour de force was Tiptree. It was an enormous mansion built for his stepmother and father in 1906 and demolished less than fifty years later for suburban subdivision. Tiptree is now the name of a cul de sac that was built on its substantial grounds.[58] The house Wych Hazel was demolished in 2014 and the house Camden Lodge was burnt down in 2012. Camden Lodge is being rebuilt as the local council refused to let the owner demolish its burnt out shell.[59] Only a portion of The Tower Wing at MLC School remains and was restored in 2024. Most of his Methodist churches remain as Uniting churches after church Union in 1977 but the Woodford Methodist Church is now abandoned. The Epping Methodist Church was demolished for high rise development. Thirty timber pews from the church found a new home in a Wesleyan Church in Tonga. Several windows were used in Uniting Church aged-care facilities in Leichhardt and Narellan. A panelled stained-glass window depicting the Last Supper is still yet to find a new home sensitive to its Christian imagery. The developer of the new residential tower recycled church materials including the foundation stone from 1905. Bricks and stones have been used in the two-storey podium balconies at the front of the new building. A heritage area dedicated to the church features in the development’s piazza but doesn’t mention Newman who designed it.[60] His Church of Christ in Marrickville has been demolished after being empty for many years and a million dollars spent in an effort to have it removed for low cost inner city housing.[61] The former Joseph Vickery & Co Building in Sydney is now a well restored office building housing the Church of Scientology rather than a mainstream Christian denomination. Newman’s design for a Temperance Hall has been redeveloped as a luxury apartment block and is named in honour of Frederic Chelmsford, a former Governor of NSW.

References

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  1. ^ "BUILDINGS AND WORKS. METHODIST LADIES' COLLEGE". The Sydney Morning Herald. National Library of Australia. 21 August 1918. p. 9. Retrieved 27 August 2012.
  2. ^ Genealogy SA. Retrieved 27 August 2012.
  3. ^ BD&M NSW. Retrieved 27 August 2012.
  4. ^ "BUILDINGS AND WORKS". The Sydney Morning Herald. National Library of Australia. 16 August 1910. p. 10. Retrieved 27 August 2012.
  5. ^ Strathfield Heritage – Tiptree
  6. ^ Strathfield Heritage – Lauriston
  7. ^ "Art Examinations". The Advertiser. Adelaide: National Library of Australia. 21 May 1890. p. 7. Retrieved 27 August 2012.
  8. ^ "LOCAL ART AND SCIENCE EXAMINATIONS". South Australian Register. Adelaide: National Library of Australia. 18 June 1895. p. 7. Retrieved 27 August 2012.
  9. ^ Genealogy SA Retrieved 27 August 2012.
  10. ^ BD&M NSW Archived 14 February 2015 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 27 August 2012.
  11. ^ "Advertising". The Advertiser. Adelaide: National Library of Australia. 14 February 1905. p. 2. Retrieved 27 August 2012.
  12. ^ "Advertising". The Advertiser. Adelaide: National Library of Australia. 24 August 1905. p. 2. Retrieved 27 August 2012.
  13. ^ SAIA Roll Book – Member No. 44 (Adelaide)
  14. ^ "Family Notices". The Sydney Morning Herald. National Library of Australia. 29 July 1916. p. 12. Retrieved 27 August 2012.
  15. ^ "Family Notices". The Sydney Morning Herald. National Library of Australia. 27 December 1919. p. 8. Retrieved 27 August 2012.
  16. ^ "Family Notices". The Sydney Morning Herald. National Library of Australia. 18 December 1914. p. 8. Retrieved 27 August 2012.
  17. ^ "CONCERNING PEOPLE". The Register. Adelaide: National Library of Australia. 20 January 1921. p. 6. Retrieved 30 August 2012.
  18. ^ "PERSONAL". The Sydney Morning Herald. National Library of Australia. 13 March 1914. p. 8. Retrieved 27 August 2012.
  19. ^ Heritage Branch Website – Auburn Uniting Church. Retrieved 31 August 2012.
  20. ^ "TENDERS". The Sydney Morning Herald. National Library of Australia. 17 March 1914. p. 5. Retrieved 31 August 2012.
  21. ^ "TENDERS". The Sydney Morning Herald. National Library of Australia. 3 November 1914. p. 4. Retrieved 31 August 2012.
  22. ^ Heritage Branch Website – Blackheath Uniting Church. Retrieved 31 August 2012.
  23. ^ "TENDERS". The Sydney Morning Herald. National Library of Australia. 6 October 1920. p. 8. Retrieved 31 August 2012.
  24. ^ "TENDERS". The Sydney Morning Herald. National Library of Australia. 1 September 1914. p. 6. Retrieved 31 August 2012.
  25. ^ Hurlstone Park Heritage Assessment Study Retrieved 16 June 2019.
