W.D. & H.O. Wills (Aust) Ltd tobacco warehouse, 411-423 Swanston Street, Melbourne
Butler, Graeme1985
Archives
Total copies: 1
Title:
W.D. & H.O. Wills (Aust) Ltd tobacco warehouse, 411-423 Swanston Street, Melbourne
Creator:
Date of work:
1985
Reference number:
BIF-CITY 109316
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 2023:__________________________________________________DATE: 1924-1925;ASSOCIATIONS: WD & HO Wills (Aust) Ltd;DESIGNER: Davies, Francis J;BUILDER: Cooper, WEPeriod: Interwar______________________________GRAEME BUTLER & ASSOCIATES 2011, CENTRAL CITY (HODDLE GRID) HERITAGE REVIEWStatement of SignificanceWhat is significant?A prelude to construction this building was the nearby British-Australasian Tobacco Co building project completed at 435-445 Swanston Street in 1906. Another floor was added in 1908 when eminent engineer, John Monash and his Reinforced Concrete Monier & Pipe Construction Co were involved in the structural design. A major blow to new reinforced concrete structures in the City came on 24 April 1925 when the upper floors of the Stewart St wing of the above complex collapsed killing four workmen. Newspaper articles queried the use of this new construction technique for multi-storey work. The works had been designed by Francis J Davies who it transpired had failed to show a key structural member on his drawings and the building was reinstated to the design of architects Bates & Smart. The builders, Cooper & Cockram, were reported to have paid out some ₤20,000 in damages: this building complex has since been demolished.The five-storey tobacco warehouse and basement at the corner of A'Beckett and Swanston Streets was erected September 1925. It was designed by the same architect Francis J Davies but for the then rival tobacco company, W.D. & H.O. Wills (Aust.) Ltd.; the builder was Walter E. Cooper and the contract amount ₤39,000. The persistent use of reinforced concrete in this building is evocative of the need for fire proof construction in this industry despite the risks implied by the nearby building collapse in the same year.The engineering was carried out by John Monash's rival, H.R. Crawford, who had designed the pioneering Snider & Abrahams building in Drewery lane of 1908-9. The structure was initially on a column and beam grid pattern but during the application process changed to the Claude Turner system of reinforcing column and slab connections, with half inch bar reinforcing rings at each chamfered column head and flat slabs beyond.An upper level typical floor had four lifts and two concrete encased stair shafts, one serving as the lobby in the south-east corner of the building. A large Men's lavatory block was near the main stairs while the `Girl's' lavatories were in the far corner next to a single lift. At ground level six offices lined the Swanston and part of the A'Beckett Street frontages, with the entry lobby, ornamental stair and lift abutting a large strong room on the south wall. At the north-west corner was the Goods Entrance and there was liberal use of sliding fire shutters on fusible links throughout. The Australian Builders Labourers' Federation were critical of the scaffold used on the building during construction, with no doubt the previous accident in mind.The building adopts a conservative style for an inter-war warehouse design with Edwardian Free Style pylon-towers with ox-bow parapets at either end of its otherwise plain rendered façade. It has a massive bracketed parapet cornice seemingly supported on piers that extend the height of the building, providing continuous strips for location of windows and intervening spandrel panels. The building has a similar but plainer elevation to A'Beckett Street. The imposing corner structure is realised in rendered reinforced concrete with multi-pane steel-framed windows throughout.It relates well to the adjoining Druid House in Swanston Street and has a historical association with another nearby existing and former large tobacco complex in Swanston St and off little Lonsdale Street as a demonstration of the grouping of these uses in the City. The building is in good and largely original condition although the cantilevering concrete canopy at the former lobby entry and associated joinery have been removed, as has the firm's name from the parapet panels at the north-west and south-east corners.In 1901 several British tobacco firms merged under the leadership of W.D. and H.O. Wills to form the Imperial Tobacco Company. The British Tobacco Company (Australia) Limited had been formed in 1904 to take over a group of small tobacco companies, including W.D. & H.O. Wills (Australia) Limited. In 1982 the company announced that its cigarette manufacturing plants at Raleigh Park in Sydney and Virginia Park in Melbourne would close, to be consolidated in a new national plant to be built at Pagewood in Sydney. W.D. & H.O. Wills and its parent British American Tobacco were the major tobacco companies active in Australia during the 20th century.How is it significant?The W.D. and H.O. Wills building is significant historically and of aesthetic interest within the Melbourne Capital City Zone.Why is it significant?The W.D. and H.O. Wills is significant historically for its long and close association with the tobacco firm W.D. and H.O. Wills within the Capital City Zone, as well as the controversy surrounding the architect, Davies, with another rival tobacco warehouse that collapsed shortly before the erection of this building. The early use of flat slab Turner reinforced construction method is also of historic interest.Aesthetically, the