John Chappel engaged passionately with the field of architecture in South Australia through his own practice, his journalism and professional and public advocacy in a career spanning some four decades.
John Singleton Chappel was born in Unley Park, South Australia, on 20 January 1923 to Herbert Horace Chappel and Elizabeth Anna (nee Singleton) (South Australian Biographies 1980). He had one older brother, Robert (Bob), born in 1921. His parents both served in World War One, his father in France, and his mother as an army nurse at Gallipoli (Salonika). Following the war, Herbert Chappel ran an indent agency, H.H.Chappel & Co, importing soft goods. He experienced financial difficulties during the Depression and died suddenly in 1932. Mrs Chappel attempted to keep the business operating without success and the family home was lost to creditors. John and Bob had to leave Scotch College. Their mother rented a large home on Cross Road, Malvern and took in three boarders. Chappel later paid tribute to his mother’s response to these challenging times (Chappel, 1992-3; Chappel Papers: 346/24/6).
Chappel continued his schooling at Highgate Primary School and then attended Unley High School for one year. He spent the next school year at Corryong, Victoria, while living with his aunt and uncle, before returning to Scotch College in Adelaide where his fees were paid by his brother, who by then was working as a jackaroo. Chappel left school without finishing his Leaving year. He gained employment as an office boy with National Mutual Insurance Company and then as a clerk at General Motors Holden. Next he joined the PMG (Post Master General) Department training as a linesman and cable jointer before becoming a permanent officer in the Commonwealth Public Service. Concurrently he studied for a cadetship in architecture. ‘I used to ride my bike from Malvern to Mile End to start at 7.30 am. At 5.18 pm I’d ride home … have dinner, ride into town and go to these classes. At ten o’clock at night I’d ride home again, four nights a week!’ (Chappel 1992-3: 6).
The World War Two Nominal Role lists Chappel as joining the Australian Army as a signalman in September 1941. He did not undertake active service until he enlisted with the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) in April 1943 and served in north-western Australia and New Guinea as a leading aircraftman. Discharged in February 1946, Chappel studied for his Matriculation in 1947 under the Commonwealth Reconstruction Training Scheme (World War Two Nominal Role; Chappel Papers: BRG 346, 346/14, 346/24/6). He married Janita Wallman and they had four children. He later married Jane Ferguson in 1980 (Chappel to McDougall, pers. comm.).
Chappel first became interested in architecture through his contact with Victorian architect, Jack Hobbs McConnell. McConnell boarded with the Chappel family after he moved to Adelaide to work with Philip Claridge and Associates and he regularly tutored the 15 year old Chappel on the basics of architecture. Reflecting later on his own career Chappel remembered McConnell as ‘a great inspirer of young architects’ (Page 1986: 185).
Chappel commenced his architectural studies at the South Australian School of Mines and Industries in 1948, where he met fellow student Brian Polomka who became a life long friend. At the same time, he continued in the Commonwealth Department of Works from 1949 to 1954 (Page: 203). He graduated in 1953 at 30 years of age – ‘the proudest day of my life’. For about twelve months (1954 to 1955) Chappel was the group architect for the War Service Homes Division. He was in charge of a group of works supervisors, whom he credits teaching him much about the building trade. He oversaw the development of some 400 houses at North Glenelg, Woodville and Brighton and eventually designed homes himself (Page 1986; Chappel Papers: BRG 346/14, 346/24/6; Polomka family papers).
In addition to his Government employment, Chappel had set up his own practice from his home in Torrens Park. In 1956, he decided to leave the Government and with his long service leave and superannuation payments he was able to buy an office at 164 Mackinnon Parade, North Adelaide. Chappel was the sole Principal of this medium-sized firm which later moved to19 North Terrace, Hackney, and continued so until his retirement in 1996. Despite offers of partnerships, he refused, influenced by some unsuccessful partnerships undertaken by his father (Chappel, 1992-3). From the 1950s to the late 1960s he was a member of the board for the Small Homes Service of South Australia (SHS), holding the position of Chairman for some years (Page 1986; Collins 2006). He was chairman of the Architects Advisory Service of South Australia (later Archicentre) which took over the educational and advisory roles of the SHS when the plans sales section became non-operational (Chappel Papers: BRG 346/14; Collins 2006).
