Ramsay & Co., 203-207 King Street, Melbourne
Butler, Graeme1985
Archives
Total copies: 1
Title:
Ramsay & Co., 203-207 King Street, Melbourne
Creator:
Date of work:
1985
Reference number:
BIF-CITY 105308 1
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:__________________________________________________DATE: 1912;ASSOCIATIONS: Ramsay, Thomas G;DESIGNER: Koch, J A B & Son;BUILDER: Wright, James S - 421 Collins St__________________________________________________CONTEXT (WITH GJM HERITAGE) 2020, HODDLE GRID HERITAGE REVIEWStatement of SignificanceWhat is significant?203-207 King Street, Melbourne, a two-storey factory/ warehouse building built in 1912-13.Elements that contribute to the significance of the place include (but are not limited to):• The original building form and scale;• The original fenestration, including brick pilasters (some with Art Nouveau capitals), semicircular arches, recessed spandrels, cornice, parapet and pattern of window openings; and• The original timber frame windows.Later alterations made to the street level facades are not significant.How it is significant?203-207 King Street, Melbourne, is of local historic and representative significance to the City of Melbourne.Why it is significant?The two-storey factory building at 203-207 King Street is historically significant for the evidence it provides of a key phase in Melbourne's manufacturing history during the first decades of the twentieth century when most residents moved out of the city to the suburbs, and the retail and manufacturing sectors rapidly took up city properties. Multi-storey workshops, factories and warehouses, many designed by architects, were increasingly established in the city centre. The factory building at 203-207 King Street was constructed in 1912-13 to a design by notable architect J A B Koch. Constructed for printer and stationery manufacturer, Thomas George Ramsay, it is also significant as it is indicative of the historical concentration of businesses connected to the printing, publishing and paper goods industry in the west of the city. Ramsay’s business, named T G Ramsay & Co, was associated with the Ramsay family, Melbourne printers and publishers since 1888. T G Ramsay & Co occupied the building for 22 years, until 1935. (Criterion A)203-207 King Street is significant as a largely intact example of a two-storey Federation period factory/warehouse building featuring some elements influenced by Romanesque architecture. It is one of several such buildings that survive from the period, which are generally low scale and use simple construction of loadbearing face brick walls with either a steel post and beam or reinforced concrete internal structure. It retains its original form and scale, and exhibits key characteristics of its type and style, such as brick pilasters (some with Art Nouveau capitals) terminating in semicircular arches, recessed spandrels, cornice, parapet and pattern of window openings and, at first floor level, timber-framed Diocletian pattern windows. The significance is enhanced by retention at street level of the original refined configuration of masonry and openings. Despite the overpainting, the original form and detailing of the building remain clearly legible. (Criterion D)Primary sourceHoddle Grid Heritage Review (Context & GJM Heritage, 2020).GRAEME BUTLER 1985 MELBOURNE CENTRAL ACTIVITIES DISTRICT CONSERVATION STUDYBUILDING IDENTIFICATION FORM cites 85 Lawrie Wilson & Associates, 1977. Historic Buildings Preservation Council Report on CBD Block No 6 Dec 1977, page 174;__________________________________________________Lawrie Wilson & Associates, 1977. Historic Buildings Preservation Council Report on CBD Block No 6 Dec 19771. HISTORY.1860 141 -Crompton & Chi ld, Butchers. (Directory). 143.-Constable, General Dealer. ( 11 ).The butcher shop remained in existence under various proprietorships until 1895.1910 Mills, Blacksmith (directory).1912 Mills, occupier, Fenwick Trust, Owner,ˇ wood and brick shop (rate book).ˇ1913 Ramsey &Co., owner and occupier. Brick factory~ 2 floors and basement (ratebook). Architect: John A.B. Kock. (Source: Ray Tonkin).2. DESCRIPTION.A two storey brick structure in good repair. This building has excellent streetscape qualities with the dominant semicircular windows to the first floor, and brick piers with sylised capitals on the King Street facade. The scale of the building is compatible with the adjoining properties, and although no historical nor architectural significance is attached to this or the adjoining buildings, the area has a pleasant streetscape quality, brought about by the pedestrian scale of the buildingsand the mature street trees.RECOMMENDATION.The retention of this building is not justified.__________________________________________________Lewis, M. Australian Architecture Index:71707 Wright, James S - 421 Collins St Ramsay, Thomas G Melbourne VIC Factory Koch, J A B & Son; 1912 05 30__________________________________________________City of Melbourne online maps 2016Former YHA Building:Two storey brick former warehouse/factory with a basement. Designed by JAB Koch and built in 1913. Converted to offices in the 1950's and then refurbished and converted to a hostel in 1986.