Century Building and cinema, 125-133 Swanston Street, Melbourne
Butler, Graeme1985
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Total copies: 1
Title:
Century Building and cinema, 125-133 Swanston Street, Melbourne
Creator:
Date of work:
1985
Reference number:
BIF-CITY 109271
Level of description:
Item from Collection: Heritage Collection (HC)
Type of materials:
Graphic materialsTextual material
Part of:
Series: Central City (BIF-CITY)
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UnrestrictedOpen access.
Use restrictions:
UnrestrictedPlease contact City of Melbourne Libraries about obtaining permission to reproduce images.
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RESEARCH ADDED BY GRAEME BUTLER 2023:__________________________________________________DATE: 1938-40;ASSOCIATIONS: Howey Estate;DESIGNER: Barlow, Marcus R & Assoc.; Taylor & Soilleux (theatre);BUILDER: Swanson Brothers Pty LtdPeriod: Inter-War.VICTORIA HERITAGE REGISTER H2250https://vhd.heritagecouncil.vic.gov.au/places/2966Statement of SignificanceWhat is significant?The Century Building was designed by the prominent Melbourne architect Marcus Barlow and constructed in 1939-40 by the Swanson Brothers. It was built for the Howey Estate, which owned the site from the first Melbourne land sales in 1837 until 1970, and Barlow had been the Estate's official architect since 1930. The building had shops on the ground floor, a newsreel theatrette in the basement and offices and showrooms let out to various tenants on the upper levels. It was the first building in Melbourne to be fully-air-conditioned. The building was designed so as to span the whole basement to provide the open space for the cinema, called the Century Theatre, also designed by Barlow. Wunderlich supplied the terracotta faience cladding on the building and the aluminium alloy cladding for the verandah canopy, and for some years featured the building in its advertising. From 1940-41 most of the building served as temporary headquarters for the Royal Australian Air Force, and part of it continued to be used as their finance offices for some years. The building was sold in 1970. The theatre remained in operation until the 1970s, but it has now been gutted and is used as a live music venue. The rest of the spaces continue to be used for their original purpose, as shops on the ground floor and offices and workrooms on the upper levels.The Century Building is a twelve-storey steel and reinforced concrete office building in the vertical Streamlined Moderne style. It is faced with faience-glazed terracotta tiles, white on the vertical ribs and grey in the window spandrels, and has metal framed windows. The building has an extraordinary vertical emphasis, with closely-spaced rows of projecting fin-like faience-clad piers that run continuously from the first to the eleventh floors, culminating in a corner tower with a belvedere and crowning lantern. The ground floor, separated from the rest of the facade by a prominent aluminium-clad cantilevered and stepped awning, is faced with travertine marble slabs and incorporates five shops, although only one (127 Swanston Street) retains remnants of its original metal-framed showcases. In recent years the ground floor shopfronts have been largely replaced, the ground floor lift lobby has been refurbished, the lift cars replaced and the original flagpole removed from the tower. The stairwell and timber-panelled corridors remain substantially intact. The tenancies on the upper levels are laid out around U-shaped corridors at each level, of which all but one retain their original timber veneer panelling, reeded cornices and recessed rubber skirtings.This site is part of the traditional land of the Wurundjeri people.How is it significant?The Century Building is of architectural and technological significance to the state of Victoria.Why is it significant?The Century Building is architecturally significant as an outstanding example of a commercial building in the vertical Streamlined Moderne style, and is particularly notable for its starkness and expression of verticality. It is architecturally significant as a fine design of Marcus Barlow, one of Victoria's most prominent architects of the inter-war period. Together with Barlow's Commercial Gothic style Manchester Unity Building (1932, VHR H411) and Walter Burley Griffin's Capitol Building (1925-26, VHR H2119), it forms one of Melbourne's most distinctive city blocks. It is significant for its use of high-quality materials, including terracotta faience, Travertine, Sycamore veneer and stainless steel, which are strongly evocative of the luxuriant era of the late 1930s.The Century Building is technologically significant as the first fully air-conditioned office building in Victoria. It is was also the first building in Australia to use off-white terracotta faience cladding, which was in stark contrast to the wide range of coloured faience that had first become fashionable in the mid-1920s..GRAEME BUTLER 1985 MELBOURNE CENTRAL ACTIVITIES DISTRICT CONSERVATION STUDYBUILDING IDENTIFICATION FORM citesGRAEME BUTLER 1982-3, ROYAL AUSTRALIAN INSTITUTE OF ARCHITECTS (VIC) 20TH CENTURY ARCHITECTURE SURVEY and 20th CENTURY BUILDINGS REGISTER cites `Building' 24.10.1940_________________________________________MURPHY ARCHITECTS, JOHN AND PHYLLIS 1976. HISTORIC BUILDINGS STUDY OF PART OF THE C.B.D. MELBOURNE : { AREA 1}WITH MURPHY, JOCK, FOR HISTORIC BUILDINGS PRESERVATION COUNCIL.7.1 125-133 Swanston Street - Century Building.Construction Date: 1938 1Architect: Marcus R. BarlowBuilder: Swanson Bros. Pty. Ltd.At the first land sales in Melbourne, Captain Howey from Sydney purchased land at the intersection of Swanston and Little Collins Street. He returned to Sydney to collect his family, but they did not arrive; their sailing ship was wrecked out of Sydney but the name lives on. Today