The Jack House
The design and layout of the Jack House challenged the conventional style of 1950s Australia. Oriented away from the street, the house embraces the natural landscape and has been described as robust, modest and unfussy.
Russell Jack studied building construction and freehand drawing by correspondence during his years in the Royal Australian Air Force. He graduated from Sydney Technical College and in 1952 gained experience working for architectural practices overseas. The Jack House was designed and built as his family home, winning the prestigious Sulman Award in 1957. Interior design expert, Annalisa Capurro, purchased the house in 2009 and is only the second owner of the house. She was proactive in listing the Jack House on the NSW State Heritage Register.
This house is modest and functional, it is human and nurturing, and has provided warmth and shelter to Jack and his family for 50 years.
Karen McCartney, 50/60/70 Iconic Australian Houses: three decades of domestic architecture
Gallery of photos
Details from the house designed by Russell Jack. Photographs by Michael Wee for the publication 50/60/70 Iconic Australian Houses: three decades of domestic architecture, by Karen McCartney.
Published on
Related
![View of the Australian Ballet 'The sleeping beauty (detail)' [right] and the Opera Australia 'Mariana Hong in Falstaff (detail) ' and the Sydney Symphony Orchestra 'People's choice concert (detail) [left] stairwell banners - The People's House marketing & installation photoshoot](https://images.slm.com.au/fotoweb/embed/2023/11/5fa6b34f18bd4d5b9b469a42a8ae591c.jpg)
Sydney Opera House: inspired design
Kieran Larkin, Senior 3D Designer at Museums of History NSW, talked to us about some of the highlights and challenges of designing the landmark exhibition The People’s House: Sydney Opera House at 50, on display at the Museum of Sydney until March 2024
The coolest room in the house
What practical techniques can we learn from historical building design to minimise heat and energy consumption in our homes today?
The Astor, 1923–2023
Upon completion in 1923, The Astor in Sydney's Macquarie Stree twas the largest reinforced concrete building in Australia, the tallest residential block, and this country’s first company title residences
Visions on the future
Meet the team at Australia’s longest-running and most influential architectural practice