__________________________________________________CONTEXT (WITH GJM HERITAGE) 2020, HODDLE GRID HERITAGE REVIEWSummary203-207 King Street is a two-storey Federation period factory building erected in 1912-13 for printer and stationery manufacturer, Thomas George Ramsay. The building was designed by noted architect J A B Koch and constructed by builder James Wright. T G Ramsay & Co occupied the building until 1935. Other long-term occupants included George Wills & Co, shipping agents, from 1950 until at least 1974; and YHA Australia from 1986 to c1999· Historically significant as evidence of the replacement of residential with manufacturing and the historical concentration of businesses connected to printing, publishing and paper in the west of the city. Also as a building by JAB Koch who designed Labassa Mansion.· Significant as representative of a largely intact two-storey Federation period factory/warehouse featuring Romanesque elements.SITE HISTORYThe subject site is located on part of Crown Allotment 17, Block 13, offered for sale in 1839 (‘Plan of Melbourne' 1838).During the Victorian period, the area near the corner of King and Little Bourke streets was developed with Victorian-period working-class residences and retail premises. By the first decades of the twentieth century through until the 1950s, the area became associated with the printing and publishing industry, reflecting the significant growth of industry and manufacturing in Melbourne over this time. A two-storey building (likely a store) and a one-storey building (likely a residence) were in existence on the subject site by 1888. In the same year, butcher, W Child, occupied the two-storey building and by 1905, Pearson Earthernware operated from the building (Fels, Lavelle and Mider 1993, Inventory no 210).The subject building at 203-207 King Street was constructed in 1912-13 for printer and stationery manufacturer, Thomas George Ramsay.T G Ramsay & Co, printers, had opened premises in Chancery Lane, Melbourne in 1888 (Age 28 July 1888:5).In 1893, Messrs T G Ramsay & Co, letterpress and lithographic printers and manufacturing stationers of Little Collins Street Melbourne, opened a branch office at View Point in Bendigo. By 1894, the firm had moved its Melbourne offices to 87 King Street (Age 24 November 1894:3). In 1910, T G Ramsay & Co commenced operations from new premises at 209-211 King Street, which comprised two-storey brick offices and a factory designed by architects Ward & Carleton (Argus 30 June 1909:2). New premises for the company, the subject building, were constructed in 1912-13 at 203-207 King Street. Designed by architect J A B Koch, the brick factory building at 203-207 King Street was constructed by builder James Wright (MCC registration no 3377, as cited in AAI, record no 71707).In 1923, Ramsay Publishing Pty Ltd was registered to acquire the businesses of T G Ramsay & Co and Shipping Publishing Co Pty Ltd, both located at 203-207 King Street (Daily Commercial News and Shipping List 15 August 1923:13). In 1925, the two-storey building with basement was described as constructed of steel columns and girders with a galvanised iron roof. In this year it continued to house printers T G Ramsay & Co (see Figure 1) (Mahlstedt Map Section 1, no 22, 1925). By 1934, Ramsay Publishing, who published mainly books, operated from premises addressed as 197-207 King Street (Argus 19 April 1934:3). T G Ramsay & Co remained in the building until 1935.Figure 1. The site as it appeared in 1925. (Source: Mahlstedt Map Section 1, no 22, 1925)In 1935 the building was briefly occupied by a lithographer by the name of J E Hackett (S&Mc 1935, 1938). In 1939 and 1940, the Textile Technical School Ltd operated from the building at 203-207 King Street (Age 27 January 1939:10; Age 11 September 1940:2). The building was then used by Kemp & Sheehan, who sold plumbing goods, between 1942 and 1945 (S&Mc 1942, 1945). By 1950, the subject building was occupied by George Wills & Co, shipping agents, who remained there until at least 1974 (S&Mc 1950, 1974).English born George Wills founded G & R Wills, importers and warehousemen, in Rundle Street Adelaide in 1849, expanding from drapery supplies to include clothing and footwear. By 1922, George Wills & Co had established operations around the world, including London, Manchester, Liverpool, New York, Paris and Morocco (Advertiser 23 December 1922:12). To keep up with expansion in Melbourne, the company constructed a large warehouse in Flinders Lane in 1912 (Advertiser 23 December 1922:12). G & R Wills became a public company in 1946 Sydney Morning Herald 18 November 1946:6).The subject building in unpainted brick building with signage above the entry reading ‘George Wills & Co Limited’ c1972 can be seen in Figure 2.The company was taken over by Industrial Equity c1983, then sold to Southern Farmers which was taken over by Independent Holdings Ltd c1989 (SLSA 2019).The building was put up for auction in December 1975 and occupied by a law firm named Oakley, Thompson & Co, from 1978 (Age 28 April 1977:49; Age 25 September 1984; Age 11 December 1975:37).The subject building was refurbished by the Youth Hostels Association (YHA) Australia and converted to a hostel in 1986 (CoMMaps).YHA Australia is a non-for-profit and membership-based organisation that aims to provide affordable accommodation for travellers, whilst encouraging diversity and cross-cultural experiences (YHA 2019). Youth hostels originated in Germany in 1909, with an international federation of youth hostels founded in 1932. The first