Chappel played an active role in the South Australian Institute of Architects (SAIA) contributing in a variety of ways. The SAIA had resisted moves to become a chapter of the Royal Institute of Architects (RAIA) since the national body’s formation in 1930. In 1962, Chappel, as one of the new generation of architects on the Council, proposed a motion, seconded by Professor Rolf Jensen of the University of Adelaide, which led to the creation of the South Australian Chapter (Page 1986). He became a Fellow of the RAIA (SA Chapter) in 1966. He was founding chairman of their Historical Matters Committee in 1966 and had four terms as a councillor with the RAIA from 1981 to 1991. Chappel was conferred Life Fellowship of the RAIA in 1982 (Page 1986; Chappel Papers: BRG 346/14).
It was Chappel’s involvement in the SAIA Public Relations Committee which led to him becoming an architectural correspondent with the Advertiser in 1956. This role extended over three decades until 1990 and also included from time to time other newspapers such as the Sunday Mail. His extensive Advertiser contributions covered a broad range of issues and often led to vigorous public debate. He considered that notoriety came at a price. For example, in August 1984, in a letter to Advertiser Editor, John Scales, which accompanied Chappel’s article supporting an increase in the number of people living in central Adelaide, he wrote: ‘Attached is another nail in the coffin of my popularity. It seems to me absurd that it is necessary to become a pariah for these matters to be properly aired’ (Chappel Papers: BRG 346/24/2A). However, through these articles the public became aware of contemporary architecture and architectural thinking. As Chappel was in the public eye, he received many commissions, mainly in the residential field, including from a number of prominent South Australian families, including the Bonythons and Kidmans (Page 1986).
In hindsight, Chappel can be seen to have been at the forefront of arguing for sustainable practices, advocating the use of rainwater tanks and native plantings (Chappel Papers: BRG 346/24/2). His desire to educate the wider public on architectural matters saw him conduct Adult Education courses over a number of years.
In 1971, Chappel stood successfully as a candidate for the MacDonnell Ward in the City of Adelaide. He was an Alderman of the Adelaide City Council (ACC) from 1977 to 1981 and Deputy Lord Mayor from 1978 to 1979. In his various ACC roles Chappel never hesitated to speak his mind which led at times to vigorous debate as well as action (Chappel, 1992-3). It was, in fact, at his first council meeting that his knowledge of the Building Act was a decided advantage. The proposed demolition of the former Bank of South Australia (59 King William Street) was on the agenda. Advice then available to the ACC indicated that it was powerless to stop this process. Chappel showed that under Section 9A, the application of the proposed office block for the site could be sent to referees for a ruling – that it would be ‘undesirable to the amenity of the area’ – thus delaying the demolition. The bank building was subsequently bought by the Dunstan Labor Government and is now known as Edmund Wright House (Page 1986: 243).
Chappel served on the following statutory bodies: the State Planning Authority from 1971 to 1981, the City of Adelaide Development Committee from 1973 to 1977 and the City of Adelaide Planning Commission from 1977 to 1981. In 1993 he was awarded a Member of the Order of Australia in recognition of his service to architecture, town planning and local government (Chappel Papers: BRG 346/14).
Chappel was a member of the National Trust of Australia (SA Branch) and while being an advocate for heritage listing, he also argued for financial assistance for owners of heritage listed buildings (Chappel Papers: BRG 346/24/2). As an architect, he was involved in many restorations. By the same token, Chappel believed that ‘sentiment and nostalgia [is] no basis for decision-making’ (‘Valuing our street scapes’ 2004) and in 1985 pointed to some inner-city cottages, which he regarded as almost uninhabitable, and considered should be replaced by well-designed high density housing (Page 1986: 262).
In 1995 Chappel formed the Architecture Foundation Inc with a group of younger architects ‘with a view to raising the profile and status of architecture in Australia’. Their activities over the next several years included lectures, debates, public comment, exhibitions and awards (Chappel Papers: BRG 346/14).
Chappel was ‘always eager to break new ground’ (Page 1986: 236) and later claimed that ‘the modern movement in architecture arising from Bauhaus is surely the most significant happening in architecture since the days of the Greeks and Romans’. He became a close friend of Sydney architect, Harry Siedler. Chappel was greatly influenced by the Melbourne School led by Robin Boyd in the post-war years. Through him, Chappel met other Victorians including Peter McIntyre, with whom he would stay, Roy Grounds, Geoff Mewton, Neil Clerehan, Kevin Boreland (Chappel Papers: BRG 346/25/7). In the late 1950s, Chappel went to Melbourne to study the latest trends in the design of blocks of flats. Upon returning to Adelaide he designed and developed ‘own your own’ apartments in Broughton Street, Lockleys. This concept was based on co-ownership, a first in South Australia, and a forerunner to Strata Titles (Chappel Papers: BRG 346/14). He went onto design a block of 76 flats for Peter Hearne (sic) (Hurn) of Orlit Constructions, at 100 South Terrace, Adelaide, the largest of its type in the state at that time. In 1969 he accepted a commission from Highrise Pty Ltd to design a multi-storey block of flats which became a prototype for many others. It was not without controversy, being located in what was considered an historic area on Mackinnon Parade, North Adelaide (Page 1986: 234, 237).
