The Commonwealth Bank, 219-225 Bourke Street, was designed by the Sydney office of the Commonwealth Department of Works and clearance of the site commenced on the site of the old Bijou Theatre in mid-1939.1 Built by Lewis Construction Co Pty Ltd over the next two years, it rose to the height limit but with an additional 12m [38 feet] of tower to carry lift machinery, air conditioning equipment and gravitation water supply tanks.