Kirk's shops & residences, part (66) later Pellegrini's Espresso Bar, 66-70 Bourke Street, Melbourne
Butler, Graeme1984
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Total copies: 1
Title:
Kirk's shops & residences, part (66) later Pellegrini's Espresso Bar, 66-70 Bourke Street, Melbourne
Creator:
Date of work:
1984
Search dates:
01 Jan 1984 - 31 Dec 1984
Reference number:
Butler13217
Level of description:
Item from Collection: Heritage Collection (HC)
Type of materials:
Graphic materials
Part of:
Access restrictions:
Unrestricted
Use restrictions:
Unrestricted
General notes:
RESEARCH ADDED BY GRAEME BUTLER 2022:__________________________________________________DATE: 1861- (1955-);ASSOCIATIONS: Kirk, George 1861; V & L Pellegrini 1954-5;DESIGNER: Smith Tracy Lyon & Brock (Eric Lyon);BUILDER: Wheeler, Edward - Collingwood.GRAEME BUTLER 1985 MELBOURNE CENTRAL ACTIVITIES DISTRICT CONSERVATION STUDYStatement of SignificanceHistoryBuilt as three shops and six-room dwellings in 1860-1, by Edward Wheeler, the building appears to have been a speculation by George Kirk, partner of E. Row & Co., auctioneers and estate agents. Mrs. Kirk and later Kirk's executors, continued as owners until well into the 1900s. Long term tenants were Edgar Baskerville, tobacconists (70), and Samuel Mauger, hatter (66), John A. Kay, a chemist, was another (68).Pellegrini's coffee bar (66), although a relatively late advent to this part of Bourke Street, perpetuates the bohemian spirit evoked by the early Florentino and Society Cafe development, with a name that was synonymous with Sydney bohemia in the 1920s (Hunter Street).DescriptionA two-storied conservative Renaissance Revival row house group of three, with a stuccoed facade, divided by pilasters which once extended to ground level (capitals remain). Upper level windows have flat pediments, with bas-relief gabled pediments behind, and foliated diaper-pattern friezes beneath set between the pediment corners and window architrave. A guilloche pattern ornaments the panel below sill. Inverted console brackets and upright console brackets are used within the pilaster order and wreaths and rosettes ornament panels along theparapet entablature.External IntegritySide-wall brickwork has been painted, openings removed, the Bourke Street ground level has been replaced .StreetscapeContributing part to an early Victorian commercial streetscape.SignificanceRepresentative of the early stuccoed Renaissance revival in Melbourne (window details), the row is austere, in compliance with other early shops and residences in this part of Bourke Street. Although in stark contrast to the original early Victorian character, Pellegrini's bar possesses great 1950s panache, simultaneously expressing the era itself and, by implication, the period's immigration boom..GRAEME BUTLER 1985 MELBOURNE CENTRAL ACTIVITIES DISTRICT CONSERVATION STUDYBUILDING IDENTIFICATION FORM cites Victoria Illustrated pp164,167;_________________________________________LEWIS, M- AUSTRALIAN ARCHITECTURE INDEX: Record73657 Kirk, George Melbourne VIC Houses; Shops Wheeler, Edward - Collingwood 1860 09 17: MCC registration no 519 [Burchett Index]. Fee 6.0.0three shops & dwellings (Kirk used architect John Gill for similar shops in 1857)_________________________________________CITY OF MELBOURNE BUILDING PERMIT APPLICATIONS1 Nov 1954 28511 ₤1500 new shopfront etc21 Oct 1955 29542 ₤600 alterations1 March 1956 29870 ₤50 exterior illuminations27 Sep 1957 31602 ₤80 Ill sign in form of tubing … Pellegrini2 Nov 1990 68673 $30,000 alterations etc to 66_________________________________________NEWSPAPERS (TROVE)(The Australian Women's Weekly (1933 - 1982) Wed 13 Jan 1965 Page 4 )`PEOPLE WASH THE DISHESA pantry-maid at Pellegrini's coffee bar and restaurant in Bourke Street.Pellegrini's is one of the city's largest establishments where dishes are still washed by hand. Machines would not suit the size or routine of the bar and restaurant, said the owner, Mr. Leo Pellegrini. 'But we do not employ dish-washers. We have pantry - maids or kitchen hands who serve food, pre pare vegetables, and wash dishes.' Mr. Pellegrini trains his all-Italian staff in his personal dish-washing methods. He concedes women are faster dish-washers than men. Of Emma the dish-washer he said: 'She is magnifico.' Three years' practice At lunchtime when waiting customers queue on to the footpath, Emma stands at the sink, which faces customers, and washes dishes by the hundred. While she washes, she takes customers' orders, relays them in Italian to the kitchen, and often dries her hands quickly to serve customers with food or take their money. She says her speed with dishes is the result of three years' practice. She washes everything in hot water, rinses in cold, and for glasses adds lemon slices to the rinse water.In winter she finds she has to wear rubber gloves because the rinsing water is too cold. When drying dinner plates she follows the boss' rule of wiping the back and front the dish simultaneously in circular motion, following the contour of the plate. ('This way there is grace of movement,' said Mr. Pellegrini.) For bread - and - butter plates he takes at least six at time, and wipes the top and bottom plates together, and places the top one on the bottom of the pile. This saves time picking up and drying plates individually. Actually, Emma doesn't like doing dishes, and neither does her husband. So even at home little Emma has to face the washing-up.Twelve Children No one ever says, 'Leave the dishes in the sink, Ma,' said Mrs. Amadie L'Huillier, of Mentone, mother of 12 children, aged from 18 to two years. 'Who could face one of FOUR wash-ups next morn- ing, she asked despairingly. Mrs. L'Huillier uses two dinner sets at most meals, Fortunately she has no difficulty fitting everything in her sink. Her husband installed a sink (from an old demol- ished home) twice thc size of a normal one. After breakfast, when ten children go of to school, Mrs. L'Huillier spends more than an hour washing dishes and putting them away. After the evening meal four of the smaller children dry while she washes, and this cuts down the time by half. The children stack the dishes on to a tea-trolley, then wheel it to the cup- boards. Mrs. L'Huillier has found no magical way to do the dishes. She approaches them calmly and says, 'Practice makes perfect. I think the worst part is stacking and scraping.' Her parting comment was: 'Me want a washing machine? No! I couldn't stand to waste all the good energy that we have in this house.' Sadly, I discovered there was no longer a chief cook and bottle washer at hotels or restaurants. In today's commercial kitchens a 'pot walloper' carries on the tradition of the professional dish-washer. The cook just cooks. The 'pot walloper' washes the pots, pans, and utensils that the press-button dish-washing machines can't clean. This is a low-prestige but well-paid position, and one usually filled by newly arrived migrants who learn English while they shine pots. …'
Location of originals:
\\mcc\groups\comserv\Melbourne Library Service\Community Heritage\Spydus\Butler collection\Butler13217.tif
Related material link:
Record types:
Images, maps and artefacts
Record number:
753044
| Type | Reference No. | Extent | Status/Desc |
|---|---|---|---|
| Original | Butler13217 | 31.6 MB ; 4093 x 2677 px | Single Item (May not be issued, may not be reproduced) |