Russell and Gillespie flour mill complex, part, 577-579 Little Collins Street, Melbourne
Butler, Graeme1985
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Title:
Russell and Gillespie flour mill complex, part, 577-579 Little Collins Street, Melbourne
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Date of work:
1985
Reference number:
BIF-CITY 105941
Level of description:
Item from Collection: Heritage Collection (HC)
Type of materials:
Graphic materialsTextual material
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Series: Central City (BIF-CITY)
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UnrestrictedOpen access.
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UnrestrictedPlease contact City of Melbourne Libraries about obtaining permission to reproduce images.
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RESEARCH ADDED BY GRAEME BUTLER 2022:__________________________________________________Period: VictorianDATE: 1875, 1887;ASSOCIATIONS: Russell and Gillespie;BUILDER: Cockram & Co.CONTEXT (WITH GJM HERITAGE) 2020, HODDLE GRID HERITAGE REVIEWStatement of SignificanceWhat is significant?The buildings at 577-579 Little Collins Street, Melbourne, built in 1875, and 581-583 Little CollinsStreet, built in 1887 and altered in the mid-1920s.Elements that contribute to the significance of the place include (but are not limited to):At 577-579 Little Collins Street:· The building’s original external form, materials and detailing;· The building’s high level of integrity to its original design;· Simple corniced parapet with arched pediment; and· Moulded string course; and· Round arched window openings with timber sash windows and stone sills (overpainted).More recent alterations made to the street level façade are not significant.At 581-583 Little Collins Street:· The building’s original external form and materials;· The building’s high level of integrity to its mid-1920s design;· Curved parapet with cornice below;· Original pattern and size of fenestrations; and· Flat engaged pilasters.More recent alterations made to the street level façade are not significant.How it is significant?The two buildings at 577-579 Little Collins Street and 581-583 Little Collins Street, Melbourne are oflocal historic and representative significance to the City of Melbourne.Why it is significant?The three-storey buildings at 577-583 Little Collins Street are historically significant for theirassociation with manufacturing and warehousing in the City of Melbourne. 577-579 Little CollinsStreet, together with the interconnected building at 16 -18 Francis Street at the rear, are historically significant as a flour mill complex known as City Flour Mills constructed for Russell and Gillespie in1875. The firm of Russell and Gillespie, founded by Scotsman George Gillespie were well known fortheir flour milling operations throughout NSW, Victoria and Queensland, eventually as proprietors ofthe Anchor Flour Mills. 581-583 Little Collins Street and its extension through to Francis Street ishistorically significant as a related warehouse occupied by a variety of merchants and importers.(Criterion A)The buildings at 577-583 Little Collins Street and extending through to 16-18 Francis Street arerepresentative examples of brick and render warehouse buildings constructed in the Victorian periodin the City of Melbourne. Both constructed in 1875, with the façade of 581-583 altered in the 1920s,the pair of warehouses demonstrate the warehouse typology that was an important part of the urbanlandscape of nineteenth century Melbourne. Despite some changes to their exterior windows,particularly to those of 581-583 Little Collins Street, both buildings remain legible, including the viewof them from Francis Street. (Criterion D)Primary sourceHoddle Grid Heritage Review (Context & GJM Heritage, 2020).GRAEME BUTLER 1985 MELBOURNE CENTRAL ACTIVITIES DISTRICT CONSERVATION STUDYBUILDING IDENTIFICATION FORM cites source 85, page 229;__________________________________________________LEWIS, M- AUSTRALIAN ARCHITECTURE INDEX:Record 76828 Russell & Gillespie Melbourne VIC Factories Cockram & Co - 8 O'Connell St 1875 12 8 6581, MCC registration no 6581 [Burchett Index]. Fee 3.3.0building for flour mill Little Collins west__________________________________________________Melbourne Planning SchemeHO1278 Warehouses, 577-583 Little Collins Street, Melbourne Interim control Statement