Remove from your active Pick list Save for later

Commercial Travellers' Association Melbourne Sample Rooms, later Lane Centre, 325-331 Flinders Lane, Melbourne

Butler, Graeme1985

Record details

Title:

Creator:

Butler, Graeme (Name details)

Date of work:

1985

Reference number:

BIF-CITY 103948

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: EdwardianDATE: 1908;ASSOCIATIONS: Commercial Travellers' Association;DESIGNER: Tompkins, H.W. & F.B.;BUILDER: Langford, ClementsIMAGE: Flickr https://flic.kr/p/2m7qouD.GRAEME BUTLER 1985 MELBOURNE CENTRAL ACTIVITIES DISTRICT CONSERVATION STUDYStatement of SignificanceHistoryThis was at first the Melbourne Sample Rooms, owned by the Commercial Travellers' Association and built as the rear quarters of the massive C.T.A. Building in Flinders Street. It was designed in 1907 by the prolific commercial architecture protagonists, H. W. & F. B. Tompkins, and Clements Langford was the builder.As a commercial traveller might display his wares, in a rented room in some rural commercial hotel, here the sample room was on a much grander scale, extending four floors above and one floor below ground-level. Doery Tilley & Co., boot importers and manufacturers were in the basement, Richardson Orr & Co. (indenters) in the prime ground-level space, Grice Sumner & Co. and Richard Bayne on the first floor, and numerous merchants, indenters and agents on the floors above. A typist, Mrs. J. A. Lawrence, occupied a space on the top floor.By 1920, this was the Lane Centre (325-31) and Commerce Way (331). Doery Tilley & Co. had moved from the basement of 325-31 to their own premises, further east in the Lane, and in their place were Jones & Haynes, typewriter and office suppliers, George Nicholas, & Co., manufacturing chemists (later Nicholas, Pty. Ltd.). New upper-level tenants were Gollin & Co. Pty. Ltd. (importers and owners of the Gollin Building, Bourke Street) and many more agents, importers and indenters in place of the larger firms of ten years previous. Among the old tenants were Richardson & Orr and Hooper & Harrison, woollen merchants. The trend towards a greater number of smaller firms continued on through the 1940s. The `Commerce Way' part of the premises connected with the C.T.A.Building and the offices of `The Australian Traveller' and `Australia Today.'DescriptionThe Tompkins' other Flinders Lane warehouse designs, including the ornate Metcalfe Building (145-9) and the adjoining Boydex House (333), are similarly treated but, in the former example, more ornament has been applied to the archetypical tall-arched Romanesque revival elevation. Comprised of two narrow bays, flanking a major four-arch bay, the elevation has an attic and rusticated base levels with timber-framed bayed windows. These rise within the tall-arched openings at the side and window strips, divided by spandrels are set in the central element. Horizontal mouldings divide off each facade element, echoing the design formula established by Royston House (247-51) in 1899.External IntegrityGenerally original.StreetscapeContributes to a notable Edwardian warehouse streetscape.SignificanceAn austere but competent and intact design which served as the business end of the notable Commercial Travellers' Association Building and has housed many agents, importers and manufacturing companies, some notable (Nicholas, Gollin), also contributes to a notable Edwardian streetscape..GRAEME BUTLER 1985 MELBOURNE CENTRAL ACTIVITIES DISTRICT CONSERVATION STUDYBUILDING IDENTIFICATION FORM cites REID, KEITH & JOHN R, 1976, MELBOURNE CBD