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An Artistic Union: Marion Mahony and Walter Burley Griffin

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An Artistic Union: Marion Mahony and Walter Burley Griffin An Artistic Union: Marion Mahony and Walter Burley Griffin "I have planned a city that is not like any other in the world. I have planned it not in a way that I expected any government authorities in the world would accept. I have planned an ideal city - a city that meets my ideal of the city of the future." Walter Burley Griffin, New York Times, Sunday, June 2, 1912 While many of Wright’s former Studio staff forged successful independent careers both locally and nationally, it was Marion Mahony and her husband Walter Burley Griffin whose creative vision was most expansive. With projects ranging in scale from furniture and fixtures to the design of entire towns and cities, the Griffins contributed to the architectural landscape of three continents. Married in 1911, their partnership was a personal and professional union based on mutual respect and shared philosophies. Each partner’s talents strengthened and enhanced the other’s work, resulting in a rich legacy of architecture and design. Chicago, 1894 - 1914 Heavily influenced by the principles of Louis Sullivan, Walter Burley Griffin sought to create a modern architecture unfettered by historical styles and in harmony with man and nature. Following his departure from Wright’s Studio in 1906, Griffin established his own practice at Chicago’s Steinway Hall, a hub for progressive architects and designers. He completed more than 130 independent commissions in the United States, the majority of which were built in the Midwest. In 1911, Marion Mahony joined Griffin’s practice as office manager. Her skill in rendering, drafting and detailing enhanced the firm’s reputation. The crowning achievement of the Griffins’ work in America is Rock Crest-Rock Glen (1912), in Mason City, Iowa. The project transformed a rocky creek valley into a landscaped residential community conceived in harmony with the natural surroundings. The site includes one of Griffin’s most striking buildings, the Joshua Melson house. Clad in rough-hewn stone and concrete, the residence emerges dramatically from the rock face, appearing as part of the natural creek wall. The building stands as one of the great works of early American modernism. Australia, 1914 - 1935 The Griffins’ careers would be irrevocably altered by their decision in 1911 to enter an international competition to design the Australian capital, Canberra. Walter Burley Griffin’s winning design envisioned a garden city of wide boulevards and landscaped suburbs sensitively integrated into the Australian landscape. Griffin’s success was undoubtedly influenced by Mahony’s remarkable presentation drawings, executed on cloth and highlighted in gold leaf. In 1914 the Griffins left the United States for Australia, where they would spend the next 20 years. While their Canberra plan was never fully realized due to bureaucratic constraints, their architectural partnership produced over 250 project designs in Australia. Their major commissions included: Newman College at Melbourne University (1915–1917), Café Australia (1915, now demolished), Capitol House, an office building with theatre (1921), and the planned community of Castlecrag (1920 – 1935). India, 1935 - 1937 With the onset of the Great Depression in the 1930s commissions became increasingly scarce. In search of work, Griffin accepted a commission to design a new library at the University of Lucknow, India. Departing in October of 1935, Griffin soon established a flourishing practice in India. Mahony joined him the following year to supervise and train the drafting staff. Inspired by India’s rich architectural heritage, the Griffins approached their work with renewed vigor. This period of intense creativity was tragically cut short by Griffin’s sudden death in 1937 at the age of 60. After closing their office, Mahony ultimately returned to America in 1938 where she lived into her nineties. Over a period of 11 years she completed a four-volume record of her life with Griffin, dedicated to his work and memory, “The Magic of America.” Marion Mahony, Rock Crest-Rock Glen: Perspective Rendering, c. 1912 Lithograph and gouache on green satin 59 x 201 cm, 1988.182 Art Institute of Chicago Walter Burley Griffin, Joshua Melson House, 1912, Rock Crest-Rock Glen, Mason City, IA, HABS IOWA, 17-MASCIT, 1, Library of Congress Marion Mahony, Commonwealth of Australia Federal Capital competition: City and Environs, 1911, Watercolor, 152 x 76 cm. National Archives of Australia Marion Mahony, Commonwealth of Australia Federal Capital competition: View from the summit of Mount Ainslie, 1911 Watercolor in three parts, together 76 x 305 cm. National Archives of Australia Main dining hall of Café Australia with balcony and mural, 1916–1919 National Library of Australia, Eric Milton Nicholls collection Panorama of Griffin houses in Castlecrag, Sydney, 1920s Walter Burley Griffin Society Inc. collection, courtesy Jock Jude Marion Mahony, Elevation of Lucknow University Library, second design, Lucknow, India, 1936. Ink and gouache on colored paper Avery Architectural and Fine Arts Library, Columbia University .
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