On 27 May 2012 it will be 100 years since the Chicago-based architect Walter Burley Griffin received a telegram with the news that he had won the design competition for the capital city of Australia. While some in Australia’s fledgling national bureaucracy thought this should be the end of the matter, it was just the starting point for Walter and his wife, the extraordinary Marion Mahony Griffin, who fought to be involved in the creation of their ideal city. While many elements of the Griffin vision are manifest today, the failure to pursue some aspects of the original concept has led to environmental challenges such as the alarmingly poor water quality in Lake Burley Griffin.
A less widely discussed aspect of the Griffins’ creative partnership was their celebration of the Australian landscape. Building on Louis Sullivan’s Prairie School principles, the Griffins approached urban planning as the art of creating a better society. Their designs were fuelled by their shared commitment to democratic principles, anthroposophy and social environmentalism. Above all, their approach celebrated the primacy of nature and Marion’s growing understanding of the beauty and diversity of Australian plants.
The Griffins were finally worn down by their battles with bureaucracy and a difficult economic climate. Walter and Marion left Australia for India, but within 18 months Walter died, leaving Marion determined to preserve the Griffin legacy.
