Glenn Murcutt-designed Ball-Eastaway house in Glenorie seeks heritage listing
Updated ,first published
It is the house that ignited many young students’ love of architecture and laid the foundations for Australian architect Glenn Murcutt to become the first and only Australian to win the prestigious Pritzker Prize in 2002.
But from the outside, Ball-Eastaway’s house is modest, drawing attention to the nearby Australian bush.
The house Murcutt designed 40 years ago for artist and teacher Lynne Eastaway and her former partner, the late abstract artist and acclaimed colourist Sydney Ball, will be added to the state heritage register on Friday, the NSW government announced on Tuesday.
NSW Heritage Minister Penny Sharpe said the house was a Murcutt design that was a landmark in Australian architecture and “perfectly captures the spirit of the bush”.
He said the listing “cements its place in our story, enabling future generations to learn and be inspired by it.”
Eastaway was relieved. “I’m so glad it happened, so when I leave I hope it’s in good hands. It’s indestructible.”
Many people fear that listing a house as heritage will reduce its sale price, but Eastaway’s aim was to preserve a slice of Australian cultural history. “I’m responsible for architecture and art history. It’s that simple.”
The Glenorie property in northwestern Sydney also includes two independent artist studios within a 10-hectare bush conservation area. The two-bedroom house is expected to be available within the next two months.
Eastaway has lived in the house for the past eight years, enjoying watching the little bush orchids bloom and die, swamp wallabies overcoming their shyness, and noticing how the light hits the bushes at different times of the day.
“You’re always looking into the woods,” Eastaway said. “It made me feel like I was a small dot in the totality of nature.”
Murcutt’s designs are best known for “touching lightly with the earth” and celebrating the Australian bush.
And the house seems to stand high above the ground. The location on the rocky ledge was chosen because it would protect the house from fire, minimally disturb native shrubs, and allow water to drain underneath.
Architect Daniel North, who nominated the house for the heritage list, said that the house is supported by 14 thin steel columns that will not leave any traces if moved.
“The site will look like there’s nothing here,” said North, who made repairs and updates to the home last year with his practice partner, architect Catherine Downie.
Downie said they pinched themselves when they got the job. “Glenn was the reason I wanted to be an architect,” North said.
Murcutt, 89, who visited the site last year, said: “I think it’s a better building now.”
Surrounded by shrubs, Murcutt’s design couldn’t be more different from the grand new homes nearby.
Viewed from the outside, it gives the visitor no clue about the artwork on the walls and the view of the bushes inside.
The house has two verandas, both without railings, designed for meditation purposes.
Eastaway met Ball at art school when she was 25; Ball was his art teacher and was almost 17 years his senior. They became lovers and lived at Glenorie’s house before breaking up, but remained lifelong friends.
Ball gave half of the house to Eastaway and left her half and some money to him when he died in 2017.
“I’d say, ‘Put it in your name, it’s your house,’ and he’d say, ‘No, no, it’ll all be yours,'” Eastaway said.
“Even though we broke up, it was very difficult to leave Syd.
“We were still good friends and there was a lot of loyalty between us. Even now I wonder, ‘What would he think?’ “I think.”
The house includes Ball’s extensive chamber music collection, as well as artwork by Ball and many other artists. The bookcase, which features a small Ball piece made from plastic cake bases, will likely be on display at the Shapiro auction. Other items will be donated to public galleries.
It is time for Eastaway to leave, as he fears he will fall into the rugged bush nearby. “I don’t have any children. I have nieces and nephews… I saw them deal with the death of their own parents and how hard it was to handle everything.”
The NSW government last year announced measures that will make owning and buying a historic home less burdensome, allaying fears that owning it would be expensive and time-consuming. These include no longer requiring approval from the NSW Heritage Council for the installation of solar panels, security, fire suppression and water systems.
Julie Power is senior reporter for The Sydney Morning Herald.Connect with: X or email.
