Stella James House
Stella James House is located in Avalon, in the lush bushland environs of Pittwater, on Sydney’s northern beaches. It was designed by the American architect Walter Burley Griffin and stands as one of his finest surviving examples of a small domestic residence. The property is celebrated as an exquisite exemplar of planning, siting and integrated “organic” design. The preservation of the pristine bushland setting demonstrates the original character of the Newport/Avalon district.
Walter Burley Griffin is best known for his role 
in designing Canberra, Australia’s capital city. With his architect wife, Marion Mahony Griffin, he designed a number of small domestic residences around the Sydney suburb of Castlecrag which successfully incorporated the natural setting into the architectural design, with the aim of creating an idyllic community. Griffin studied under the great “Organic” architect Frank Lloyd Wright in Chicago and was greatly influenced by Wright’s use of site-specific natural materials and by his emphasis on horizontal design. Wright’s “Prairie House” residential designs of the early 1900s favoured extended, low-slung buildings with shallow roofs and a pioneering preference for open plan living. His legacy both informed and evolved in Griffin’s designs.
Formerly known as Burley Griffin Lodge, Stella James House was owned and built by Stella James and her lifelong partner, Clare Stevenson before being acquired by the National Trust of Australia (NSW) in 1964. In 1933 and living in Elizabeth Bay at the time, James and Stevenson commissioned Walter Burley Griffin to design an informal “weekender” retreat on their Avalon site.
Stella James House was designed as an elegant single storey residence with a flat roof. It features a bank of large glass windows designed to best take advantage of the bright northerly aspect and the spectacular bushland setting. The house was built of local sandstone, reflecting Griffin’s objectives that materials should be used honestly, in harmony with nature. The simple floorplan is comprised of two bedrooms at one end of a large rectangular living area. A third bedroom and WC were later additions in 1993.
Walter Burley Griffin died prematurely in India in 1937. The lodge is the only Griffin house in public ownership. It reflects the charismatic lives of both Clare Stevenson and Stella James and remains a memorial to the architect and his work. After the National Trust had acquired the property, James and Stevenson remained as tenants until 1973. Their generosity was an admirable example to many, including Marie Byles, a friend within their social circle who also generously donated her retreat ‘Ahimsa’ to the Trust in 1970.
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