Eric Nicholls’ Life and Work with the Griffins
Episode 3
Genre: Mini series documentary
Duration: 1.03.49 hours. minutes. seconds
Synopsis: A biography of Eric Milton Nicholls (1902-1965), Australian architect who became partner with renowned American architects Walter and Marion Griffin in Australia.
Director: Glen McClelland B.Sc. B. Arch.
Producer: Marie Nicholls B.Arch.
Episode three delves into Eric Nicholls’ later career, and we follow him working in Castlecrag, NSW Australia just after World War II had ended.
Perhaps one of Eric’s best-known houses is the iconic Moriarty House in Castle Crag, 1941, shortly after his partner Walter Burley Griffin passes away unexpectedly while working in India. As a result of World War II, building materials were in short supply, making the design of the Moriarty house more of a challenge. The building has been heritage listed and is also registered by the Art Deco Society.
Albert Chowne Memorial Hall in Willoughby, designed in 1945, was not built until 1954. It’s a good example of Eric’s early civic work when acting as honorary town planner at Willoughby City Council.
Consolidated Wire Rope, Surry Hills, 1946, in the Art Deco style. This factory was modified several times, and Eric designed a complementary extension to the north. Marie interviews the current owner, Rodger Clifford, in 2024, a devotee of Art Deco buildings, who explains how and why he revitalise the factory while still paying homage to Eric’s style, now heritage listed.
Lintott residence, Maitland, 1946. Marie interviews the owner.
Baby Health Centre, Willoughby, 1947, one of two designs and still standing.
Whitehall Pharmaceutical Company, Parramatta, 1951. Eric shows his respect for the nearby Hambleton Cottage by lobbying the developers and local council to preserve the site. The factory shows a rare wet roof design.
Willoughby Park Bowling Club, 1950s, a commercial design in early modernism style attributed to K. C. Lim.
Mittagong Shire Council Chambers, 1954.
On Glynn Nicholls graduation, his father, Eric, invites Glynn and Ron into a new partnership called Nicholls, Elliot and Nicholls in 1957.
Marie knows little about Bertha Nicholls, her aunt who lived in Melbourne. Berth, Eric’s older sister, worked on many of the presentations perspectives for Eric, for clients to visualise the design. Marion Griffin later describes having helped Bertha in this art.
We review Eric’s personal collections and assess his influences.
Warehouse for W. E. Smith. We see black-and-white photos of the newly finished building taken by Eric in the 1950s. It has since been demolished.
Eric Nicholls building at Glenaeon Rudolf Steiner School, Middle Cove, 1961.
Eric loved drinking tea, describing it as a diplomat’s drink. Raymond describes Eric as being tough at times but also very kind and generous to the staff. Concluding episode three’s delightful insight into the life inside and outside of the office is the memory of the YMCA camp in Richmond visited by Marie and Raymond in their youth.
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