Motor Showroom & Offices,111-125 A'Beckett Street, Melbourne
Butler, Graeme01/01/1985
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Total copies: 1
Camberwell architect, Lionel San Miguel, designed this stylishly Moderne motor show-room and offices.
Title:
Motor Showroom & Offices,111-125 A'Beckett Street, Melbourne
Creator:
Date of work:
01/01/1985
Reference number:
BIF-CITY 100156
Level of description:
Item from Collection: Heritage Collection (HC)
Type of materials:
Graphic materials
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:
ASSOCIATED RESEARCH BY GRAEME BUTLER:Style: Streamlined ModernePeriod: Inter-WarConstruction Date: 1936Notable Features: 1. Terracotta facing, clock, 2. Curved form.Graeme Butler 1985 Melbourne Central Activities District Conservation StudyStatement of SignificanceHistoryCamberwell architect, Lionel San Miguel, designed this stylishly Moderne motor show-room and offices for comparatively more conservative clients (Catholic Church). Rispin Brothers tendered 4,100 pounds for its erection for a use which continues today. San Miguel's Catholic Church commissions were reputedly numerous (see 143 - 151 A'Beckett Street).DescriptionThe design formula which consists of a vertical entrance feature ( with tripartite flag poles ) terminating horizontal massing, was first used in Victorian at the former McPherson's Building, Collins Street in 1934. It was an European inspiration and more correctly transparent, with its full height show windows and 'visible structure' , than this model. Nevertheless the long glazing strips, gleaming terracotta and brick wall finishes, and opulent curves are highly representative of this minority style in Victoria.External Integrity -The addition of a profusion of signs, new window displays and air units is obtrusive.StreetscapeSited near similarly 20th Century examples but relates directly only to 143-151, 185-187 and 235-249 A'Beckett Street.SignificanceA successfully designed and near intact building in the Moderne style which reflects relatively new retailing techniques (continuous plate glass, ground level ) as well as being a popular adaptation from the important European Modern movement..Newspapers:`The Argus' Tuesday 22 January 1935`INTERNATIONAL Truck, ton, good order, must be sold. Commonwealth Motors, 506 Elizabeth Street.'4 April 1936:… COMMONWEALTH MOTORS,Rep. Vauxhall Cars and Bedford Trucks.506 Elisabeth St., op. Victoria Markets. F4323.'Saturday 31 October 1936:`MECHANICS- four first class men wanted…Good wages to right menLetter only Manager COMMONWEALTH MOTORS 111- 125 a Beckett street Melbourne All applications strictly confidential'.Sands & McDougall Directory of Victoria1940 Commonwealth Motors used cars1944-45 H. A. Chivers aircraft instruments manufacturers1950 Commonwealth Motors Pty Ltd Motor Car Agents1955 Commonwealth Motors Pty Ltd Motor Car Agents1974 Town Auto wholesalers..Lewis, Miles and others (1994) Melbourne- the City's history and development: 95-965.4 THE CITY BEAUTIFUL GOVERNMENT`...Motor car registrations had increased eightfold in the decade 1917-1928, and city traffic increased by 31% in the years 1924- 6 alone. 31 Traffic planning was therefore a major concern. Frank Stapley, one of the great protagonists of the town planning movement, had been Mayor of Melbourne in 1918, and had instigated an inquiry into traffic congestion… The first motor car was a steam-driven one constructed by Herbert Thomson of Malvern, and finished in 1896. In 1897 John Pender of Brunswick imported a car from America, and in the same year the first motorcycle appeared. In 1901 the two motor dealers were accorded a separate section in the Sands & McDougall Directory, and the number of firms dealing in motor cars and cycles increased exponentially to five in 1902, ten in 1903, twenty in 1904 and forty in 1905. In 1906 the first motor garages appeared, and in 1910 it was made compulsory to register motor cars with the Police Department. The number was 1,590 in July 1910, and by 1932-3 it had risen to nearly 125,000 private cars, over 30,000 commercial vehicles, and 23,000 motorcycles. Taxis made their appearance in 1909, and the Railways Department introduced the first motor omnibuses in 1905, though these did not at this stage ply in central Melbourne. In 1916 the Council was impelled to impose a traffic code, requiring vehicles to travel on the left and to indicate when turning, and square or centre turns were instituted. In 1922 safety zones were introduced, and in 1928 automatic lights for traffic control. By 1930 three-quarters of the growers using the Victoria Market had converted to motor trucks…'
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Record types:
Research and reports
Record number:
1179241
| Type | Reference No. | Extent | Status/Desc |
|---|---|---|---|
| Original | 100156 | 1 PDF : 408 KB ; A4 | Group of Items (May not be issued, may not be reproduced) |