Kidd's shop and residence row, later Langdon Building, 353-355 King Street, Melbourne
Butler, Graeme1985
Archives
Total copies: 1
Title:
Kidd's shop and residence row, later Langdon Building, 353-355 King Street, Melbourne
Creator:
Date of work:
1985
Reference number:
BIF-CITY 105323 1
Level of description:
Item from Collection: Heritage Collection (HC)
Type of materials:
Graphic materialsTextual material
Part of:
Series: Central City (BIF-CITY)
Access restrictions:
UnrestrictedOpen access.
Use restrictions:
UnrestrictedPlease contact City of Melbourne Libraries about obtaining permission to reproduce images.
General notes:
RESEARCH ADDED BY GRAEME BUTLER 2021:__________________________________________________Period: Early VictorianNotable features: Stone masonryDATE: 1856-1869;ASSOCIATIONS: Kidd, Robert;DESIGNER: Kidd, Robert?;BUILDER: Kidd, Robert.VICTORIA HERITAGE REGISTER H0527Statement of SignificanceWhat is significant?The Langdon Building at 351-355 King Street was built as three terrace houses by the owner-builder Robert Kidd. He built them in stages as follows: No.351 in 1863, No.353 in 1865 and No.355 in 1869. Kidd lived at No.353. The middle house of the three was a shop from 1870 but has now had its shopfront removed. All three terrace houses are two storeys, constructed in brick with coursed bluestone facades. Access was directly off the street in the manner of English town houses. Each house has quoins, a motif which is repeated around the front door and windows. Whilst all three buildings are constructed on the street alignment theparapet and string course is not continuous, reflecting the differing stages of construction. The Langdon Building was used as an early clothing factory and was later combined with the adjoining the Fenwick Brothers Phoenix Clothing building. These early factories share a party wall and were once linked via twin archways.How is it significant?The Langdon Building is of architectural and historical significance to the State of Victoria.Why is it significant?The Langdon Building is architecturally significant as an excellent example of the use of Victoria?s ubiquitous bluestone as a construction material. Spanning three periods of construction, the Langdon Building has a consistent use of facing bluestone. There is a contrast between the fine ashlar finishes of the architraves, quoins and string courses and the rougher finish of the wall areas.The Langdon Building is historically significant as a rare complex of three residential buildings amalgamated for industrial use. It is a rare example of a surviving clothing factory in the central business district. From 1870 the Langdon Building was a clothing factory and had a close relationship to the notable Phoenix Clothing Factory buildings to the south. It demonstrates the adaptation and adjustment of owners to changing economic conditions in Melbourne..GRAEME BUTLER 1985 MELBOURNE CENTRAL ACTIVITIES DISTRICT CONSERVATION STUDYBUILDING IDENTIFICATION FORM cites CITY OF MELBOURNE BUILDING PERMIT APPLICATIONS.VICTORIAN HERITAGE INVENTORY H7822-20971866 map shows building on site, fronting King Street.1905 - 3 x 2 storey buildings.DE GRUCHY & LEIGH, 1866. ISOMETRICAL PLAN OF MELBOURNE AND SUBURBS IN 1866shows shop verandah over south frontage, one storey, and two storey house to north..LEWIS, M- AUSTRALIAN ARCHITECTURE INDEX:Records 71791 Kidd, Robert Melbourne VIC Houses Hutcheon, John 1869 04 5 3134-MCC registration no 3134 [Burchett Index]. Fee 2.0.0house King St71813 Kidd, Robert Melbourne VIC Houses Hutcheon, John - Carlton 1865 01 16 659-MCC registration no 659 [Burchett Index]. Fee 1.10.0house71982 Kidd, Robert Melbourne VIC Houses; Shops Kidd, Robert 1856 04 17 283-MCC registration no 283 [Burchett Index]. Fee 2.0.0shop & dwelling.VICTORIA HERITAGE REGISTERHistory of Place:In 1953 considerable alterations were undertaken to the Langdon Building. The original architraves were replaced by new work, all with a consistent profile. "All other panelling, built-in counters, office partitions, architraves, skirtings, cornices, marble and cedar fireplaces, doors were introduced from other places, including many elements from a demolished mansion on the corner of Orrong and Toorak Roads - known as Leura. Other sources include the original Goldsborough and Mort building, and the Melbourne Chamber of Commerce. Concrete floors were also installed. The cellar under no.351 King Street , the only one of the three buildings to have a cellar, was rebuilt to improve drainage of water seeping down the hill from Flagstaff Gardens, and a bomb shelter was installed at the time to safeguard employees from the threat of the Cold War." ( Historical Assessment of Langdon Buildings, Diane Halas Routt, December 1989, p.7. For submission by Gas & Fuel Corporation Superannuation Fund)Associated People:.NATIONAL TRUST OF AUSTRALIA (VIC)Collins image 1963Built and owned by Robert Kidd in the period 1856 (351 King St) to 1869 (355 King St), this house and shop group is imporant because of its age (commenced in Victoria's gold boom era), the facing material used (Basalt masonry) and the relationship its earliest section has with the notable Fenwick buildings to the south. Used as an early clothing factory, it was eclipsed and complemented by the Phoenix Clothing Factory adjoining and combined with this building to provide a fine early commercial and residential streetscape.Of secondary interest is its ownership by the Langdon Company when the architectural connoisseurs, the Freeman Brothers (co-founders of the National Trust) and Langdon, appear to have had a hand in saving valuable elements removed from notable demolished buildings.Classified: 18/6/1990Also part of Group Classification with B6118 - 347-345 King StreetGroup Statement of Significance: 351-355 and 347-349 King Street, Robert Kidd's buildings (351-5) and the Fenwick Brothers Complex (347-9) were both built in the period between the gold rush of the early 1850s and the development of the colony's secondary industries in the 1870s. Parts of each complex relate to both important historical phases, in particular the former Phoenix Clothing Factory at the rear of 347-9 King Street and Isaac Davidson's clothing factory at the rear of 355 King Street. These early factories share a party wall, were once united via twin archways, and are still linked by a pitched loading lane from King Street.In King Street, the early date of the facade (1857 and 1856-9) distinguishes them among commercial streetscapes elsewhere in Melbourne and compares directly with the notable basalt stores of King Street South.
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Record number:
1247820
| Type | Reference No. | Extent | Status/Desc |
|---|---|---|---|
| Original | 105323 1 | 1 JPEG : 230 KB ; A4 | Single Item (May not be issued, may not be reproduced) |