Kelly House, Barragup

Statement of Significance

Kelly House is a rare example of a concrete dome residence in Western Australia, demonstrating a high level of technical achievement in residential construction. Kelly House is a highly unusual example of the owner-builder tradition in this State.

Physical Description

Kelly House is an elliptical dome residence constructed of a thin concrete shell supported on brickwork under walls, and brick piers. It tapers at ten points to create parabolic arches reminiscent of Roy Ground’s Shine Dome in Canberra.

History

Concrete shell structures were introduced to the United States in the early 1930s, importing the technology from Germany. Their development and promotion were successful, and many industrial buildings were built during World War II. For a decade, starting from 1956, architectural magazines were full of examples of structures built by many different designers. In the 1950s, prominent Melbourne’s architect, Roy Grounds, designed a series of purely geometrically formed buildings, such as a circle, an equilateral triangle, and a square with a circular void in the centre. One notable achievement was The Shine Dome (1959), Canberra, which consists of a flattened concrete shell tapering off to sixteen points, creating a parabolic arch between each load point. Kevin Kelly was a carpenter from Victoria Park, Western Australia, who obtained his builders ticket to construct a family home in 1966. His daughter, Ms Janice Hill, recalls his ‘inventive mind’ always experimenting with dome shapes, starting with small scale models, and increasing to a small workshop (still extant), before finally building a family home along the same design in Ruan Place, Kewdale (now demolished). Although superficially like commercial designs from the 1960s (e.g. the Binishell), this place is an unusual example of the tradition of the designer owner-builder in Western Australia, demonstrating Kevin Kelly’s aesthetic sensibility and his considerable skills in design and fabrication. The place demonstrates a high level of technical achievement in residential construction. After it was constructed, Ms Hill recalls great interest from people, many of whom would drive by just to look at the house. After this residence, in the mid-1970s Mr Kelly constructed Kelly House at Barragup, where he currently (2019) resides.

Integrity/Authenticity

High

Condition

Good

Uses

Historic Themes

Creation Date

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