Joseph Plottel (1883 – 28 May 1977) was a British born architect who was active in Melbourne, Australia between 1911 and World War II, working in a range of revival styles, as well as Art Deco in the 1930s. He is best known for the St Kilda Synagogue (1927) and the Footscray Town Hall (1936).
Early life and career
Plottel was born in Yorkshire in 1883 and went to Australia with his family in 1895 at the age of 12, but returned to England soon after when his father died. He trained as a draftsman with London architect Robert Moore, where he was advised to head for the colonies for advancement.
He began working in Melbourne, accruing a number of large commissions including Michael's Comer Store in Elizabeth Street and the Footscray Barnet Glass Rubber Co. Ltd. factory,
He moved to South Africa in 1903, working in Pretoria, Cape Town and Johannesburg, but took passage to the United States where he saw prospects for architects after the 1906 San Francisco earthquake. When he ran out of money en route, he decided to stay in Melbourne. Here he was embraced by the local Jewish community and soon found his feet again, initially taking up a position with the Railway's Engineering Department where he worked as a draftsman for about three years. He obtained work as a draftsman with fellow Jewish architect Nahum Burnett, and then set up his own office in 1911.
Melbourne architectural practice
Plottel enjoyed a very diverse architectural practice with commercial and residential commissions in a range of revival styles drawing on the American Romanesque and Arts and Craft movement, as well as Tudor Revival and Spanish Mission. Among his early commissions was the Williamstown Municipal Buildings in 1914, in a simplified Greek Revival style, and several flat projects that were amongst the earliest in Melbourne, such as Garden Court of 1918 in Marne St South Yarra and Waverly in Grey Street St. Kilda, 1920, which were relatively severe designs in unadorned redbrick, with some Arts Crafts or Tudor flavour. The prominent use of rain heads and down pipes in the composition is an interesting pointer to Plottel's later work.
In 1924 Plottel married and also was appointed to design the new St Kilda Synagogue, as the congregation had outgrown the 1872 building. As inspiration he presented a photo of the recently completed Temple Isaiah in Chicago, and his design was closely modelled on it, a smaller and simpler version of its exotic grand, domed, 'Byzantine Revival' style. The dome roof was clad in green Wunderlich tiles, imitating copper, while the interior was finished in finely crafted woodwork, which was to become Plottel's trademark.
The Jewish community provided many commissions, as he became close to several business people who had factories in Melbourne's Western Suburbs including Footscray and Yarraville. Plottel's wife Rachel was a doctor specialising in skin conditions. Their only daughter, Philippa May, married Cpl Rolf Hallenstein (the brothers Isaac and Michael Hallenstein established the vast tannery of Michaelis Hallenstein in Footscray with their cousin Moritz Michaelis) and obtained a Master of Laws at the University of Melbourne then went on to a prominent role in women's affairs and law, as a member of the National Council of Women of Victoria, the Victorian Women Lawyers Society, the Australian Local Government Women's Association Victoria and many other organisations.
The foundation stone of the new synagogue was laid 28 February 1926 (the contractor being H H Eilenberg) and the synagogue was consecrated on 13 March 1927. The Ladies' Gallery was also extended in 1957–1958 to designs by Plottel. The Masonic Club, in the heart of the city at 164 to 170 Flinders Street, in 1927 again featured the extensive use of decorative brickwork, this time in a variation of the Neo Grec theme, showing the style's usual chaste ornament, formed by swags, antefixes and a shallow pediment.
Joseph Plottel was joined in a partnership by H E Bunnett (1891–1965), in 1921. Bunnett's son, Linsday Harold Bunnett (1920–1995), also joined Plottel's firm after matriculating at Scotch College in 1936, completing his articles in 1941.
Plottel established a brief practice in Canberra in the partnership of Plottel Bunnett & Alsop, who were commissioned to design a number of residential housing projects for the Capital Territory, one example of which survives at 5 Baudin Street dated to 1928 and showing a Mediterranean influence.; The Canberra Electoral role for 1929 lists 'Plottel, Joseph architect 31 Queen St, Melbourne' by dint of his having purchased property in the territory.