of Significance:Expiry date: 29/05/2022Warehouses Statement of Significance (577-583 LittleCollins Street, Melbourne), July 2020__________________________________________________CONTEXT (WITH GJM HERITAGE) 2020, HODDLE GRID HERITAGE REVIEWDATE OF CREATION /MAJOR CONSTRUCTION:1875 (577-579)1887 (581-583)SUMMARYThese former warehouse buildings were built separately to accommodate part of a flour mill complexfor Russell and Gillespie in 1875. The buildings are complementary in scale, form and materiality,although façade details vary. Number 577-579 retains much of the detail typical of a warehousebuilding for this period (at the upper level), while the façade of number 581-583 was altered in the1920s.SITE HISTORY577-583 Little Collins Street comprises two conjoined three-storey former warehouses, at 577-579Little Collins Street and 581-583 Little Collins Street.In 1855, the subject site was part of the Immigration Depot, but no buildings were in existence at thistime. By 1877, a small shed stood at 577 Little Collins Street, and the Russell and Gillespie Flour Millshad been built at 583 Little Collins Street (Fels, Lavelle & Mider 1993).A flour mill was erected at 577-579 Little Collins Street (Crown allotment 29, section 16a) for Russelland Gillespie in 1875 by builders Corkram (sic) and Co of 8 O’Connell Street, North Melbourne (MCCregistration no 6581, as cited in AAI, record no 76828). The building at 577-579 Little Collins Streetand a two-storey brick store at 16-18 Francis Street (at the rear of 577-579 Little Collins Street) werebuilt as part of the flour mill complex (MCC registration no 9346, as cited in AAI, record no 76863)(Figure 1, Figure 2). The flour mill was named the City Flour Mills.The Gillespie family were well known flour millers in Melbourne and Sydney. Scotsman GeorgeGillespie established himself as a produce and grain merchant in Melbourne, and in the 1870sexpanded into flour milling. Sons Robert, John and George Gillespie formed Gillespie Bros and Co(later Gillespie Bros Ltd), and became proprietors of the Anchor Flour Mills, extending their businessinto New South Wales and Queensland (Amos 1983) Shipping agents Anderson and Marshall occupied 577-579 Little Collins Street until the early 1880s(Age 1 December 1882:3). The building was vacant for some time after the City Flour Mills companymoved from the premises in c1887 (S&Mc 1888). Fawcett and Co Federal Free Stores brieflyoccupied the building in 1888 (S&Mc 1889). The building was again left vacant for twelve yearsbetween 1898 and 1910 (S&Mc 1898-1911), until occupied by the Wholesale and Agency Co Pty Ltdin the latter year, who continued to use the building until 1920 (S&Mc 1912-1920).The Detailed Fire Survey plan shows that by 1910 577-579 Little Collins and 16-18 Francis Streetwere interconnected (Mahlstedt Map no 23, 1910).Figure 1. Russell & Gillespie’s flour mill chimney and backbuilding facing Francis Street shown in a section ofMelbourne, 1882, by A C Cooke (Source: SLV).Figure 2. Same building at 16-18 Francis Street inc1972 (Source: Halla c1972, SLV H36133/594copyright).A three-storey warehouse was erected at 581-583 Little Collins Street in c1887, with the Eureka FreeStore of Dummett and Co occupying the building (S&Mc 1888, Mahlstedt Map no 16, 1888). It wassold by auction in 1889, and described as a ‘three storey brick warehouse, newly and mostsubstantially built…right through to Francis Street, also with cellarage accommodation the full depth’(Age 9 March 1889:2).After the sale, 581-583 Little Collins Street was occupied in 1889-1901 by various tenants, includingVirgoe and Sons, John Barwise, and the Fidelity Free Storage Co (S&Mc 1889-1901). From 1902until the 1960s, James Hardie and Co, merchants and importers, occupied the building (S&Mc 1903-1942; Age 8 February 1961:37).The facade of 581-583 Little Collins Street was altered in the mid-1920s and in 1975, the twowarehouses were integrated and converted to an office building. They were refurbished andconverted to a night club in 1994 (CoMMaps)SITE DESCRIPTIONThese two Victorian warehouse buildings are located on the southern side of Little Collins Street,between King Street and Spencer Street. Although they were built several years apart and fordifferent owners, the two buildings are complementary in form, scale and materiality. Façade detailingvaries between the buildings. At the upper levels, 577-579 