Another example of Chappel’s innovation in the 1950s was his approach to the former Finance Corporation of Australia (now Eynesbury College) building at 15-19 Franklin Street, Adelaide. A multi-storey structure, the north-facing windows are shielded from the sun by a distinctive open metal grill which provided shade and ventilation (Page 1986). It had been a solid old warehouse. ‘What we did was to pour new concrete floors on top of the timber floors and then drop the old timber floors out afterwards. That had the advantage that we were able to work on six levels immediately so that the time of construction was a fraction of what it would take to demolish the building and start building up from the bottom again’ (Chappel 1992-3: 15).
Chappel’s interest in domestic architecture can be traced back to his student days, when during his second year of studies, he designed a house on land purchased with a loan from his father-in-law, at 10 Newark Road, Torrens Park. By necessity it was a ‘fairly conventional red brick home’ (Chappel to McDougall, pers. comm.).
In the 1960s, a South Australian firm, Turner Wood Constructions Pty Ltd, approached Chappel to provide inspiration for their project homes. He showed them homes designed by Sydney Ancher and built by Pettit & Sevitt in New South Wales. He went on to create 100 different house plans for Turner Wood, which, with variations, became 200 alternatives (Page 1986). He developed a design for sloping blocks in the Adelaide foothills suburb of Blackwood using columns which did away with the need for extensive and expensive excavation (Chappel to McDougall, pers. comm). In conjunction with his colleague, Brian Snowden, Chappel drafted and negotiated acceptance of a special RAIA fee scale for project housing. Eventually the RAIA introduced an Award of Merit for project houses to encourage the involvement of architects in such ventures. Chappel won this award in 1969 for a home in Hawthorndene, also in the foothills, described as the ‘Split Level Mk2’ (Chappel Papers: BRG 346/14 & 346/17/1).
In 1975, Chappel was architect and town planner for the Aboriginal Commission at Indulkana, some 1200 kilometres north-west of Adelaide. After consultation, the resultant houses, modelled on the traditional Aboriginal dwelling, wiltja, had a low surrounding verandah, river sand floors and a central fire place. The project attracted attention and some criticism, but Chappel felt they were well accepted by the community (Chappel Papers: BRG 346/14, 346/19/1).
A notable project with which Chappel was associated in the late 1970s to early 1980s was the redevelopment of Ruthven Mansions on the corner of Pulteney and Austin Streets, Adelaide. Originally designed as multi-storey apartments by Albert Barham Black, and built between 1911 and 1914, it focussed on luxury appointments and built-in features (Collins et al 2005). The building was sold to the state government in 1954, but fell into disrepair. To save it from demolition, Chappel acted as an advisor and architect to a group who bought the building and, as part of a return to inner-city living, restored the exterior to as near original appearance as possible and refurbished the interior (Chappel Papers BRG 346/17/7; Page 1986). The Ruthven Mansions project was awarded a Commendation from the RAIA in 1981 and from the Civic Trust in 1982. It is on the Register of the National Estate (ID 14524).
Prior to the Ruthven Mansion awards, Chappel had won a Civic Trust Award of Merit for Cathedral Cottage, North Adelaide in 1981, RAIA Awards of Merit for houses in Brighton (1964) and Lockleys (1972), a Certificate of Merit from the Timber Development Association of South Australia for the open plan Ascot Park Primary School (1968), and the 1974 West Lakes Design Award.
Chappel held that ‘architecture [was] his religion’ and that ‘it [was] a privilege to be an architect’, with the basic principles of good design being ‘function, truth and architectural integrity’ (Page 1986: 236). He died in Adelaide on 10 May, 2015, aged 92 years.
Alison McDougall
Citation details
McDougall, Alison, 'Chappel, John Singleton’, Architecture Museum, University of South Australia, 2009, Architects of South Australia: [http://www.architectsdatabase.unisa.edu.au/admin/Architectsedit.asp?Arch_ID=98] | 
Architects of South Australia, Copyright 2008, Updated regularly