building is of interest as a prominent, well-preserved but conservative design more typical of the Edwardian-era and hence does not achieve the local significance threshold assessed within this value but it exemplifies the building type well..RAWORTH, B 2002. REVIEW OF HERITAGE OVERLAY LISTINGS IN THE CBDfor the City of MelbourneHistory and Description411- 423 Swanston Street, was completed in September 1925 as a five storey warehouse. It was designed by architect Francis J Davies for tobacco company, WD & HO Wills 1. The building adopts an unusual form for a warehouse design with decorative towers to either end of its otherwise plain rendered facade. It presents a similar but less interesting elevation to A'Beckett Street. The imposing corner structure is realised in reinforced concrete with steel framed windows throughout. The building is in good and largely original condition although bars to all ground floor windows detract from its simple external expression.Statement of Significance411-423 Swanston Street is of some aesthetic significance at a local level as an unusually styled warehouse within Melbourne's CBD..GRAEME BUTLER 1985 MELBOURNE CENTRAL ACTIVITIES DISTRICT CONSERVATION STUDYBUILDING IDENTIFICATION FORM_________________________________________City of Melbourne i-Heritage:Central Activities District Conservation Study - Graeme Butler, 1984 Building Identification Form (BIF): Ground level altered (inappropriate - reinstate original design or sympathetic alternative). Central Activities District Conservation Study 2000 cites: 1 Building Permit No. 6436. (rebuild)_________________________________________Building Permit Applications(25/1/1906, 9877 British & Australasian Tobacco `warehouse and factory', JH Davies, fee ₤6 Building Permit Application 1908,841 added floor)17 June 1924, 6436: fee ₤38, owner, builder, architect etc. cites Old Law application 6436…1976 $140,000 alterations and change of use_________________________________________Mahlstedt Fire Insurance Plan Series:Mahlstedt Plan 13A: 1910-1923:shows Heffernan's Hotel at corner.Mahlstedt Plan 13A: 1924-48: shows building as 5 storey, all reinforced concrete. sprinklered, W.D. & H.O. Wills tobacco merchants_________________________________________NEWSPAPERS (TROVE)`The Argus': 27/4/1925: 13 description of British & Australasian Tobacco building collapse and other articles on court case_________________________________________AUSTRALIAN DICTIONARY OF BIOGRAPHYR. B. Walker, 'Denison, Sir Hugh Robert (1865 - 1940)', Australian Dictionary of Biography, Volume 8, Melbourne University Press, 1981, pp 283-285. role as Dixson Tobacco Co. which joined William Cameron Bros & Co. Pty, Melbourne, to form the British-Australasian Tobacco Co. Ltd in 1903;_________________________________________LEWIS, M- AUSTRALIAN ARCHITECTURE INDEX:Bates & Smart employed to reinstate the partly collapsed British Australia Tobacco Co. Bldg.designed by J.H. Davies q.v. (near Franklin St. : Shaw p 74)Shaw, Builders of Melbourne,pp 52-3 c1925J. H. Davies, architect of the British-Australian Tobacco Co., Swanston St., opposite the City Baths. Of 6 storeys reinforced concrete frame, built by Cockram & Cooper. On 24.4.1925, upper floors collapsed killing 4 men. Building was reinstated by arch. Bates & Smart.M. T. Shaw, Builders of Melbourne, pp 521-3_________________________________________Monash files: Notes on Building Projectshttp://home.vicnet.net.au/~aholgate/jm/bldgtext/bldgs07.htmlBritish Australasian Tobacco Co. Building.RCMPC had an involvement with BATC, through its Factory Superintendent, W Cameron, extending over many years. Reinforced concrete additions were made to the company's buildings at the north end of the city grid, between Swanston St and Stewart St, and existing steel and timber floors were strengthened. This first construction project involved an extra 'fireproof' fourth floor and roof, fireproof staircase, and elevated 6500 gallon water tank to supply the sprinkler system.Cross-section through the building. The staircase zig-zags up the left hand side and the new fourth floor runs along the top. Its reinforced concrete floor forms the ceiling of the third floor. The sprinkler tank is shallow and rectangular and sits on legs, well above roof level.Extract from the architect's drawing showing the new staircase, fourth floor, roof, and sprinkler tank. Most of the existing building is omitted, but a line (emphasised here in red) indicates the level of the previous parapet. Based on a drawing in the J Thomas Collection.The architect was F J Davies. Monash's first quote to Davies for 'fireproof floors' in March 1907, was £795 for one floor or £1512 for two, with finishes an additional £61 per floor. Design load was 200 psf, representing two casks of tobacco sitting one on top of the other. The floor plate was to be 4.5 inches thick, with factor of safety of 5. The main beams were to be 14 inches wide and the secondaries 11' wide, all projecting 10' below the plate, with a FoS of 4. The columns would be 12 inches square for the lower floor and 10' square for the upper, again with FoS of 4. It is noteworthy that JM still felt it necessary to argue strongly in favour of reinforced concrete as opposed to traditional construction. A rough plan [perhaps drawn by W E L Wears] shows the factory extending from Swanston St. to Stewart St in three blocks. That on Swanston St is approximately 54 × 33 feet in plan; the one on Stewart St is 62 × 34 feet; and there is a block 65 × 25 feet between them. However a later drawing shows a plan basically of L-shape with arms 114 × 42 