Blueprints of Brunswick: rare designs now at PROV

The Brunswick Library Plan Collection features stunning digitised architectural plans of Brunswick, Coburg, and Moonee Ponds’ built environment. These were designed by prominent architects of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The collection is now part of the State Archives and can be accessed online.

It’s a small but mighty collection, containing just six records:

• Plans showing proposed bridge over Moonee Ponds Creek
• Plan showing City of Brunswick Reverberatory Incinerator – proposed preheater
• Plan showing City of Brunswick Reverberatory Incinerator – battery type furnace
• Plan showing roads, streets, and section lines from Survey, Crown Grants and Plans of Subdivision in the Shire of Coburg
• Plan for the Borough of Coburg drawn from field notes of actual survey showing relative directions and widths of all streets, roads and rights of way
• Plans showing City of Brunswick Refuse Incinerator.

These plans were held by Brunswick Town Hall and the City of Brunswick Library prior to their transfer to Public Record Office Victoria. They were created between 1891 and 1934 by various contractors for the City of Brunswick, including renowned architect Walter Burley Griffin, the Reverberatory Incinerator and Engineering Company, and local engineer Evander McIver.  

Walter Burley Griffin (1876-1937)

American architect Walter Burley Griffin is best known in Australia for designing Canberra. Early in his career, he worked with Frank Lloyd Wright, America’s most famous architect. Griffin later moved to Australia with his wife Marion, who assisted with his designs for Canberra, country towns in NSW, and buildings in Sydney and Melbourne. 
His first Melbourne design project was the rear extension of Collins House in Little Collins Street. He then went on to design Café Australia, Palais de Danse, Palais Picture Theatre, the Capitol Theatre, and several residential properties. 
Throughout the 1930s, Griffin designed plans for incinerators alongside his business partner Eric Nicholls, for the Reverberatory Incinerator and Engineering Company. Their 1934 plans for the City of Brunswick Refuse Incinerator can be found within the Brunswick Library Plan Collection. 
 

The first page shows a west elevation and section plan, including the location of the battery furnace. The furnace and trimming floor plans appear at the bottom of the page. The second page includes the south and north elevations, along with the tipping floor plan. 

The Herald (12 October 1936) described the design as “modern,” yet “unusual,” with “an attractive exterior and interior which resembles the engine room of a liner.”

A year after completing this design, Griffin traveled to India to work in Lucknow. He died there of peritonitis in 1937, leaving a lasting legacy across Australian cities and towns.  

Evander McIver (1834-1902)

Evander McIver was an architect, engineer, and surveyor. Born in Scotland, he migrated to Brunswick, Australia, in 1864 at 30 years old. As a local resident, it is no surprise to find McIver’s name among the plans in this collection.  
His 1878 plan of Coburg’s roads, streets, and section lines bears his signature in the bottom right corner, beside the blue strands of Merri Creek. 
 

McIver also worked as a consulting engineer for Essendon, Flemington, Kensington and North Melbourne. He completed many bridges and churches across these suburbs. 

The North Melbourne Advertiser (7 January 1888) applauded his design of the Kew Presbyterian Church, stating: '

“This gentleman has made a handsome building from an elegant design, the details of which have been carried out to perfection.” 

Evander McIver died in 1902 at his Brunswick home. 

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Browse the Brunswick Library Plan Collection records now.