Colour postcard showing an illustration of the planned three wings for International House. — Postcard showing the planned three wings for International House, c. 1955. International House Archives

Why are there three buildings in the picture?

This promotional postcard held in the International Archives shows three buildings all of which appear to be ‘Clunies’. Early discussions about International House included plans and costings for three wings. Each was to house around forty-two residents with one building only for women. Insufficient funds meant that only one wing (pictured below, shortly after its completion in October 1956) was built as planned (Larkins, 2018, 16-17).

Black and white photograph of the Clunies Ross Building, then known as the "New Building" shortly after its completion. — The “Clunies Ross Building”, then known as the “New Building”, 1956. BWP000021, International House Archives.

Postcard showing an artist's impression of a "bedroom/study" at International House. — Artist’s impression of a ‘bedroom/study’. International House Archives.

Another postcard (which appears to be by the same artist) offers an impression of a ‘bedroom/study’, complete with mid-twentieth century decor: timber wall panelling, indoor plants and an Eames-style moulded plywood chair. An article published in The Age newspaper in 1956, just as the first residents were moving in, described the finished interiors as “strikingly modern” and suggests much of the proposed design had been retained:

[T]he bold use of the primary colours – green, red, blue and yellow – combined with black and Windsor grey, effectively interprets the contemporary theme.
(“International House has First Student”, 1956)

References

International House has first student (1956, November 10). The Age.

Larkins, F. (2018). International House Melbourne: Sixty years of fraternitas. Melbourne University Publishing.