STUDY AREA 7.REID, KEITH & JOHN R, 1976, MELBOURNE CBD STUDY AREA 7: 189-5 storey and basement, brick walls, timber floors, large exposed timber trusses to sawtooth roof with south lights, exposed steel beams in basement and top floor. Provides detailed description of interior with many original elements. First known as Melbourne Sample Rooms. Top floor unique, remarkably intact.Notable individually and in streetscape..LEWIS, M- AUSTRALIAN ARCHITECTURE INDEXRecord 76497 Tompkins Bros; Commercial Travellers Club Melbourne VIC Warehouses Langford, Clement - 275 Bridge Rd Rich. 1908 01 10 700, MCC registration no 700 [Burchett Index]. Fee 6.0.0 warehouse Flinders Lane.MELBOURNE UNIVERSITY ARCHIVESVarley Brothers building (?)Archives Reference: 1960.0003.00042Digital Resource: https://gallery.its.unimelb.edu.au/imu/imu.php?request=multimedia&irn=105383URIhttp://hdl.handle.net/11343/70223DescriptionVarley Brothers building was designed by H. W. & F. B. Tompkins Architects Located at 325 Flinders Lane, Melbourne. Built by master builders, Clements Langford Pty. Ltd in 1907. The company was originally established as Langford's small Richmond business around 1881. It became incorporated in 1923 and grew into one of Melbourne's largest building firms..NATIONAL TRUST OF AUSTRALIA (VIC) also HERITAGE BRANCH, MINISTRY FOR PLANNING & ENVIRONMENT 1987 CITY OF MELBOURNE CENTRAL CITY NOTABLE BUILDINGS CITATIONS`A five-storey store and office building, designed by H W & F B Tompkins and built in 1907 as the Melbourne Sample rooms. The large showcase windows at the ground floor still indicate the building's showroom function. It is a notable example of giant Romanesque design and is critical to an understanding of the function of Flinders Lane in the early part of the 20th century.'Classified: 06/06/1994.NEWSPAPERS (TROVE)The Argus (Melbourne, Vic. : 1848 - 1957)Monday 3 August 1908 - Page 4https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/10195066MELBOURNE SAMPLE ROOMS. -OPENED BY THE PREMIER.The new Melbourne sample-rooms elected by the Commercial Travellers' Association it 325 Flinders-Iane were formally opened an Saturday In the Premier (Sir Thomas Bent) in the presence of several of his colleagues a number of leading business men and members of the association The buildings which are erected on a site having a frontage of 66ft to Flinders lane with a depth of 150ft consist of a well lighted basement and five floor and form a notable addition to that part of Flinders lane between Elizabeth and Queen streets.A main entrance and a goods entrance are provided and there is an electric elevator and an electric goods lift. The basement and the three floors above it are subdivided into warehouse flats and on the third and fourth floors are 25 well equipped sample rooms for travellers- with others for attendants type writers and a telephone exchange. The building is divided horizontally by fireproof floors the statue is and lift wells are so tied by brick sills and fireproof doors and Grinnell sprinklers and hydrants have been provided throughout the building.The architects were Messrs H W and F B Tompkins and the contractor Mr Clements LangfordThe president of the Commercial Travellers Association Mr A Mendoza. before calling on Sir Thomas Bent to declare the premises open congratulated him upon the honour recently conferred upon him, and expressed the appreciation of the association at seeing Ministers, the Acting Lord Major, and members of the City Council so many representation of firms employing travellers and consular representatives