19 October 2018
The St Kilda Library was designed by Enrico Taglietti, and built 1971-73. Often called #Brutalist cos of the #offformconcrete, I’d say it’s really an interpretation of #FrankLloydWright, with all that horizontality and #batteredwalls, but it’s a great interpretation! Love the wacky angled gap/windows and the attention to detail.
Tagleitti was an Italian architect who came out in 1955 to do an Italian display at David Jones in Sydney, then set up practice in Canberra , where he has many built projects (notably the #DicksonLibrary ). So he sits with the other Australian FLW interpreters, but also the Italian tradition of being, you know, out there.
Facing south on a busy road it’s hard to photograph, and it made more of an impression originally when it had a large courtyard and the tall central skylight tower provided a vertical counterpoint. The courtyard was mostly infilled in 1994 by an extension by #AARMarchitecture, which has its own great bits. Mr Taglietti himself was less than impressed though, thought it totally disregarded the original and wondered why he hadn’t been consulted (enricotaglietti.com). Last two photos are the back, which is done in brick, which I spose was cheaper, but still looks great.
#StKildaLibrary book return was originally a set of floating platforms, it’s now a ramp, with stainless steel handrails, which is a pity, I think maybe I would have preferred it went to the extension, less intrusive, tho it’s fun to kind of interact with the building this way – love the cut into the wall base lip thing.
The inside of the #StKildaLibrary has some great bits, which I now realise are the former #offformconcrete external walls that ended up inside when the courtyard was filled in by the extensions of 1994 by #ARMarchitecure.
Open book in stone ? The main front of the 1994 extension to the #StKildaLibrary by #ARMarchitecture. I had to be told, I didn’t see it immediately. In fact it’s an odd book, curling out again, rather Baroque actually (as Richard Petersen pointed out in his essay for the #StKildaHistoricalSociety). I like it. Photos January 2025
Cuneiform
13 February 2025
Everyone’s favourite Brutalist library has been proposed to be added to the Victorian Heritage Register! Which is surprising since it’s not ‘original’. Canberra based architect Enrico Taglietti was commissioned to design it in 1970 after he’d done a library up there in Dickson, in his personal interpretation of Frank Lloyd Wright / organic, all long and low and concretey. Ours was finished in 1972, and was arranged about a courtyard entry, and the interior was notably open plan, flexible, and ‘all lightness and warmth’. Not to mention the great angly windows and doors. He also designed the furniture, some of which is still in place and would be part of the listing. It has this great grid of lights on a timber ceiling, it does feel nice (I’m there typing this seeing the cool change blow in on Carlisle Street). There’s also some cute coloured lamps for the children’s section. In 1994, an addition by @armarchitecture filled in the courtyard, with an open book made of bluestone (!), and some interesting stuff in the new ramped entry. They largely kept the previous external walls, turning the windows into openings, so now the foundation stone is inside. Pity about the lost fountain and seating, and the dramatic skylight once over the entry is now just over books. I always thought, why didn’t they extend out the back ?(Sems they’ve cleaned the fascia since my 2019 pics)
Theres some sketches and early photos in the report. The listing is rather oddly put, since they have to use their criteria, and they decided that it didn’t have state level aesthetic significance, instead it’s only important as a landmark public library. Go figure.
Storey of Melbourne 