Garnet Argyle Soilleux

Garnet Argyle Soilleux, commonly referred to as G. A. Soilleux, was a notable Australian architect born in the year 1900, in the Melbourne suburb of Hawthorn, Victoria. After completing his architectural studies at the University of Melbourne in the early 1920s, he embarked on a successful career, initially forming a partnership with fellow architect and acoustic consultant Hugh Vivian Taylor in 1925.  The firm, H. Vivian Taylor & Soilleux, became a leader in Australia, in theatre and cinema design and acoustics during the interwar period, contributing to the design or alteration of hundreds of theatres and cinemas. In 1933 Best Overend, another prominent Melbourne architect joined the firm, and for several years, the practice operated as Taylor, Soilleux & Overend. This partnership continued until 1937, when Overend departed, and the firm returned to its previous name.

When World War II broke out, Soilleux enlisted in the Royal Australian Air Force and served in Darwin during the first Japanese air raids in 1942.  After the war ended and he transitioned back to civilian life, Soilleux embarked upon a significant post war career back in the field of architecture. Soilleux’s designs emphasised functionality, simplicity, and the integration of new materials and construction techniques. He also joined the Commonwealth Department of Works and, in the same year, was appointed to the prestigious United Nations Board of Design, tasked with overseeing the design and construction of the United Nations Headquarters in New York.  At the time of his death in 1959, Garnet Argyle Soilleux was serving as the Deputy Director of Works and Buildings in the Commonwealth Department of Works, marking the conclusion of a distinguished career in architecture and public service. Despite his significant contributions to architecture in Australia, Soilleux’s name is not as widely recognized as some of his contemporaries.