we have a shopping arcade called Howey Court, and the Century Building on the south-west corner was known as the Howey Estate Building until a name was selected for it. 2 It was completed just after the beginning of World War 11 and to some extent reflects the character of the Manchester Unity Building on the southern corner of that block. It is interesting to note how well it has stood up to the dirt and grime of the city. The Century Building is nearly forty years old and looks fresher than many much more recent buildings. Marcus Barlow was a great supporter of terra cotta faience for the exterior of city buildings, which required washing only and provided a permanent and impervious finish. In 1941, Wunderlich Limited used the Century Building in its advertisements, saying that the ceramic facing 'gives a permanent freshness and sparkle to this fine building. Window spandrels are in hand moulded terra cotta glazed neutral grey to achieve an arresting architectural contrast. 3It is a clean and unpretentious building with a vertical emphasis produced by the contrasting colours of the terra cotta and the tower on the corner. When the sunlight plays on its surface and lights up the tinted glass, the building does indeed sparkle.1 Sands & McDougall Directory of Victoria (1938).2. Verbal report from office of Marcus Barlow & Kerr.3 'Lines', Journal of the Architectural Students Society of RVIA, 1940/41, P xiv._________________________________________FACEBOOK 2021https://www.facebook.com/rohan.storey/posts/10159923488745844Rohan Storey2018: A good shot ? Yes I think so (straightened but otherwise #unedited). #CenturyBuilding, #MarcusBarlow, 1939, a #Moderne companion to his #ManchesterUnity 7 years earlier other end of the block ! Barlow was the chosen architect for the #HoweyEstate which owned the entire 1/4 of a city block since, well, the beginning, in 1837. He did three more in the block, one demolished. Lovely timber veneered corridors intact too. 2021: I believe there’s works happening to the tower right now._________________________________________NEWSPAPERS (TROVE)The Herald (Melbourne, Vic. : 1861 - 1954)Friday 21 July 1939 - Page 1440lb. Brick KillsCarpenter In CityA terracotta brick, weighing 40Ib„ which fell 20ft„ killed Abel Peters. 50, of Raphael. Street, Caulfield, at the corner of Swanston and Little Collins Streets early today. Peters, a foreman-carpenter, was working on the basement at the Century Building, when the brick fell on to his head from a pulley-hook at the ground level. His son, George Peters, of Acland Street. St. Kilda, was working on the same job as a carpenter..The Herald (Melbourne, Vic. : 1861 - 1954) Wed 15 May 1940 Page 20 -imagehttps://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/244136561NEW CITY THEATRE FEATURES TUBE LIGHTINGAir Conditioning And Comfort Seating Latest lighting, and comfort seating are featured in the new Century Theatre now v being completed in the big Century Building at 125-133 Swanston Street. Interior lighting is carried out by white fluorescent tubing concealed behind in direct coves. The 500 seats are latex comfort lounges of generous proportions.Of single floor design the new theatre is expected to open late in June. Lessees Arc Newsreel Theatres Pty. Ltd., and programmes will consist of overseas airmailed news reels and short featurettes. Programmes will be changed weekly.Expressly designed for the screening of sound films, the theatre reveals extremely careful planning of acoustic details. Fully air-conditioned for con trolled weather comfort in cold or hot seasons. It has the Inlet air grilles behind the proscenium doors with exhaust grilles concealed at the rear of the auditorium. Spacious foyers, to which access is gained by a main staircase from street level, and passenger elevators serve the theatre. Cloak rooms and parcel accommodation are provided. The indirect tube lighting of the auditorium has been extended to illuminate the featured symbolic fig ures, and the volutes, which form the main feature of wall decoration. All exit signs are illuminated by concealed Indirect coving. The screen and speaker horns are so constructed that they can be moved off the stRge to allow it to be used for special acts. Full stage lighting has been provided for this purpose. The architects for the Century Building are Mr Marcus Barlow and Associate of Collins Street, with Messrs H. Vivian Taylor and Soilleux, of Little Collins Street, associated for the design of the theatre. The builders are Messrs Swanson Bros..The Herald (Melbourne, Vic. : 1861 - 1954)Thursday 27 June 1940 - Page 12https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/243226868Theatre designThe Argus (Melbourne, Vic. : 1848 - 1957)Wednesday 8 May 1940 - Page 8HEADQUARTERS OF AIR FORCEHeadquarters of the RAAF will begin to move from its present quarters at Victoria Barracks to new quarters in Century Building corner of Swanston and Little Collins streets this week-end As only six floors of the new building have been completed the moving-in pro cess is expected to take about a month Eventually about 300 Air Force administrative personnel including Mr Fairbairn Air Minister and Alt Chief Marshal Sir Charles Burnett will occupy the premises It is expected that the building of new Air Force headquarters at Coventry street end of Victoria Barracks will be completed in 12 monthsThe Age (Melbourne, Vic. : 1854 - 1954) Fri 26 Jul 1940 Page 11 \https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/204404756CITY BUILDING DESIGNAlignment Dispute- As a result of a dispute that has occurred regarding . Encroachments of the new Century Building...
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| Type | Reference No. | Extent | Status/Desc |
|---|---|---|---|
| Original | 109271 | 1 PDF : 1,602 KB ; A4 | Group of Items (May not be issued, may not be reproduced) |