McCraith House Collection

Full description

A landmark of Melbourne’s experimental post-war modern architecture on the Mornington Peninsula, McCraith House, also known as ‘The Butterfly House’ was designed by David Chancellor (Chancellor & Patrick) in 1955. The holiday home, located in Atunga Terrace, Dromana, was commissioned by Gerald McCraith, OAM (1909-2009), and his wife Ellen ‘Nell’ McCraith.  They called the house ‘Larrakeyeah.’  McCraith House is one of the few modernist houses on the Victorian Heritage Register. Gifted to RMIT University by descendants of its original owners in 2013, the house was carefully refurbished by architect Peter Elliott. It is now used for a residency program, administered by RMIT Culture.

The collection comprises 9 boxes of materials, including 18 drawings by Chancellor & Patrick of the house, as well as specifications, invoices for building works and supplies, photographs and family movies. Box 1 contains magazine articles and exhibition catalogues; Box 2 holds drawings; Boxes 3, 5 and 6 audio visual material, including home movies; Box 7 contains invoices for the construction of the house; Box 8 contains newspaper clippings, and records of exhibitions at Mornington Peninsula Gallery (2007 and 2011; Box 9 contains specifications, photographs and ephemera.