George Reves

Hungarian architect George Reves (nee Revesz) (1910–2004) graduated from the Royal Joseph Technical University, Budapest. He worked in Paris for modernist Auguste Perret before returning to Budapest in 1934 to begin his own practice, designing a number of houses and apartment buildings. Following the German annexation of Austria, Reves fled Vienna, arriving in Australia in 1939.

Reves’s wartime experience in Sydney included designing for James Hardie. He registered as an architect in 1945, and his small-scale, largely residential practice drew on his extensive contacts in Sydney’s émigré community. Two of his houses, located in the eastern suburbs, were featured in Architecture in Australia, in 1955 and 1956. Many of his projects included the design of furniture; an example is the Schwartz House, Rose Bay (1957), whose furniture was manufactured by M Gerstl Cabinet Works. In the 1960s, Reves began designing and refurbishing factories, motels and hotels, including several interstate projects. He retired in 1980 at age 70.