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Blessed Sacrament Fathers Monastery, St Francis Street or 326 Lonsdale Street, Melbourne

Butler, Graeme1985

Record details

Title:

Creator:

Butler, Graeme (Name details)

Date of work:

1985

Reference number:

BIF-CITY 106012

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 2022:__________________________________________________DATE: 1937;ASSOCIATIONS: Roman Catholic Church;DESIGNER: Jorgensen, O H;BUILDER: General Construction Co Ltd.GRAEME BUTLER & ASSOCIATES 2011, CENTRAL CITY (HODDLE GRID) HERITAGE REVIEWStatement of SignificanceWhat is significant?Built at the rear of the old St Francis presbytery in place of the Catholic Free Press Building, this was the new brick and concrete St. Francis Monastery of the Fathers of the Blessed Sacrament , sited next to the north extension of St. Francis's Church. It was built by General Construction Co Ltd. to the design of architect O H Jorgensen; steelwork was designed and supplied by Johns & Waygood Ltd. Schreiber & Jorgenson has previously designed the highly significant Xavier chapel building in Kew (Victorian Heritage Register).This five storey brick monastery had 40 rooms, a frontage of 110ft. to Lonsdale street and a depth through to Little Lonsdale street. Ground level held a series of parlours, a visitors public hall and smoke room, guests dining, porters office, chambers, a refectory, stairway and kitchen. This level communicated with the church on the west and faced the north garden with a colonnade along its north side lined with pressed cement columns. The basement had bulk and wine stores and a boiler room. The first floor had the Superior's chamber and office, a chapter room, guests chambers with en-suite, and the library. On the second floor were the treasurer's chamber, general chamber groups, all with en-suite bathroom, recreation area, and scholastic study area. A hatchway led to the flat roof. The building was well appointed and planned, with a direct connection to St Francis. Feature parquetry flooring was used inside, with polished ash body timber and jarrah borders. Terrazzo was used at the entry.Inspired by St Peter Julian Eymard (1811–1868), the Blessed Sacrament Congregation sent a foundation group of five priests and two brothers to Australia from Canada and the United States, at the invitation of Archbishop Daniel Mannix. They were to take over the historic St Francis' Church in the middle of the City of Melbourne. They arrived on All Saints' Day, 1929.It is thought that with the guidance of these men and their successors, St Francis' Church was transformed into an `extraordinary Eucharistic shrine'.For 24 hours of every day at least two priest from the monastery were on duty at the church. Parishioners were able to attend the church during the day and evenings and the number of masses and demand for confessions increased dramatically. More American and French-Canadian priests and brothers were recruited from overseas and, when growing numbers of Australian men became interested in joining the Congregation, a novitiate and a scholasticate were established at St Francis' Church. The first Australian priests were ordained here in the early 1940s. Other novitiates followed in other states and missions extended from Australia into Asia.Designed in an Italian Palazzo style the building has a ground level podium built from dark brown bricks with arcaded porches and classically styled Wunderlich Ltd. terracotta aedicules around main windows. The three upper-levels are clad with cream brick with projecting quoining and a deep and enriched pressed cement parapet cornice. Upper-level double-hung sash windows are flat-arched for two floors and segmentally arched on the top floor.The podium has segmentally arched basement lights, with expressed voussoirs, and multiple string moulds of various depths, all expertly conceived and executed in common and shaped or special Hoffman brickwork. The complex has a north garden surrounded by a high brick garden wall utilising similar materials and ecclesiastical detailing to the main building.An extensive visually unrelated verandah has been added in steel framing on all upper-levels to face north sun. Another visually unrelated but light-weight addition has been made to the roof (easily reversible) behind the parapet. What may be a lift overrun extends out of the top of the penthouse that is set back behind the centre bay parapet of the main west façade. Despite these changes the essence of the building's worth is unchanged, centring around excellent brickwork and detailing of the elevation using a strong elevation treatment in a traditional style.There is no other Catholic monastery or former monastery in the Capital City Zone. Architecturally it relates to the strong classically styled brick architecture of the City West Telephone Exchange and other Commonwealth designed buildings such as the former High Court and Female VD clinic, Little Lonsdale Street.How is it significant?Blessed Sacrament Fathers Monastery, St Francis, is significant historically and aesthetically to the Melbourne Capital City Zone.Why is it significant?Blessed Sacrament Fathers Monastery, St Francis, is significant historically as the first purpose built monastery for the Blessed Sacrament Congregation in Australia and is closely associated with the continuing presence of St. Francis within the City of Melbourne. In this supporting role to St Francis, it is the only Catholic Monastery in the City.Aesthetically, the strong elevational treatment and excellent use of brick cladding, pressed cement and terracotta mouldings distinguishes the building from any other in the Capital City Zone..GRAEME BUTLER 1985 MELBOURNE CENTRAL ACTIVITIES DISTRICT CONSERVATION STUDYBUILDING IDENTIFICATION FORM__________________________________________________City of Melbourne i-Heritage:Central Activities District Conservation Study - Graeme Butler, 1984 Building Identification Form (BIF): Notable features include unpainted decorative brickwork. Follows traditional form, by request? Alterations / Recommendations: Floor added (inappropriate - remove?)__________________________________________________CITY OF MELBOURNE BUILDING PERMIT APPLICATIONSBuilding Permit Application (309-341 Lt Lonsdale St) 1937, 18579 steel supply/ design Johns & Waygood Ltd July 1937.