George Raymond Johnson

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George Raymond Johnson (7 February 1840 – 25 November 1898) was an architect who practiced in late 19th century Melbourne, Australia, known for designing numerous important buildings, especially town halls and theatres.

Biography[]

Johnson was born in Southgate, England (then a part of Middlesex) and at age 13 began working with George Hall, Midland Railway architect. At 19 he moved to London, presumably to continue his architectural career.[1] On 24 July 1862 he married Emma Louise Wood and, nine days later, the couple embarked on a journey of emigration to Queensland.[1] In 1867, Johnson moved to Melbourne, where he produced most of his major works. In 1898, while at sea on return to Melbourne from Perth, Western Australia, Johnson contracted sepsis, and died.[2]

Architectural works[]

Johnson is known today for the design of a number of town halls across Victoria, notably the impressive Collingwood Town Hall, probably the most elaborate of the grand towered Second Empire style town halls that characterised the boom years of Melbourne in the 1880s, but he achieved contemporary renown for his theatres in Melbourne, Sydney and Adelaide (perhaps as many as fifteen[3]), now all demolished.[1] Johnson's greatest contemporary acclaim came from his design for the extensive northern additions to Reed & Barnes's grand 1880 Exhibition Building for the Centennial Exhibition of 1888, removed soon after the Exhibition.[2]

Johnson's major works, notably all the town halls and the theatres, were Renaissance Revival in style, and its variations including Free Classical, Italianate, Second Empire or Mannerist.[1][2] Many were designed "with bold and rich character from Johnson's mannerist palette, an idiom in which he was a master."[2] Amongst his many smaller projects such as shops, houses and hotels, some are no doubt Gothic in character, but his largest project in this idiom was the first buildings for the Hospital for Incurables, now the Austin Hospital, (1881, demolished) which were Venetian Gothic in polychrome brick.[1]

A selection of Johnson's notable buildings are listed below. For a complete list of known works, see the database compiled by Johnson's descendant, architect Peter Johnson, included in Hannan (2006).[1]

Building Location Year Type Note
Prince of Wales Opera House Bourke Street, Melbourne, Victoria, 1872 theatre demolished 1900 Prince of Wales Opera House Interior.jpg
Eastern Arcade Bourke Street, Melbourne, Victoria 1872 retail modified 1894, demolished 2008[4] Eastern Arcade 1872.jpg
North Melbourne Town Hall North Melbourne, Victoria 1876 town hall Now Trading As Arts House North Melbourne Town Hall 2004-10-06.jpg
Theatre Royal, Adelaide Hindley Street, Adelaide 1878 theatre demolished 1962 Theatre Royal, Adelaide.jpg
Metropolitan Meat Market North Melbourne, Victoria 1880 commercial Now a performance and events venue

Trading as Meat Market

Metropolitan Meat Market 005.JPG
Austin Hospital for Incurables Heidelberg, Victoria 1882 other demolished c1970 Austin Hospital for Incurables.jpg
Cathedral Hotel (1882-3), Swanston Street, north east corner of Flinders Lane, Melbourne 1883 hotel demolished c1970
Daylesford Town Hall Daylesford, Victoria 1882 town hall DaylesfordTownHall.JPG
Collingwood Town Hall Collingwood, Victoria 1885 town hall Collingwood Town Hall.jpg
Criterion Theatre Cnr Pitt and Park Street, Sydney 1886 theatre demolished 1935 Criterion Theatre, Sydney, ca 1920.jpg
Centennial Exhibition Annexes to Exhibition Building Carlton, Victoria 1887 other demolished 1889 Melbourne Exhibition Building Annexes 1888.jpg
Northcote Town Hall Northcote, Victoria 1887 town hall Northcote Town Hall 01a.jpg
Fitzroy Town Hall additions Fitzroy, Victoria 1887 town hall Fitzroy Town Hall 01a.jpg
Maryborough Town Hall Maryborough, Victoria 1887 town hall MaryboroughTownHall2010.JPG
Bijou Theatre Bourke Street, Melbourne, Victoria 1889 theatre demolished 1934 Bijou Theatre, Melbourne.jpg
"Battle of Waterloo" Cyclorama 55 Victoria Parade, Fitzroy 1889 entertainment demolished 1927
Kilmore, Victoria 1894 town hall Kilmore Town Hall 2011.jpg
Theatre Royal (interior only)[5] Hay Street, Perth 1897 theatre interior now shops, exterior survives

References[]

  1. ^ a b c d e f Hannan, Bill (2006). Pride of Hotham. North Melbourne: Hotham History Project. ISBN 0-9586111-7-3.
  2. ^ a b c d Johnson, Peter. Johnson, George Raymond (1840–1898), Australian Dictionary of Biography, National Centre of Biography, Australian National University, accessed 16 August 2011.
  3. ^ Peterson, Richard (2005). "Edgewater Towers". A Place of Sensuous Resort: Buildings of St Kilda and Their People. St Kilda Historical Society.
  4. ^ Hamish Heard (10 September 2008). "Demolition anger". Melbourne Leader. Archived from the original on 5 October 2011. Retrieved 18 August 2011.
  5. ^ "OPENING OF THE THEATRE ROYAL. ' THE SILVER KING.' The West Australian (Perth, WA : 1879 - 1954) - 21 Apr 1897 - p3". Trove. Retrieved 29 October 2019.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
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