The last residential commission completed in Australia by American architect Walter Burley Griffin before he departed for India in 1935 has been listed for sale. The six-bedroom Pymble home, known as Juniper Green, is on the market with an auction guide of $9.5 million to $10.45 million. It forms part of a double project commissioned by brothers David and Eric Pratten, and the other home, Coppins, is also for sale with a $17 million guide.
Juniper Green was built around 1935 in the Prairie School style, known for its horizontal emphasis, open floor plans and natural materials. Features include parquetry floors, chandeliers, a banquet hall, a games room with a bar, and a pool and poolhouse.
The current vendor is Kelvin Sherwood, founder of Air Brake Corporation, who records show purchased the home for $2.4 million in 1999 with his late wife, Mary. He is retired and downsizing.
The sibling property, Coppins, was designed for Eric Pratten. The six-bedroom, five-bathroom estate has been restored by its current owners, former Bank of Queensland and Humm CEO Stuart Grimshaw and his wife Annalise, who records show bought it in 2020 for $13 million and carried out a lavish renovation. It is being marketed with a $17 million price guide.
Nick Muzha and Andres Jaramillo of Belle Property North Shore are handling the sale of Juniper Green alongside Aaron Del Monte of LJ Hooker Double Bay. Glenn Curran, Amelia Deer and Patrick Cao of The Agency are selling Coppins.
Analysis
Why This Matters
- The listing of Juniper Green offers a rare chance to own a final Australian work by the architect who designed Canberra’s layout and championed the Prairie School style.
- The simultaneous sale of both Pratten brothers’ Griffin houses is a coincidental event that may draw interest from architectural heritage buyers.
- The price guides in the millions reflect sustained demand for historically significant homes in the upper Sydney market.
Background
Walter Burley Griffin was an American architect and landscape architect who, with his wife Marion Mahony Griffin, won the design competition for Australia’s national capital in 1912. He moved to Australia to oversee construction and designed many houses and buildings in the Prairie School style. He left Australia for India in 1935, and Juniper Green was his last completed residential commission in the country. The two Pymble houses were commissioned by brothers David and Eric Pratten, with their father providing the land.
What to Watch
- The result of the auction for Juniper Green and whether it exceeds the top end of the guide.
- Whether Coppins attracts a buyer at the $17 million guide, and who the buyer turns out to be.
- Any interest from heritage bodies or institutions in preserving the pair as intact examples of Griffin’s domestic work.
Checked
12 claims in this story checked against 1 source: 12 supported.
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- SupportedGriffin’s final completed Australian residential commission is listed in Pymble.Sydney Morning Herald - Latest News: “The final residential commission in Australia completed by late American architect Walter Burley Griffin before he left for India in 1935 has hit the market”
- SupportedJuniper Green is one of two Griffin-designed homes on the same Pymble street, and its guide is $9.5 million to $10.45 million.Sydney Morning Herald - Latest News: “Juniper Green, the six-bedroom, six-bathroom house was part of a double project for Griffin as he was commissioned to design two properties on a dress circle street in Pymble for brothers David and Eric Pratten .”
- SupportedGriffin left for India in 1935.Sydney Morning Herald - Latest News: “before he left for India in 1935”
- SupportedJuniper Green has six bedrooms.Sydney Morning Herald - Latest News: “Called Juniper Green, the six-bedroom, six-bathroom house”
- SupportedJuniper Green has an auction guide of $9.5 million to $10.45 million.Sydney Morning Herald - Latest News: “has hit the market with an auction guide of $9.5 million to $10.45 million.”
- SupportedBrothers David and Eric Pratten commissioned Griffin’s double project.Sydney Morning Herald - Latest News: “he was commissioned to design two properties on a dress circle street in Pymble for brothers David and Eric Pratten”
- SupportedCoppins, the other property in the pair, is also for sale with a $17 million guide.Sydney Morning Herald - Latest News: “the other property in the pair completed by Griffin, a home called Coppins that was designed for Eric Pratten, is also on the market with a price guide of $17 million.”
- SupportedJuniper Green was built around 1935 in the Prairie School style.Sydney Morning Herald - Latest News: “The home was built around 1935 and is of the Prairie School architectural style”
- SupportedKelvin Sherwood is Juniper Green’s current vendor, founder of Air Brake Corporation, and is retired and downsizing.Sydney Morning Herald - Latest News: “The current vendor is Kelvin Sherwood , founder of Air Brake Corporation”
- SupportedRecords show Sherwood and his late wife Mary bought Juniper Green for $2.4 million in 1999.Sydney Morning Herald - Latest News: “Records show he and his late wife, Mary, purchased the residence for $2.4 million in 1999.”
- SupportedCoppins is a restored six-bedroom, five-bathroom estate; its current owners are Stuart Grimshaw and his wife Annalise, and records show they bought it for $13 million in 2020 and carried out a renovation.Sydney Morning Herald - Latest News: “The current vendor of the restored six-bedroom, five-bathroom estate is Stuart Grimshaw , the former chief executive for both fintech company Humm and the Bank of Queensland, and his wife, Annalise . Records show the Grimshaws bought the property for $13 million in 2020”
- SupportedNick Muzha and Andres Jaramillo of Belle Property North Shore, alongside Aaron Del Monte of LJ Hooker Double Bay, are selling Juniper Green.Sydney Morning Herald - Latest News: “Nick Muzha and Andres Jaramillo of Belle Property North Shore are selling the home alongside Aaron Del Monte of LJ Hooker Double Bay.”