A.J. Building, shops and Manhattan Cabaret, later Arthur Murray school of dance, 79-85 Bourke Street, Melbourne
Butler, Graeme01/01/1985
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This building is an unusually small scale example of the horizontal glass band style of the 1930's. It has pleasing proportions and utilizes the site well to produce the horizontal emphasis by the use of curved glass windows.
Title:
A.J. Building, shops and Manhattan Cabaret, later Arthur Murray school of dance, 79-85 Bourke Street, Melbourne
Creator:
Date of work:
01/01/1985
Reference number:
BIF-CITY 101116
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 ADDED BY GRAEME BUTLER:Style: ModerneConstruction Date: 1935 - 1936NIGEL LEWIS DECEMBER 1976, HISTORIC AND ARCHITECTURAL SURVEY OF THE CENTRAL CITY OF MELBOURNE BOURKE STREET, EASTAREA 8 OF THE SURVEY COMMISSIONED BY THE HISTORIC BUILDINGS PRESERVATION COUNCIL (source 76), Page 28, 51`The tender of E.A. Watts was accepted by Arthur W. Purnell and Pearce, architects, on behalf of Jas Dynon Estate on 8th October 1935 1. Sands and McDougall's entry for this site in 1936 is "rebuilding". The first floor of the building was used as the `Manhattan Cabaret' before the war and during the war changed to its present use as a dance studio. This building is an unusually small scale example of the horizontal glass band style of the 1930's. It has pleasing proportions and utilizes the site well to produce the horizontal emphasis by the use of curved glass windows. The building's scale complements the existing streetscape although it is a completely modern statement in a substantially nineteenth century area.RECOMMENDATION:We recommend the addition of this building to the Historic Buildings Register. It is a unique example of a small scale horizontal and curvilinear building in this style. It is well proportioned and in excellent condition. This building should be placed on the Historic Buildings Register as an intact and unusual small scale example of the horizontal band style of the 1930s. (Note: 1.) Building and Construction.NewspapersAdvocate (Burnie, Tas. : 1890 - 1954) Sat 10 Jan 1953 Page 2 Plan to teach dancing the American wayPlan to teach dancing the American waySAN FRANCISCO.Australians are going to be given the chance to learn to dance in the Arthur Murray fashion. Mr. Herbert Richards, national director for the Arthur Murray School of the Dance, that has put the ballroom pastime on a mass production basis in the United States, will arrive in Sydney on January 24, to begin his educational campaign. He hopes to open Arthur Murray dance schools in both Sydney and Melbourne. Once the school location are selected and leases signed, he will staff them with American Instructors, who will train Australian staffs.The- school curriculum will include the United States version of the waltz, fox trot, tango, rhumba. and samba, and various types of English ball room dancing. Accompanying Mr. Richards on his trans-Pacific tour, including visits to Honolulu, Tokyo and Hong Kong, from where he will fly to Australia, will be Mr. and Mrs. Stephen Boyden, of Portland, Oregon, western regional directors for the Murray Studios.The Argus (Melbourne, Vic. : 1848 - 1957) Tue 19 Jun 1956 Page 6 World is her dance floorOnly an hour after dying as Julius Caesar at the Arrow Theatre, Melbourne, actor Noel Ferrier (pictured), draws a sweep to decide who wins life membership of the Arthur Murray dancing studios throughout the world. Helping Noel draw the £2,000 winning prize are a group of pretty girls from the dancing school (above). The winning ticket was held by Mrs. J. Evans, of Melbourne.Tribune (Sydney, NSW : 1939 - 1991) Wed 16 Sep 1959 Page 10 Court decision on dance studio easeCourt decision on dance studio ease dismissing last week a charge against the company under a section of the Arbitration Act over the dismissal of an instructor at the Arthur Murray School of Dancing, Sydney, Commonwealth Indus trial Court judges implied that the company should have been charged under a different section of the Act. The charge arose from the dismissal of 23 of the dancing studio's staff last July after they had signed' membership forms to join the Miscellaneous Workers' Union. The union charged Craig Williams Pty. Ltd. (the company conducting the studio) under a section of the Act which provides for a penalty for an employer who threatens to dismiss an employee if he joined a union. The judges implied that the company should have been charged Under a section of the Act which provides for a penalty for the dismissal of an employee for having joined a union. By majority, the Court ruled that, as the dismissals were against the spirit of the Act, no order would be made as to costs. Chief Judge Spicer said the visit of an American representative of Arthur Murray Inc. (Mr. Hoppe) had disrupted what appeared to have been harmonious relations between employers and staff. The hearing of the case took place in Sydney last month, and the Court's reserved decision was given in Melbourne last week.
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Record types:
Research and reports
Record number:
1179889
| Type | Reference No. | Extent | Status/Desc |
|---|---|---|---|
| Original | 101116 | 1 JPEG : 151 KB ; A4 | Single Item (May not be issued, may not be reproduced) |