Australian Institute of Anatomy
Encyclopedia
The Australian Institute of Anatomy was established in October 1931. Amongst its functions were being a natural history museum and research in human nutrition. The Institute was formally abolished in December 1985.
Now occupied by the National Film and Sound Archive
, the building was the home of the Australian Institute of Anatomy from 1931-84. Originally it held the anatomy collection of Sir Colin MacKenzie
. This collection included the heart of the celebrated Australian racehorse Phar Lap
. Professor Sir Colin MacKenzie became the founding director of the Institute on Anatomy, and on his death in 1938 his ashes were placed behind a commemorative plaque in the building’s foyer. According to the Register of the National Estate, buildings constructed during this phase were ‘built to broaden national interest and establish the city as a centre of archives and collections’.
Both grand and austere, the building is often classified as art deco, though its overall architectural style is technically ‘Late 20th Century Stripped Classical’, the style of ancient Greece and Rome but simplified and modernised. Classical architecture was popular during the 1930s and 40s but lost favour after the downfall of Germany’s Third Reich. The style was again revived in the early 1960s and became common for government buildings in Canberra during this time. Examples include the Law Courts of the ACT (1961) and the National Library of Australia (1968).
Buildings in this style often feature a symmetrical façade, a horizontal skyline, classical columns and a central entrance. Traditional building materials such as stone and terracotta are often employed. The building characterises what the Register of the National Estates has described as ‘some of the finest examples of nationalistic Australian Art Deco design and detailing in Australia.’ The art deco influence is evident in the strong and consistent decorative features of native flora, fauna and Aboriginal art and motifs throughout the building.
The entrance features a curved central bay decorated with goannas, ferns and waratahs. The entrance door itself has a carved stone surround of open-mouthed frilled lizards framed in triangles. Tiled panels beneath the windows at the front of the building have blue and green motifs which resemble Aboriginal bark paintings. The foyer’s beautiful interior features a geometrically patterned marble floor. The black marble in the floor was quarried from the Acton Peninsula, now submerged beneath Lake Burley Griffin. The foyer also features a stained-glass platypus skylight. Face masks of well-known scientists of the era are featured on the foyer’s walls as a reminder of its previous incarnation as the Institute of Anatomy. Beyond the foyer is a tranquil landscaped courtyard. Each side of the courtyard features carved wombat heads over the main arches. The courtyard leads to two galleries which now hold fascinating exhibitions.
The original part of the building has a theatre and research centre. Each area is decorated in geometric art deco patterns, a feature repeated throughout the building in its doors, ventilators and light fittings. The theatre was the meeting place for one of Australia’s pioneering film societies in the 1930s—the Canberra Film Society.
In 1984 it became the home of the newly created National Film and Sound Archive
. Every effort has been made to retain the heritage aspects of the building in its use as a modern archive.
, its then occupant, needing additional space, the building’s large triple-level rear wing was opened. This new wing’s design is in keeping with the Art Deco style of the main structure with details and finishes to match the original.
Today, the building is open to the public as a treasure house of Australian film, television and sound recordings.
History of the building
National Film and Sound Archive
The National Film and Sound Archive is Australia’s audiovisual archive, responsible for developing, preserving, maintaining, promoting and providing access to a national collection of audiovisual materials and related items...
, the building was the home of the Australian Institute of Anatomy from 1931-84. Originally it held the anatomy collection of Sir Colin MacKenzie
William Colin Mackenzie
Sir William Colin Mackenzie , usually known as Colin Mackenzie, was an Australian anatomist, benefactor, museum administrator and director. He was best known for creating the Healesville Sanctuary.-Early life:...
. This collection included the heart of the celebrated Australian racehorse Phar Lap
Phar Lap
Phar Lap was a champion Thoroughbred racehorse whose achievements captured the public's imagination during the early years of the Great Depression. Foaled in New Zealand, he was trained and raced in Australia. Phar Lap dominated Australian racing during a distinguished career, winning a Melbourne...
. Professor Sir Colin MacKenzie became the founding director of the Institute on Anatomy, and on his death in 1938 his ashes were placed behind a commemorative plaque in the building’s foyer. According to the Register of the National Estate, buildings constructed during this phase were ‘built to broaden national interest and establish the city as a centre of archives and collections’.
Both grand and austere, the building is often classified as art deco, though its overall architectural style is technically ‘Late 20th Century Stripped Classical’, the style of ancient Greece and Rome but simplified and modernised. Classical architecture was popular during the 1930s and 40s but lost favour after the downfall of Germany’s Third Reich. The style was again revived in the early 1960s and became common for government buildings in Canberra during this time. Examples include the Law Courts of the ACT (1961) and the National Library of Australia (1968).
Buildings in this style often feature a symmetrical façade, a horizontal skyline, classical columns and a central entrance. Traditional building materials such as stone and terracotta are often employed. The building characterises what the Register of the National Estates has described as ‘some of the finest examples of nationalistic Australian Art Deco design and detailing in Australia.’ The art deco influence is evident in the strong and consistent decorative features of native flora, fauna and Aboriginal art and motifs throughout the building.
The entrance features a curved central bay decorated with goannas, ferns and waratahs. The entrance door itself has a carved stone surround of open-mouthed frilled lizards framed in triangles. Tiled panels beneath the windows at the front of the building have blue and green motifs which resemble Aboriginal bark paintings. The foyer’s beautiful interior features a geometrically patterned marble floor. The black marble in the floor was quarried from the Acton Peninsula, now submerged beneath Lake Burley Griffin. The foyer also features a stained-glass platypus skylight. Face masks of well-known scientists of the era are featured on the foyer’s walls as a reminder of its previous incarnation as the Institute of Anatomy. Beyond the foyer is a tranquil landscaped courtyard. Each side of the courtyard features carved wombat heads over the main arches. The courtyard leads to two galleries which now hold fascinating exhibitions.
