Frazer, Leonard Thomas (Len) (1908 - 1968)

Summary

Len T Frazer, MIEAust, was the City Engineer, City of Melbourne and helped to plan the facilities for the 1956 Olympic Games. He was a pioneer in traffic engineering in Australia, and later as a consulting engineer, lead the development of the major suburban shopping centres at Chadstone, Northland, Southland and Eastland; the Melbourne Transportation Study in conjunction with Wilbur Smith; as well as other major projects incuding the layout of LaTrobe University, and Woden district in Canberra.

Details

Projects included:
* Macaulay Stormwater pumping station;
* Degraves Street Subway, Melbourne;
* Olympic Games facilities, Melbourne;
* Planning provisions to grade separate pedestrians from traffic in the CBD;
* Traffic analysis, sitework design and supervision for Chadstone, Northland, Southland, and Eastland shopping centres, initially liaising with the American planner Victor Gruen;
* Ring road, Ballarat
* Sitework design and supervision, GMH Test tracks at Lang Lang;
* Traffic analysis, sitework design and supervision of Master plan for La Trobe University;
* Transportation Study for Melbourne, with Wilbur Smith and Associates;
* Traffic analysis and sitework design for Woden District Centre, Canberra for NCDC;
* Traffic analysis and planning of the Freeway network for Canberra;
* Highway and Freeway design for Country Roads Board;
* Sitework design for many neighbourhoods in Canberra, for NCDC;
* Master plan for Box Hill Shopping Centre, including proposals for undergrounding the railway station;
* Carpark and road design for Tullamarine Airport.

Chronology

1924 - 1926

Education - Studied Diploma Course, Melbourne Working Men's College

1926 - 1927

Career position - Pupilage, Messrs Woodcock and McCormack

1927 - 1928

Career position - Survey Assistant, State Electricity Commission [under Ralph Alec Hunt, DSO, BCE, Foundation.AMIEAust AssocMInstCE]

1928 - 1932

Career position - Pupilage, Melbourne City Council [under Ronald Melville Scott BE AssocMInstCE, MIEAust; Percy Stanley Robinson CE AMIEAust]

1928 - 1934

Career position - Junior Engineering Assistant, City engineer's Department, Melbourne City Council

1932

Career event - Certificate of Competency (no.580) Municipal Surveyors Board [Feb 1932]

1934 - 1936

Career position - Engineering Assistant, City engineer's Department, Melbourne City Council

1936 - 1937

Career position - Senior Engineering Assistant, City engineer's Department, Melbourne City Council [wood block, concrete, asphalt, penetration macadam roadways. Macaulay Stromwater pumping station, South Kensington swamp reclamation, works at City abattoirs]

1937

Career event - Associate Member (AMIEAust), Institution of Engineers Australia

1948 - 1953

Career position - Deputy City Engineer, Melbourne City Council [under P.S. Robinson, City Engineer. Projects: Degraves Street Subway, mechanisation of laying and construction of asphalt roads.]

1953 - 1956

Career position - City Engineer, Melbourne City Council [Responsible for establishing and directing a Traffic Engineering section; for all roads, bridges, street cleansing, garbage collection and disposal, abattoirs works, and workshops. over £1,000,000 per annum. Engineer adviser to and member of the construction committee for Olympic Games. Directly responsible for design and supervision of Velodrome, athletic stadium, and football oval at Olympic Park, and consultant for all other projects.]

1956 - 1958

Career position - Consulting engineer, own practice Len T Frazer and Associates. [Civil engineering works, carried out include: For municipalities: Survey, design and supervision of Private streets, roads and drainage works; drive-in theatres. For contractors: assistance in preparation of tenders and advice on construction methods (King Street bridge tender £2,750,000); For private clients: private street design and supervision, traffic and planning schemes; Also consultant Town Planner.

1958

Career event - Member (MIEAust), Institution of Engineers Australia

1958 - 1968

Career position - Director, Len T Frazer and Associates, Consulting engineers

1967 - 1968

Career event - Associated Director, Scott and Furphy Consulting Group, when Len T Frazer and Associates, became part of the Group

Related entries

Archival resources

State Library of Victoria, Australian Manuscripts Collection

• Records, ca. 1883-1980. [manuscript], c. 1883 - 1980, YMS 11170; Institution of Engineers, Australia. Victoria Division.; State Library of Victoria, Australian Manuscripts Collection. Details

Published resources

Journal Articles

• 'Personal', Commonwealth Engineer, 23 (10) (1936), 297. Appointed senior engineering assistant, Melbourne City Engineer's Department. Details
• Frazer, L. T., 'Nomograph for determining flow of water in circular pipes', Commonwealth Engineer, 22 (4) (1934), 124. Details