youth hostel in Australia opened in 1939 in Warrandyte in Victoria, and quickly spread to the other states (YHA 2019). In 1947, a national meeting took place, which led to the formation of a national body of hostels, which was to be known as YHA. (RCM 2019).YHA Australia operates 75 hostels that house 8,297 beds with an average of 4,400 guests per night. Over 250,000 people are members of YHA Australia, who hosts 6 million stays per year for guests from over 137 countries (RCM 2019).YHA Australia remained at the site until at least 1998, and during its occupation the building was used as the headquarters for YHA Victoria (Age 29 November 1998:121). The site was sold by YHA Australia in 1999 (CT:V4722 F204).The subject building was refurbished in 2000 and today operates as a backpacker’s hostel (CoMMaps).Figure 2. Corner Little Bourke Street and King Street, c1972, showing 203-207 King Street on the corner site. (Source: Halla c1972, STATE LIBRARY OF VICTORIA copyright)A B Koch, architectJohn Augustus Bernard Koch (1845-1928), architect, was born on 27 August 1845 in Hamburg (Germany), son of Johann Christian Koch, joiner. In 1855 the family migrated to Melbourne. By 1870 Koch was listed in the Melbourne directory as an architect at Richmond, having served his articles with F M White and becoming his assistant (Goad 2012:388).Appointed architect to the City of Melbourne in 1873, Koch designed the City’s hay, horses, cow and pig markets and the corn exchange. Later institutional buildings included two Richmond libraries, the German Club in Alfred Place, and projects associated with the Women's Hospital, Melbourne (of which he was honorary architect and life member) and the Castlemaine hospital. Two of his Richmond hotels, the Spread Eagle and the Prince Alfred, survive in addition to some warehouses, factories and stables (Goad 2012:388). His utilitarian structures are noted for their sound construction, firm lines and sparing use of decorative brickwork (Forge 1983).Koch is known for his use of classical building styles in the boom period of Melbourne. His best remembered work is the Labassa mansion in Caulfield, Victoria, where he designed and oversaw the complete renovation of an earlier house at great cost (Goad 2012:388). An active community member, Koch was a councillor for Richmond and later mayor (in 1883), as well as being chairman for the local school board. He was president of the Royal Victorian Institute of Architects (RVIA), 1903-04 (Goad 2012:389).REFERENCESAdvertiser, as cited.Age, as cited.Argus, as cited.Bendigo Advertiser, as cited.City of Melbourne Maps (CoMMaps) 2019, http://maps.melbourne.vic.gov.au/, accessed 7 May 2019.Daily Commercial News and Shipping List, as cited.Dingle, Tony 2008, ‘Manufacturing’ in eMelbourne, School of Historical and Philosophical Studies, University of Melbourne, http://www.emelbourne.net.au, accessed 13 April 2019.Fels, M, Lavelle S, and Mider D 1993, ‘Archaeological Management Plan’, prepared for the City of Melbourne.Forge, W 1983, ‘Koch, John Augustus Bernard (1845–1928)’, Australian Dictionary of Biography, National Centre of Biography, Australian National University, originally published 1983, http://adb.anu.edu.au/biography, accessed online 13 May 2019.Goad, Philip ‘Koch, J.A.B’ in Goad, Philip & Willis, Julie (eds) 2012, The Encyclopedia of Australian Architecture, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge.Halla, K J c1972, ‘Corner of King Street west [and] Little Bourke Street south, [Melbourne, Vic.]’, Halla collection of negatives. Views of East Melbourne, Fitzroy, Melbourne & North Melbourne, State Library of Victoria (SLV), accessed online 2 May 2019.Land Victoria, Certificates of Title (CT), as cited.Marsden, Susan 2000, Urban Heritage: the rise and postwar development of Australia’s capital city centres, Australian Council of National Trusts and Australian Heritage Commission, Canberra.Mahlstedt’s Pty Ltd 1925 City of Melbourne detail fire survey. Section 1, Mahlstedt Pty Ltd, Melbourne.Melbourne Building Application Index (MBAI), retrieved from Ancestry.com 2015, Victoria, Australia, Selected Trial Brief and Correspondence Registers and Other Images, 1837-1993 [database on-line], http://ancestry.com.au, accessed online May 2019.Melbourne Planning Scheme (MPS), 'Melbourne and its Heritage Precincts', reference document to Clause 22.06 Heritage Precincts Policy of the Melbourne Planning Scheme, https://www.melbourne.vic.gov.au/SiteCollectionDocuments/heritage-precincts-history-significance.pdf, accessed online 2 August 2018.‘Plan of town of Melbourne, 1837 A.D: first land sales held in Melbourne on 1st June & 1st November 1837’ 1838, H E Badman, Melbourne.Rotary Club of Melbourne (RCM) 2019, Rob McGuirk, President, Hostelling International, https://rotaryclubofmelbourne.org.au, accessed online 13 May 2019.Sydney Morning Herald, as cited.State Library of South Australia (SLSA) 2019, G. & R. Wills & Co: Summary record [BRG 304], https://collections.slsa.sa.gov.au, accessed 13 May 2019.YHA Australia 2019, YHA Organisation, https://www.yha.com.au, accessed online 13 May 2019.
Related material link:
Names:
Places:
Form/Genre:
Record types:
Research and reports
Record number:
1211855
| Type | Reference No. | Extent | Status/Desc |
|---|---|---|---|
| Original | 105308 1 | 1 JPEG : 257 KB ; A4 | Single Item (May not be issued, may not be reproduced) |