The original part of the building has a theatre and research centre. Each area is decorated in geometric art deco patterns, a feature repeated throughout the building in its doors, ventilators and light fittings. The theatre was the meeting place for one of Australia’s pioneering film societies in the 1930s—the Canberra Film Society.
In 1984 it became the home of the newly created National Film and Sound Archive
National Film and Sound Archive
The National Film and Sound Archive is Australia’s audiovisual archive, responsible for developing, preserving, maintaining, promoting and providing access to a national collection of audiovisual materials and related items...
. Every effort has been made to retain the heritage aspects of the building in its use as a modern archive.
Building Extensions
In 1999, with the National Film and Sound ArchiveNational Film and Sound Archive
The National Film and Sound Archive is Australia’s audiovisual archive, responsible for developing, preserving, maintaining, promoting and providing access to a national collection of audiovisual materials and related items...
, its then occupant, needing additional space, the building’s large triple-level rear wing was opened. This new wing’s design is in keeping with the Art Deco style of the main structure with details and finishes to match the original.
Today, the building is open to the public as a treasure house of Australian film, television and sound recordings.
The Scientists
The foyer walls feature 12 scientists (two of which are death masks):| Name | Lifetime | Nationality & Profession |
|---|---|---|
| Sir Harry Brookes ALLEN Harry Brookes Allen Sir Harry Brookes Allen was a noted Australian pathologist.-Education:Harry Brookes Allen was born at Geelong, Victoria, the son of Thomas Watts Allen. He was educated at Flinders School, Geelong, and in 1869–70 at Melbourne Church of England Grammar School... |
1854 – 1926 | Australian Pathologist |
| John BELL John Bell (surgeon) John Bell was a Scottish anatomist and surgeon.Bell was born in Edinburgh, Scotland; an elder brother of Sir Charles Bell... |
1763 – 1820 | Scottish Anatomist |
| Charles Robert DARWIN Charles Darwin Charles Robert Darwin FRS was an English naturalist. He established that all species of life have descended over time from common ancestry, and proposed the scientific theory that this branching pattern of evolution resulted from a process that he called natural selection.He published his theory... |
1809 – 1882 | English Naturalist |
| George Britton HALFORD George Britton Halford George Britton Halford was an English-born anatomist and physiologist, founder of the first medical school in Australia, University of Melbourne School of Medicine.- Background :... |
1824 – 1910 | Anglo-Australian Anatomist and Physiologist |
| William HARVEY William Harvey William Harvey was an English physician who was the first person to describe completely and in detail the systemic circulation and properties of blood being pumped to the body by the heart... |
1578 – 1657 | English Anatomist |
| John HUNTER John Hunter (surgeon) John Hunter FRS was a Scottish surgeon regarded as one of the most distinguished scientists and surgeons of his day. He was an early advocate of careful observation and scientific method in medicine. The Hunterian Society of London was named in his honour... |
1728 – 1793 | Scottish Surgeon |
| Jean Baptiste LAMARCK Jean-Baptiste Lamarck Jean-Baptiste Pierre Antoine de Monet, Chevalier de la Marck , often known simply as Lamarck, was a French naturalist... |
1744 – 1829 | French Naturalist |
| Joseph LISTER Joseph Lister, 1st Baron Lister Joseph Lister, 1st Baron Lister OM, FRS, PC , known as Sir Joseph Lister, Bt., between 1883 and 1897, was a British surgeon and a pioneer of antiseptic surgery, who promoted the idea of sterile surgery while working at the Glasgow Royal Infirmary... |
1827 – 1912 | English Surgeon |
| Louis PASTEUR Louis Pasteur Louis Pasteur was a French chemist and microbiologist born in Dole. He is remembered for his remarkable breakthroughs in the causes and preventions of diseases. His discoveries reduced mortality from puerperal fever, and he created the first vaccine for rabies and anthrax. His experiments... |
1822 – 1895 | French microbiologist and chemist |
| Sir James Young SIMPSON James Young Simpson Sir James Young Simpson was a Scottish doctor and an important figure in the history of medicine. Simpson discovered the anaesthetic properties of chloroform and successfully introduced it for general medical use.... |
1811 – 1870 | Scottish Obstetrician and Anaesthetist |
| Sir Edward Charles STIRLING Edward Charles Stirling Sir Edward Charles Stirling was an Australian anthropologist and the first professor of physiology at the University of Adelaide.-Early life:... |
1848 – 1919 | Australian Surgeon |
| Sir Thomas Anderson STUART Thomas Peter Anderson Stuart Sir Thomas Peter Anderson Stuart was a Scottish-born professor of physiology, founder of the medical school, University of Sydney.-Early life:... |
1856 – 1920 | Scots-Australian Physiologist |
Other sources
- Register of the National EstateRegister of the National EstateThe Register of the National Estate is a listing of natural and cultural heritage places in Australia. The listing was initially compiled between 1976 and 2003 by the Australian Heritage Commission. The register is now maintained by the Australian Heritage Council...
- National Capital AuthorityNational Capital AuthorityThe National Capital Authority is a body of the Australian Government that was established to manage the Commonwealth's interest in the planning and development of Canberra as the capital city of Australia....
- Canberra House