Kenneth McConnel (1895, 1898* or 1899-1976) was born in Queensland and graduated from the University of Sydney in 1924 or 1925, as a student of Leslie Wilkinson and AS Hook, after serving in the First World War. He spent four years in London, working at Sir Ashton Webb’s office and attending night lectures. On return to Sydney in 1928, he became a partner with Joseph Fowell, who had been working with Wilkinson when McConnel was a student. Fowell and McConnel won the design competition for the BMA Building in Macquarie Street, which was the first Australian building to win an RIBA Medal (Bronze) in 1933. Further partners were taken on and the firm was known as Fowell, McConnel and Mansfield when it completed the Orient Line Building in Spring Street, Sydney in 1940 (with London architect Brian O’Rorke). This work won the NSW RAIA Sulman Medal in 1943 and the RIBA Bronze Medal in 1947. In 1938 however, McConnel withdrew from the firm because of ill health, but he recovered enough to serve in the army during World War II and afterwards joined the NSW Housing Commission. In 1949, he set up a new practice – focusing on houses; many on country properties. Between 1949 and 1973, he also designed a variety of residential buildings for the War Veterans Home in Dee Why. To cope with an expanding workload, Melbourne architect Stan Smith joined the practice in 1950 (partner 1952) and Peter (RN) Johnson in 1951 (partner 1954) and the practice was formally named McConnel Smith and Johnson in 1955. Initially they worked in McConnel’s garage at Edgecliff; moving to nearby stables in 1952.
Sources
—Decoration and Glass biography, 1 July 1935, p41.
—Jackson, Davina. 2004. Information supplied by McConnel Smith and Johnson, November.
—NSW Architects Registration Board database, December 2004. This lists his birthdate as 1899; sometimes dates were listed for 1 January of the year after the actual birthdate. He was last registered in 1976; contradicting other information that he died in 1973.
—Taylor, Jennifer. Undated. Article on McConnel Smith and Johnson for a monograph not yet published.
- Writers:
-
Davina Jackson
- Date written:
- 2015
- Last updated:
- 2015
