Open House Melbourne: Re/discover Community-Led Development in Eltham

20240728_041522233_iOS

In July 2024 we ran a collaboration with Montasalvat as part of the Open House Melbourne program, called Re/Discover Community Led Development in Eltham.

Montsalvat is an artists' colony in Eltham. Established by Justus Jorgensen in 1934, the colony is set among gardens on five hectares of land, and is home to dozens of buildings, including houses, halls, studios, galleries and stables.

Brougham Street Cohousing is situated on a 7000-square-metre block near Diamond Creek. A resident-led community building, it features a heritage-listed mudbrick studio and shed built by Peter Garner who worked on Montsalvat as a builder.

The plan for this event was to run a progressive tour across both properties, so attendees could re-discover the parallels between the creation of Montsalvat’s artist community in the 1920s and the creation of Brougham Street Cohousing resident community in the 2020s. Connecting the two proximate properties is nearly a century of grassroots building projects to create community-first places.

There are also connections between Peter Garner, a mudbrick building specialist who helped build Montsalvat and who also built a studio and shed on the site of Brougham St, which is now the central focus of the communal buildings and gardens for the Brougham St Cohousing community.

The tours, starting at Montsalvat, heard from Montsalvat director Raphael Kilpatrick who explained the origin story of Montsalvat, its spirit of community-led development and its connections to architect Alistair Knox.

At Brougham Street Cohousing, we ran tours of the Peter Garner studio and shed. We talked about how the members' values and principles informed the participatory co-design process for designing the cohousing community.

To see our presentation from the day please click here and watch the video below.

 

Subscribe for news and updates

Get in touch
Address
12 Dalziel Ln
Northcote VIC 3070
Mobile
E-mail
Disclaimer

This website is a general resource only and contains information of a general nature. It is not intended to be relied upon, nor used as a substitute for specific independent professional advice. You should seek independent advice regarding any investment, legal, taxation or financial matters relevant to your own circumstances and individual needs.

 
Property Collectives © 2025
Share This