  26. ^ "GENERAL NOTES". The Sydney Morning Herald. National Library of Australia. 17 September 1907. p. 10. Retrieved 31 August 2012.
  27. ^ "CONTRACTS". The Sydney Morning Herald. National Library of Australia. 16 August 1910. p. 10. Retrieved 31 August 2012.
  28. ^ Heritage Branch Website – Manilla Uniting Church. Retrieved 31 August 2012.
  29. ^ "TENDERS". The Sydney Morning Herald. National Library of Australia. 23 October 1918. p. 9. Retrieved 31 August 2012.
  30. ^ "TENDERS". The Sydney Morning Herald. National Library of Australia. 27 June 1916. p. 5. Retrieved 31 August 2012.
  31. ^ Heritage Branch Website – Carrington Avenue Uniting Church. Retrieved 31 August 2012.
  32. ^ "TENDERS". The Sydney Morning Herald. National Library of Australia. 7 October 1919. p. 5. Retrieved 31 August 2012.
  33. ^ "GENERAL NOTES". The Sydney Morning Herald. National Library of Australia. 16 February 1909. p. 4. Retrieved 31 August 2012.
  34. ^ "BUILDINGS AND WORKS". The Sydney Morning Herald. National Library of Australia. 10 December 1907. p. 4. Retrieved 31 August 2012.
  35. ^ "TENDERS". The Sydney Morning Herald. National Library of Australia. 26 May 1920. p. 8. Retrieved 31 August 2012.
  36. ^ Heritage Branch Website – Woodford Uniting Church. Retrieved 31 August 2012.
  37. ^ "CONTRACTS". The Sydney Morning Herald. National Library of Australia. 16 August 1910. p. 10. Retrieved 31 August 2012.
  38. ^ "GENERAL NOTES". The Sydney Morning Herald. National Library of Australia. 25 July 1911. p. 14. Retrieved 31 August 2012.
  39. ^ The Church of Christ, Illawarra Road: why it’s important Retrieved 5 December 2020.
  40. ^ "TENDERS". The Sydney Morning Herald. National Library of Australia. 1 August 1916. p. 3. Retrieved 31 August 2012.
  41. ^ "TENDERS". The Sydney Morning Herald. National Library of Australia. 5 February 1919. p. 11. Retrieved 31 August 2012.
  42. ^ "CONTRACTS". The Sydney Morning Herald. National Library of Australia. 1 August 1911. p. 11. Retrieved 31 August 2012.
  43. ^ "GENERAL NOTES". The Sydney Morning Herald. National Library of Australia. 19 November 1907. p. 3. Retrieved 31 August 2012.
  44. ^ Heritage Branch Website – Woodford House. Retrieved 31 August 2012.
  45. ^ Heritage Branch Website – Federation Shop and Residence. Retrieved 31 August 2012.
  46. ^ Heritage Branch Website – Joseph Vickery & Co, C.e.n.e.f. Memorial Centre, Scientology House Retrieved 16 June 2019.
  47. ^ 201 Castlereagh Street, or The Church of Scientology, restored Retrieved 16 June 2019.
  48. ^ Royal Australian Institute of Architects.; Institute of Architects of New South Wales.; Board of Architects of New South Wales. (1917), "43 v. : ill. ; 28 cm.", Architecture : an Australasian review of architecture and the allied arts and sciences., Sydney: Atkins, McQuitty Ltd, nla.obj-3000824696, retrieved 27 July 2023 – via Trove
  49. ^ Strathfield Heritage Retrieved 16 June 2019.
  50. ^ "EVA HORDERN HOME FOR T.B." The Land. No. 1910. New South Wales, Australia. 18 June 1948. p. 22. Retrieved 16 June 2019 – via National Library of Australia.
  51. ^ Strathfield Heritage Retrieved 16 June 2019.
  52. ^ Wych Hazel Retrieved 16 June 2019.
  53. ^ NSW Office of Environment & Heritage Retrieved 16 June 2019.
  54. ^ Camden Lodge Retrieved 16 June 2019.
  55. ^ Heritage and Planning Retrieved 5 May 2023.
  56. ^ Litera Trotta Homebush House Retrieved 5 Nay 2023.
  57. ^ Former Temperance Hall in Balmain transformed into luxury apartments Retrieved 29 August 2022.
  58. ^ ‘TIPTREE’, HOME OF NEWMAN FAMILY AT STRATHFIELD Retrieved 9 August 2023.
  59. ^ Heritage-listed mansion gutted by suspicious fire Retrieved 9 August 2023.
  60. ^ Pews and stained glass from demolished Epping church will find new lease of life Retrieved 9 August 2023.
  61. ^ Save Marrickville Retrieved 9 August 2023.
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