presentThe first object of the association in providing these rooms was to complete the service of the services to passing travellers from the other States and abroad. Their next object was to find a safe and suitable investment for the benefit funds of the association.The association was established in the year 1881 and had now a members roll of 1300 association members and 1500 club membersetc …. See also https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/242927134.DIRECTORIES OF VICTORIA, MELBOURNE-SANDS AND KENNY, SANDS & MCDOUGALL1915325-831 THE MELBOURNE SAMPLE ROOMSBasement-VacantGround floor-Richardson . Orr & Co, mfrs' agentsFirst floor-Gollin & Co Pty Ltd. nninrrs & imptrsSecond floor-Hooper & Harrison , woollen merchantsYoung. Robt., mufr',' agutIsaacs Bros & Co. indntrs & imptrsWhite. Leonard, mnfrfs' agntThird floor-Criswick, C. F„ & Son, mnfrs' agentsDyer, James , manufacturers ' agentsEdison. I has. A„ Ltd. phonograph metchsPollard, Murray & Co Pty i.td, wrehsemn& imptrs, hosiery specialistsPollard, Fredk., tt rehsemn & imptr,hosier specialrs'Kahn & Sorlwick, inufr's' agutoFourth floor--6 The Australian Ind(it, Pty Ltd-Dyring, WT., mgng dirctr7 Clansintzer, Charles, rnnfrs' agnt9-10 Dunn, Arthur, muffs' agnt12 Skinner. Charle' A , mnfrs' agut12 .Baling, W. T., urnfrs' agnt]3 Lawrence, Mrs J A . typist & stamp vucir14 Smith G. E., mnfrs' 'gat15 Nicholas, A., mnfrs' agnt d indntr15 Broady, J. W., innfrs' agnt & indntr15 Brown, F. D., mnfrs' agnt17 Arnold, G., mnfrs' agnt17 Bethell, J., mntr-' agnt18 Barry. F. V.. wnfrs' agnt19 Lanib, E., mnfrs' agntEarle, F., mnfrs' agnt20 Morgan, John. mnfrs' agut21 Lloyd, C. E., mnfrs' agnt22 Blogg, C., mnfrs' agnt23 Miller, W. S., & to, indntrs & imptrs24 Australian Overseas Agency- Lamp F. E., mgrCommerce WayrCommercial Travellers' Assoc of Victoria-Davies, Jas., secy1920825-331 LANE CENTRE—Basement-32-33-34 Jones & Haynes, typewrtr & office suppls35-39-40 Nicholas, Geo. R., & Co, mnfg chemists36-37 Whiteaway, E.. & Co, indentors soft gds38 Pollard & Co Pty Ltd, bulk storeGround floor—Richardson. Orr & Co, mfrs' agent.First floorGollin & Co Pty Ltd, indntrs & imptrsSecond floorHooper & Harrison, woollen merchants24 Young, Robt„ mnfrs' agent22 Isaacs Bros & Co, indntrs & imptrs8 White, L., & Son, mnfrs' agents23 McRoberts & Oakley, soft gds imptrsThird floor-Criswick, C. F.. & Son, mnfrs' agentsDyer, James. manufacturers' agentMurray & Co Pty Ltd, hosiery imptrsPollard & Co Ptd Ltd, wrhsmn & imptrsWhite, Chas. mnfrs' agtJennings, IC W., imprtr fancy goodsFourth floor-6 Childs. Wits, J. W., mnfrs' arnt6 Bethell, J., indentor soft goods7 Miller, W. S., & Co, indentors & imptrs9 Wallace & Co, indentors10 Dunn, Arthur, Ltd, mnfrs' agents11 Watts, J. C., boot wrehsmn12 Kiernan, A. F., mnfrs' agnt13 Stuart, Miss M.. typist & stamp vendor14-15 Lancon, A.. Importer16 Crang, J. M., mnfrs' agent17 Nicholas, Geo. R., & Co, mnfg chmsts18 Barry, F. V., mnfrs' agnt19 Atkinson, H., & Co, mnfrs' agents20 Morgan, John, mnfrs' agnt21-22 Lloyd, C. F., mars' agnt23 Miller, W. S., & Co. indntrs & Imptrs24 Glen, John, mnfrs' agent331 COMMERCE WAY—United Commercial Travellers' Assoc of Australasia LtdOffices of "The Australasian Traveller,"& "Australia To-day"

Names:

City of MelbourneH W & F B Tompkins, 1893-?Melbourne Sample Rooms

Topics:

Central Activities District Conservation Study 1985Conservation studiesFederation/Edwardian styleCommerce

Places:

Melbourne (Vic.)

Form/Genre:

Building Identification Forms (BIFs)

Record types:

Research and reports

Record number:

1208603