__________________________________________________Blessed sacrament web site:`HistoryInspired by the spirituality of St Peter Julian Eymard (1811–1868), the Blessed Sacrament Congregation's pioneers in Australia believed that they were led by God at a particular moment in history.A foundation group of five priests and two brothers came to Australia from Canada and the United States, at the invitation of Archbishop Daniel Mannix who wanted them to take over the historic St Francis' Church in the middle of the City of Melbourne. They arrived on All Saints' Day, 1929.Under the guidance of these men and their successors, St Francis' Church was transformed into an extraordinary Eucharistic shrine.Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament and perpetual adoration brought people into the church during the day and evenings. The number of masses increased and demand for confessions was sometimes overwhelming. Thousands of people wanted to participate in the culture of Eucharistic devotion that the Congregation transplanted.More American and French-Canadian priests and brothers were recruited from overseas, and when growing numbers of Australian men became interested in joining the Congregation, a novitiate and a scholasticate were established at St Francis' Church. The first Australian priests were ordained in the early 1940s.In 1947 the Congregation opened a novitiate at Bowral, New South Wales which formed the bridgehead for a later foundation at Haymarket in central Sydney in 1953 (now St Peter Julian's Church).A major seminary dedicated to Christ the King was opened at Lower Plenty, Victoria, in 1955. During that year, Australia became an independent province of the Blessed Sacrament Congregation – the ‘Province of the Holy Spirit'.The young Australian province sent priests and brothers to open missionary foundations at Colombo, Sri Lanka in 1956 and to Mumbai, India in 1964.At Toowoomba, Queensland, the province established a city shrine (1958–95) and a novitiate (1958–89). In Western Australia, the province opened the Chapel of the Holy Eucharist at Bunbury (1975–81), and operated All Saints Chapel in central Perth (1976–98) as well as parishes in the Perth suburbs of Kensington (1976–98) and Como (1985–98).Now facing the challenges of the modern world with a new Rule of Life (adopted in the mid 1980s), the Province of the Holy Spirit maintains the strength of its Eucharistic mission at St Francis' Church in Melbourne and St Peter Julian's Church in Sydney.As in Eymard's day, the Eucharist remains a powerful force for renewal of the Catholic Church and society__________________________________________________LEWIS, M- AUSTRALIAN ARCHITECTURE INDEX:Schreiber and JorgensenBurke House, Melbourne.Photo. Royal Victorian Institute of Architects Journal July, 1930 pxlvSchreiber & JorgensonArticle with illustrations on their design for the residence of Mr & Mrs C.L. Kimpto', 'Navoli', Orrong Rd., Toorak.Australian Home Builder 1.12.1927 p 29__________________________________________________Victorian Heritage RegisterSt James Church Complex, Gardenvale/Brighton `followed by the transepts and chancel in 1924, designed by Schreiber and Jorgensen.'Xavier College Chapel including South Wing, West Wing and Great Hall… `chapel was built in 1927-1934 to a design of considerable quality by Schreiber and Jorgensen'.__________________________________________________NEWSPAPERS (TROVE)`The Argus':Wednesday 22 June 1927 re Xavier Chapel: NEW COLLEGE CHAPEL.A fine chapel is about to be erected for Xavier College, Kew, at a cost of between £25,008 and £30,000. Messrs. Schreiber and Jorgensen are the architects..Wednesday 13 February 1924`SUPERB MODERN TWO-STORIED RESIDENCE-JUST OUT OF BUILDER'S HANDS.Exquisitely designed and built under the supervision of Messrs Schreiber and Jorgensen, the well-known city architects Substantially built of brick on steel reinforced concrete foundations, these home embody the latest ideas in domestic architecture, with a special view to obviating undue domestic labour.'.The Herald July 1937https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/244545602LONSDALE ST. MONASTERY5 -Storey PlansAfter wrecking of the old Advocate building now in progress, work will be begun next week on the construction of the new St. Francis Monastery of the Fathers of the Blessed Sacrament, ad- joining St, Francis' Church, Lonsdale Street, With a: frontage of 110ft to Lonsdale Street and; a depth through to Little Lonsdale Street the monastery will be in the Renaissance style of plain architecture. Plans prepared by the architect, Mr O. H. Jorkensen (sic), of Collins House, provide for the monastery to replace Doth the existing presbytery and the old Advocate building, and to be of five stories, including basement It will contain 40 rooms. Exterior wall will be of brick with reinforced concrete floors and stairways, and an entertainment hall seating 400 will be a feature of the basement.GROUND FLOOR LAY-OUTThe lay-out of the ground floor provides for a visitors' hall, large and small parlors, dining and reception rooms for guests, the kitchen, a community refectory, and a porter's office. On; the first floor will be the library, chapter hall, and rooms for the Fathers of the. Community, the second floor embracing guest rooms and a chapter hail for novices. The students' library will be' on the top floor, with a recreation hall -and other' rooms for novices, and the flat roof will be used for recreation. The monastery is to be completed by the end of February..See also https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/244536138.Monday 26 July 1937New Monastery in CityWork will be begun this week on the construction of the new St. Francis Monastery of the Fathers of the Blessed Sacrament in Lonsdale street, next to St. Francis's C'urch. Th' old 'Advocate' building Is now being wrecked.The new building will be of five stories, and will have 40 rooms. There will be a frontage of 110ft. to Lonsdale street and a depth through to Little Lonsdale street.The plans for the building, which will be completed by tile end of February, were prepared by Mr. O. H. Jorgensen, architect. of Collins House, Melbourne'.DIRECTORIES OF VICTORIA, MELBOURNE-SANDS AND KENNY, SANDS & MCDOUGALL1935 no monastery1939-1955, 1961 (312) St Francis Monastery etc

Names:

City of MelbourneStephenson & Turner, 1938–1995

Topics:

Central Activities District Conservation Study 1985Conservation studiesPostwar periodReligious structures and establishments

Places:

Melbourne (Vic.)

Form/Genre:

Building Identification Forms (BIFs)

Record types:

Research and reports

Record number:

1257731