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Australasian Fire & Accident Insurance Company later London and Lancashire Building, 400-402 Collins Street, Melbourne

Butler, Graeme1985

Record details

Title:

Creator:

Butler, Graeme (Name details)

Date of work:

1985

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:

DATE: 1864-5, 1940;ASSOCIATIONS: Orr, John and Australasian Fire & Accident Insurance Company 1864-5; Royal Insurance Co. Ltd.;DESIGNERS: Austin & Ellis, 1864-5, two lower levels; Eggleston, A S & R A 1940 upper levels;BUILDER: Sutherland, James; EA Watts 1940.ASSOCIATED RESEARCH ADDED BY GRAEME BUTLER:.GRAEME BUTLER 1985 MELBOURNE CENTRAL ACTIVITIES DISTRICT CONSERVATION STUDYStatement of SignificanceHistoryRate descriptions indicate the birth of this building in 1865 as `...a large stone building of seven rooms...'. It was infact the offices for the Australasian Fire & Accident Insurance Company (later Australasian Insurance Company),under secretary E. L. Montefoire and with a resident messenger, Morris Phillips and remained so for the rest of the century. Perhaps it was not accidental that its location should adjoin the Bank of Australasia but the site chosen was that of the oldest of the bank's buildings (by then the Superintendent's offices), next to the Wesleyan Chapel on the corner (demolished). Early views show the new office building as parapeted, of three-storeys and fenestrated in groups of three on all levels, identical to today's lower levels. (The builder may have been James Sutherland but the architect is unknown).By the early 1900s, the building also housed the London & Lancashire Fire Insurance Company, the City Mutual Fire Insurance Co., Australian Alliance Assurance Co. (Henry Walkley, manager) and Myles Phillips, a caretaker descendent from the first Phillips resident messenger. Most of these companies and more were there some thirty years later, just prior to (and many years after) an estimated 10,000 pounds expenditure on alterations and additions to the building, applied for in March 1940 in the difficult war period. The architects were A. S. & R. A. Eggleston and their sympathetic approach typical of the prevailing `good manners' in architectural design, prior to the second war.The Royal Insurance Co. Ltd. (a London-based company, established in 1845) had absorbed most of these resident companies by the 1970s.DescriptionTwo stages of design are apparent in this building, the Renaissance palazzo mode evident in both. Commencing as a three-storied building, with aedicule windows at the first level and attic lights at the other, the building wasextended a further three floors, again with the attic motif used at the upper level, with finely graduated window sizesbetween. The parapet is balustraded with a central raised entablature and the cornice is deeply bracketed above egg and dart and key motif friezes. A guilloche pattern frieze extends below the attic level, against the main facade. The whole is finished in freestone with quoining and the base level is of polished granite, all in a boldly executed classical revival. Side walls are of quarry-faced basalt, as evident along the east face, with accompanying vermiculated quoins. A wrought iron gate pair leads to a private laneway between this and the corner building, whilst fire-proofing shutters are evident along the three levels facing the lane. Stepped floor levels above this, towards the rear of the building, show the influence of building regulations and required natural light angles.External IntegrityThe ground-level glazing has been replaced in bronze-anodized aluminium, albeit in a sympathetic manner, and a large sign has been added to the ground level. The ground-level interior has evidently been renovated.StreetscapeAdjoins the important corner bank and complements the more diverse but architecturally significant precinct which revolves around this corner and further 19th century and early 20th century classical and Gothic revival elevations to the west.SignificanceAn amalgam of two eras and two finely executed and complementary designs, the building still clearly expresses bothconstruction periods and the corporate entities which occupied the building through both. It retains the excellence of its stone detailing and supports the adjoining former bank building (itself a combination of eras) in an important classical revival streetscape..GRAEME BUTLER 1985 MELBOURNE CENTRAL ACTIVITIES DISTRICT CONSERVATION STUDYBUILDING IDENTIFICATION FORM source 80 Keith & John R Reid, 1976, CBD STUDY AREA 7,p127.Keith & John R Reid, 1976, CBD STUDY AREA 7,p127`Originally a three storey stale officebuilding with stabling and Outhouse; currently a six storey office building and banking premises... Part of the building is the remains of one of the largest of the early office buildings. Its facade is a most significant element in the streetscape of the Collins Street Precinct… RECOMMENDATION: 'The façade is recommended as essential for retention'; CITY OF MELBOURNE BUILDING PERMIT APPLICATIONS 1054?.LEWIS, M- AUSTRALIAN ARCHITECTURE INDEX32961 Austin & Ellis; VIC Office Buildings 1864 6 11 -AUSTIN & ELLIS tenders wanted - erection of offices, board room &c in Collins St West for the Australasian Fire, Life and Marine Insurance Co. Argus 11.6.1864 p 3,32962 Austin & Ellis; VIC Office Buildings 1864 11 18 -Austin & Ellis, Elizabeth St. Illustration of premises under construction for the Australasian Insurance Company on north side of Collins St. adjoining the Bank of Australasia. Elevation. Illustrated Melbourne Post 18.11.1864 p 13(see also 74434 Orr, John Melbourne VIC Office Buildings Sutherland, James - Melbourne 1865 08 28 1054, MCC registration no 1054 [Burchett Index]. Fee 3.0.0 offices, cited in Reid)__________________________________________________NEWSPAPERS (TROVE)he Argus (Melbourne, Vic. : 1848 - 1957)Thursday 17 October 1940 - Page 11https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/11317127Extensive additions to the building of the London and Lancashire Insurance Co. Ltd., at 400 Collins street, are completely altering this well known old building. The architects are A. S. and R. A. Eggleston, and the builder is Mr. E. A. Watts.

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City of Melbourne

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