Latest news with #Lowline
The Age
02-05-2025
- Business
- The Age
Adam wanted a funky mid-century Sydney home. All he paid was stamp duty
More than 50 years ago, the company's founders warned that those who bought their houses often had random strangers and passing motorists stopping to ask if their homes were for sale. That's pretty much what Adam Stewart did about 20 years ago. Like the 2100 active fans on a Facebook page for owners and friends, many of those Stewart visited were deep in the 1960s and '70s groove. One owner had 'jazz by Miles Davis blaring' and welcomed him into a home lit with original bright-coloured Planet lamps, with price tags still on. It would take a few more Sunday night visits before the Stewarts got lucky and spotted a P+S split-level – a sought-after Mark 1, Model F, circa 1970 by architect Ken Woolley – the original owner had bought off the plan. The owner was recently widowed and looking to downsize, and asked Stewart about his townhouse. When Stewart replied that his home required no maintenance, the man suggested a swap. He gave the Stewarts a long list of itemised repair jobs, with estimated costs, that needed to be done. No money changed hands, though the Stewarts paid the man's stamp duty. Kathryn Franco, a former Lowline owner, is writing a book on the company's history featuring surviving homes, including the Stewarts'. 'The cursory paragraph in architecture books just doesn't do justice to the history and enjoyment we all derive from P+S' legacy,' she wrote on the Facebook page. Franco said the company had been focused on bringing architect-designed housing to young professionals and the middle classes: 'Even then, having an architect design your house was beyond the reach of most people.' She estimates 500 of the 3500 P+S houses built have been demolished. That includes the Wahroonga home where Colin Sevitt, son of Ron, grew up. It was bulldozed to make way for a much larger home. Colin Sevitt said his father's company made project homes affordable and attractive by identifying and recruiting young, talented architects who would go on to win awards. Another innovation was its Mad Men -style advertising by Rogers Holland and Everingham, featuring banter between the two owners, that generated so much interest in its display homes that traffic jams were reported in 1962 and 1964. The first two models were by Ken Woolley and Michael Dysart, influential architects of the era who also worked in the NSW Government Architects Branch. Loading The original Split Level and Lowline models were sold from 1962. Over the next 17 years, Woolley designed 18 models plus multiple versions of the Split Level Mark I, Mark II, Mark III, and several versions of the Lowline and a Courtyard house. Architects Harry Seidler, Russell Jack and Neil Clerehan designed some later models. After visiting Stewart's home, Sevitt said his father would have been proud and heartened to see the resurgence in interest in mid-century modernism since his death in 1997. 'It's a wonderful thing,' he said. When the company began, Pettit+Sevitt said in a perfect world every Australian family would live in an architect-designed home tailored to their needs. To come close to the ideal, Sevitt said: 'The architects would have meetings, one-on-one with the customer, so they were able to vary the standard designs to a point.' Over time, the homes had 'become valuable to people who appreciate good design and mid-century modernism', he said. That's true of the Stewarts. Their home showcases the mid-century modern and Danish furniture Adam's company, Modanest, makes and restores. Like the P+S models of the past, the NSW government is putting together a pattern book of designs by architects that would get fast-track approval.
Sydney Morning Herald
02-05-2025
- Business
- Sydney Morning Herald
Adam wanted a funky mid-century Sydney home. All he paid was stamp duty
More than 50 years ago, the company's founders warned that those who bought their houses often had random strangers and passing motorists stopping to ask if their homes were for sale. That's pretty much what Adam Stewart did about 20 years ago. Like the 2100 active fans on a Facebook page for owners and friends, many of those Stewart visited were deep in the 1960s and '70s groove. One owner had 'jazz by Miles Davis blaring' and welcomed him into a home lit with original bright-coloured Planet lamps, with price tags still on. It would take a few more Sunday night visits before the Stewarts got lucky and spotted a P+S split-level – a sought-after Mark 1, Model F, circa 1970 by architect Ken Woolley – the original owner had bought off the plan. The owner was recently widowed and looking to downsize, and asked Stewart about his townhouse. When Stewart replied that his home required no maintenance, the man suggested a swap. He gave the Stewarts a long list of itemised repair jobs, with estimated costs, that needed to be done. No money changed hands, though the Stewarts paid the man's stamp duty. Kathryn Franco, a former Lowline owner, is writing a book on the company's history featuring surviving homes, including the Stewarts'. 'The cursory paragraph in architecture books just doesn't do justice to the history and enjoyment we all derive from P+S' legacy,' she wrote on the Facebook page. Franco said the company had been focused on bringing architect-designed housing to young professionals and the middle classes: 'Even then, having an architect design your house was beyond the reach of most people.' She estimates 500 of the 3500 P+S houses built have been demolished. That includes the Wahroonga home where Colin Sevitt, son of Ron, grew up. It was bulldozed to make way for a much larger home. Colin Sevitt said his father's company made project homes affordable and attractive by identifying and recruiting young, talented architects who would go on to win awards. Another innovation was its Mad Men -style advertising by Rogers Holland and Everingham, featuring banter between the two owners, that generated so much interest in its display homes that traffic jams were reported in 1962 and 1964. The first two models were by Ken Woolley and Michael Dysart, influential architects of the era who also worked in the NSW Government Architects Branch. Loading The original Split Level and Lowline models were sold from 1962. Over the next 17 years, Woolley designed 18 models plus multiple versions of the Split Level Mark I, Mark II, Mark III, and several versions of the Lowline and a Courtyard house. Architects Harry Seidler, Russell Jack and Neil Clerehan designed some later models. After visiting Stewart's home, Sevitt said his father would have been proud and heartened to see the resurgence in interest in mid-century modernism since his death in 1997. 'It's a wonderful thing,' he said. When the company began, Pettit+Sevitt said in a perfect world every Australian family would live in an architect-designed home tailored to their needs. To come close to the ideal, Sevitt said: 'The architects would have meetings, one-on-one with the customer, so they were able to vary the standard designs to a point.' Over time, the homes had 'become valuable to people who appreciate good design and mid-century modernism', he said. That's true of the Stewarts. Their home showcases the mid-century modern and Danish furniture Adam's company, Modanest, makes and restores. Like the P+S models of the past, the NSW government is putting together a pattern book of designs by architects that would get fast-track approval.
Yahoo
25-04-2025
- General
- Yahoo
City of Charleston hosts public input meeting about Lowcountry Lowline project
CHARLESTON COUNTY, S.C. (WCBD)—On Thursday, the city of Charleston and the nonprofit Friends of the Lowcountry Lowline hosted a community input meeting to showcase renderings of what they expect the Lowline project to be. Officials discussed the first phase of the project, the North Central Corridor, which will include a bike and walking trail and green space, and a part of it is something officials say they believe will help bring the communities together. 'Each of these neighborhoods is a little different, and so we are thinking about, in addition to creating a wonderful bike and walking path, creating small gathering spaces for the folks that live in the neighborhoods where they can come together to get to know each other,' said Scott Parker, a senior partner with design works. Stakeholders said that the project should hold cultural significance in addition to improving mobility and providing more green space. 'One of the first things I would like to see is some representation of the history that created Charleston, and I know this lowline will present some of that. Many different ethnic groups came together to create Charleston,' said Barney Blakeney, a Friends of the Lowcountry Lowline board member. City officials said they hope to begin breaking ground at the beginning of fall 2025. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
