The Norman Eaton legacy : a critical architectural appraisal of the documentation of his domestic oeuvre

Abstract

The documented legacy of South African architect Norman Musgrave Eaton (1902– 1966), as preserved at the University of Pretoria, provides the material for a contemporary analysis and extrapolation of his domestic oeuvre through the construction of a biographical-disciplinary context and chronology. Why and how Eaton’s domestic architecture expresses its lineage of forms, space, material, and detail are explored in this study. Eaton’s architectural oeuvre demonstrates a rare encounter between the Modern Movement and Africa. The residential architecture of Eaton, he being based in Pretoria, draws strongly on the African monumental past, while denoting both a regional and universal consciousness. Local influences are drawn from diverse sources: Cape Dutch architecture, Great Zimbabwe, Eastern Africa and the unselfconscious architectural endeavours of the Ndebele. Through the systematization of his records, the researcher is able to set up a biography within context in order to capture the critical moments in Eaton’s development and his designer’s mind. The chronological study of his domestic drawings further allows for the tracing of African and other influences in relation to his travels and their translation into architectural expression. Typological plan compositions and motifs emerge with clarity to aid in providing a critical appraisal of his domestic work.