and 96 × 32 (overlapping) and an extra block 24 × 17 in the internal angle. A note by JM dated 23 August 1907 reads: 'Informed Mr. Davis … £900 to £1000'.There was a hiatus in September and October, during which RCMPC advised on the strengthening of floors in the existing parts building by reducing the effective span of rolled steel joists. In the following months the work was reduced somewhat in scope and detailed calculations and estimates were made. On 30 January 1908 RCMPC submitted a formal tender of £3155, being £2864 for the main work, £131 for the 'screen walls', and £160 for the tank. Included were a brief specification and the RVIA General Conditions of Contract. Both H G Jenkinson and S J Lindsay were involved in the detailed design. The first requisition for materials was sent to Gibson on 10 March. Minor architectural changes and further calculations continued into April.For engineers: A note regarding the r.c. 'curtain walls' reads 'Wall reinforced both ways, therefore calculate for WL/16 [but] floor plate WL/10'. The wind pressure was assumed to be 40 psf.A note to Gibson in May concerning payments refers to 'the usual Architects' commission of 1 per cent on the total amount of the contract for copies of plans etc.' On 13th, E H Morton, the City Surveyor, wrote to Davies: 'Please supply details and calculations of the reinforced concrete storey at above factory. These should have been supplied before proceeding with work, in terms of Referee's Award'. The same month, Jenkinson calculated the strength of a 'defective column' attached to a wall and Monash told Davies that the load would be transferred to the wall by inserting 'bars and fresh concrete', rather than cutting out the whole column. On 4 September, Monash informed Davies that he expected concrete work to be completed that week. However, the Directors of the BAT Co wanted to enforce the penalty for late completion. Monash told Gibson that the idea had apparently come from Cameron who was currently in Japan, so 'with a little tact and diplomacy', they should be able to settle the matter with Hart and Wilkins (presumably other directors). However, the Directors did insist on a £50 penalty payment; so JM sent them a cheque for £25 and an account for £25 for the hire of an electric winch.Monash's previous project for Cameron had been in 1895. His next project for BATC came in 1909.Strengthening of floors at BATC factory, 1909. (Consulting.)Monash was called in to investigate structural problems at British Australasian Tobacco's factory in A'Beckett St, Melbourne and its Stewart Street Store. Notes dated 25 August 1909 from 'today's inspection' show that a timber beam had cracked longitudinally at about mid-depth and sagged badly. After making calculations, JM reported on 6 September:* the beam failed because the present load is twice its capacity.* all other beams were heavily overloaded* therefore the floors must be strengthenedJM recommended [once again] the removal of the cast iron columns under the ground and first floors. He pointed out that the cost of this radical measure would be very little more than that of piecemeal solutions. These floors should be treated just as the second and third floors were treated 'some fourteen-and-a-half years before' (by removing the central row of columns and installing rolled steel joists to carry the floors across the full width of the building). JM estimated the cost at £440. He noted that his design for the RSJs allowed for future replacement of the wooden flooring by reinforced concrete. In his opinion, the foundations were 'close to overloading' - despite an assurance by the owners that they were 'fine'. JM offered to carry out the work using day labour.On 17 September, Mr Wilkins, Manager for BAT, gave the green light. Monash accepted a quote from Johns & Waygood for 12 steel girders for £348 and gave them military-style instructions for delivery of 2 girders per week at 12.00 noon sharp each Saturday. Similar instructions were sent to a Mr George Hatswell, evidently an employee of BAT who was to act as Clerk of Works. He proposed some modifications to the procedure for switching beams from timber to steel. These were approved by JM as long as the floors were used only for office space at the time.On 26 November, Monash wrote to BAT management with high praise for Hatswell who had conducted the 'difficult and hazardous undertaking' with success and economy. As a result, the cost had been reduced from £440 to £410. JM's fee for the work was 5 per cent commission (which worked out to £20-8-0, based on a final cost of £408) and 3 guineas (£3-3-0) for the inspection and design.Monash's previous project for BATC was the addition of an extra storey in 1907-08. Their next project was the addition of a kitchen.'________________________________________DIRECTORIES OF VICTORIA, MELBOURNE-SANDS AND KENNY, SANDS & MCDOUGALL1915 423 Prince George Hotel etc1920 419-21 Murphy, Edwd, tobacconist and conf, Ashton, Wallace hair dresser423 Prince George Hotel etc.3 A'Beckett St - Prince George Hotel1924 411-423 Fryberg, Solomon gen dealer, 423 Mrs Kirby restaurant, Daniel J KirbyA'Beckett st British -Australian Tobacco Co (storerooms)1930 411-423 WD & HO Wills (Aust) Ltd tobacco1955 411-423 WD & HO Wills (Aust) Ltd tobacco manuf. Importers, retailers
Related material link:
Names:
Topics:
Places:
Form/Genre:
Record types:
Research and reports
Record number:
1264414
| Type | Reference No. | Extent | Status/Desc |
|---|---|---|---|
| Original | 109316 | 1 JPEG : 629 KB ; A4 | Single Item (May not be issued, may not be reproduced) |