Queensland House Designs, 1930 to 1940
Continuing the collection of Queensland House Design catalogues, this page includes publications from 1930 through to 1940.
Please note that this page contains several large embedded documents, give it a minute or two to load before you scroll down. If a particular document fails to load, just press the "refresh" button on your browser and try again. This page is best viewed on a desktop monitor.
I do not own the copyright to these publications. Most of the documents have been sourced from on-line repositories and are freely available in the public domain. They are published here solely to benefit local historical research and promote the conservation of our shared built heritage.
Campbell & Sons "Redicut" Homes, 193X
A booklet of Campbell & Sons “Redicut Homes” from the 1930s. This collection contains a range of contemporary 30s designs as well as more traditional patterns that would have been equally at home in the 1920s and earlier. Also included are internal and external colour charts, joinery options, built-in furniture and a range of technical specifications. A real treasure of information and illustrations.
​
The booklet was generously shared from the private collection of Tony Sherwood.
The State Advances Corporation, 1935
The State Advances Corporation released this collection in 1935. The high-set vernacular styles of the previous decade still prevail, albeit in less elaborate forms following the depression years. We are also introduced to some low-set timber hybrids, Mediterranean and Spanish Californian inspired brick designs.
This document was digitised by the National Library of Australia and is available here.
The State Advances Corporation, 193X
A collection of interior and exterior photos of what is almost certainly worker's dwellings funded by the State Advances Corporation in the 1930s. The reverse sides have been included, containing information on owners, addresses and costs. The photos were generously shared from the private collection of John Stevens.
Brick Supplies Pty Ltd, 1935
This marketing brochure by the Brisbane-based "Brick Supplies Pty Ltd" is dated 1935. The Queenslander style is substituted by international designs suitable for brick construction, including Californian bungalows, old English and modernist designs.
This document was digitised by the State Library of Queensland and is available here.
Queensland Bungalows, Coutts, 1937
J. V. D Coutts was a prominent Brisbane architect during the early to mid 1900s. This catalogue, a fourth edition published in 1937, was as marketing publication. The designs are more substantial than the standard worker's dwellings and many are two-storied. Again we see the 1930's move away from the high-set vernacular styles and the adoption of hybrid, international and modernist forms.
This document was digitized by the State Library of Queensland and is available here.
State Advances Corporation, 1938
This 1938 edition of the State Advances catalogue shows a continued retreat of the traditional styles in favour of hybrid and conventional designs.
Many thanks to Drew Schmidt for sharing this collection.
The Home Building Publishing Company, 1939
This compendium was published by the Home Building Publishing Company in 1939. The designs cover a wide selection from high-set early century-style bungalows to 1920's multi-gable, transverse gables and modernist forms. We also see some early examples of the conventional style that came to dominate after WW2. The collection is a good reminder of the substantial overlap of design styles across the decades, and the need for caution when attempting to date a house by its design only.
This document was digitised by the State Library of Queensland and is available here.
For the authoritative overview of the evolution of Queenland worker's dwellings I highly recommend Judy Gale Rechner's seminal work "Brisbane House Styles 1880 to 1940, a Guide to the Affordable Home", 1998. The book is available from the Brisbane History Group at http://www.brisbanehistory.asn.au/