Little Collins Street retains much of itsVictorian detailing, while number 581-583 has characteristics of the interwar period followingalterations to the façade in the 1920s.577-579 is a three-storey overpainted brick building. The upper façade remains relatively intact, withsimple detailing reflective of the pre-1880s construction date. A set of three identical rounded archedwindow openings with timber sash windows is located across the facade at both the second and thirdlevels. Each window has a stone sill (now painted). A string course marks the transition between thelevels. A simple cornice runs across the parapet and a simple arched pediment is centred over thebuilding. At ground level, there have been significant alterations to the shop front, with a section ofbluestone plinth being the only early fabric remaining.The upper façade of 581-583 Little Collins Street reflects the proportions and scale of the adjacentVictorian building, though detailing is more consistent with the interwar period. The flat renderedfaçade is reasonably intact, with window openings grouped and consistent across the two levels.Rectangular window openings remain, with a double opening in the centre and single openings ateach end. Original windows and window detailing have been removed. Flat engaged pilastersseparate the openings, and the parapet is gently curved with no pediment details. The upper cornicematches the cornice on the adjacent building, suggesting it may be an original detail. As with theadjacent building, there have been significant alterations made at street level, with a consistentfaçade running across both buildings.The rear elevation to Francis Street remains relatively intact. ….REFERENCESAge, as cited.Keith Amos 1983, 'Gillespie, Sir Robert Winton (1865–1945)', Australian Dictionary of Biography,National Centre of Biography, Australian National University,http://adb.anu.edu.au/biography/gillespie-sir-robert-winton-6385/text10911, published first in hardcopy1983, accessed online 21 June 2017.Australian Architectural Index (AAI), as cited. Copyright Miles Lewis.City of Melbourne Maps (CoMMaps), 577-583 Little Collins Street, http://maps.melbourne.vic.gov.au/,accessed 25 May 2017.Context Pty Ltd 2012, Thematic History: A History of the City of Melbourne’s Urban Environment,prepared for the City of Melbourne.Cooke, AC 1882, ‘Melbourne’, State Library of Victoria (SLV), accessed online 23 June 2017.Dingle, Tony 2008, ‘Manufacturing’ in eMelbourne, School of Historical and Philosophical Studies,University of Melbourne, http://www.emelbourne.net.au/biogs/EM00896b.htm, accessed 13 June2017.Fels, M, Lavelle S, and Mider, D 1993, ‘Archaeological Management Plan’, prepared for the City ofMelbourne.Halla, K J c.1972, ‘Francis Street, Melbourne, Vic.’, State Library of Victoria (SLV) Halla collection ofnegatives: views of East Melbourne, Fitzroy, Melbourne & North Melbourne, accessed online 23 June2017.Mahlstedt and Gee 1888, Standard plans of the city of Melbourne, Mahlstedt and Gee, Melbourne.Mahlstedt, G 1910, Index to City of Melbourne detail fire survey, Mahlstedt, Melbourne.Sands and McDougall, Melbourne and Suburban Directories (S&Mc), as cited..City of Melbourne online maps (COMMAPS)The Bottom End577-583 Little Collins Street, MelbourneDetailsThe Bottom End:Two co-joined three storey rendered brick former warehouses. Both buildings were built in the 1880's. The facade of 581-583 was altered in the mid 1920's. The two buildings were consolidated into one property in 1975 and converted to an office building. Refurbished and converted to a nightclub in 1994.The Bottom End is where pub meets disco and diner. Like a cross between a fair-dinkum pub, a hedonistic party palace and an all-night pseudo-US diner.The Bottom End is helmed by Michael Delany-Korabelnikova, the man behind Honkytonks, Third Class and Sorry Grandma! With a deliriously delicious food and drink menu and great DJs on weekend nights, this is a late night party palace.Add to this Poof Doof, the weekly queer house music party every Saturday night (on the upper level of the venue) The Bottom End is the kind of venue that's still rocking when everyone else has pulled up stumps
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| Type | Reference No. | Extent | Status/Desc |
|---|---|---|---|
| Original | 105941 | 1 JPEG : 484 KB ; A4 | Single Item (May not be issued, may not be reproduced) |