Harley House, 71-73 Collins & 67-73 Exhibition Street, Melbourne
Butler, Graeme1985
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Total copies: 1
Title:
Harley House, 71-73 Collins & 67-73 Exhibition Street, Melbourne
Creator:
Date of work:
1985
Reference number:
BIF-CITY 102064
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.
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Style: Neo-Grec or Greek RevivalPeriod: Inter-WarConstruction date: 1924.ASSOCIATED RESEARCH ADDED BY GRAEME BUTLER:.GRAEME BUTLER 1985-7 MELBOURNE CENTRAL ACTIVITIES DISTRICT CONSERVATION STUDYStatement of SignificanceHistorySydney Smith Ogg & Serpell designed these corner `professional offices’ in early 1923 for Dr. Gengoult Smith. Set out in the drawings on an almost `professional arcade' plan, would-be professionals were provided with rooms (typically 3.3 x 4.6m) opening, via a single door, from a central panelled corridor (2.1m wide). Half of the eight or nine rooms built at ground level had ample windows to Exhibition Street, the other half had none at all, except the top-lights over their doors, allowing some borrowed light from the passage. Near the elevator was the `Enquiries' counter and, behind that, the dispensary: the combination serving in place of today's medical clinic. The floors, beams and columns were of reinforced concrete and plastered soffits, at 3.6m, served as ceilings. Upstairs tenancies possessed more imposing main entrance doors, near the elevator, than those at ground.The Bank of Australasia, eastern branch, was an early ground-level tenant, sharing that level with a book shop.Predictably a large percentage of the remaining tenants were of a medical persuasion, physicians, dentists and the odd optician or masseuse. Miss Kate Graham ran a cake shop from somewhere in the premises. There was also a curio dealer, besides the caretaker (one Hugh McBean) who resided on the roof-top, while X-ray `apparatus' purveyors (Stanfords) were safely confined to the basement.By 1940, the bank shared with a mercer (H.B. Anderson), but the same type of upstairs tenants prevailed: Misses Bull & Andrews provided massage on the first, Theo. A. de Ravin extracted teeth on the second, Byron Stanton (surgeon) was a long-term inhabiter of the third, a Miss Jean A. Jarratt tended sore feet on the fourth and Alice Barber tended shattered nerves at the top-most level.Dr. Harold Genoult Smith (later Sir Harold) was Melbourne's mayor (1913-4), an Exhibition Buildings Trustee, Eye and Ear and Infections Diseases Hospitals board member and son-in-law to Sir Norman Brooks.DescriptionA cemented facade in a Greek revival manner, comprising a main protruding cornice, bayed main window group, first level balcony and tall arched ground level. The ground level is ruled as if of stone, whereas the upper is of smooth cement. Ornamentation includes Egyptian capitals to the main pilasters framing the facade, Greek saltire cross window mullions to most upper level top lights and ground level arched windows. There are also Roman touches such as the inverted acanthus leaf frieze at the top of the main window section of the facade.The giant mutules at the main cornice, dentils adjoining and the main pilaster capitals, are all boldly stated in what is otherwise a plain facade.The Exhibition Street facade repeats that facing Collins Street, but with two bayed window groups and five giant arches at ground level. The balconies, with iron balustrading, also extend down Exhibition Street in three bays and the wide main cornice is centred over the window elements.External IntegrityGround level glazing appears to have been replaced totally, including the Exhibition Street elevation, albeit sympathetically, but one original shopfront exists on the north-west corner of the building, as manufactured by Duff, in typical copper or brass moulded sections (cf. 83-87 Collins Street). Illuminated pole signs have been added.StreetscapeImportant corner element in an important Georgian cum Greek revival building group, also complementary to the early Victorian north-west corner and relates at a distance to Kelvin Hall, Exhibition Street.SignificanceA major Greek revival corner building, successfully elevated to both street aspects, finely detailed (cement, window joinery) and the commencing point of a notable office streetscape. It has housed many members of the medical profession over a long period; being the result of a prominent doctor and politician's speculation and possessing one of the better locations in Melbourne's medical centre, as well as its most fitting name..GRAEME BUTLER 1985 MELBOURNE CENTRAL ACTIVITIES DISTRICT CONSERVATION STUDYBUILDING IDENTIFICATION FORMcites source 78,2NEWSPAPERS (TROVE)The Australian Jewish News (Melbourne, Vic. : 1935 - 1999) Fri 5 Jun 1998 Page 11 CBD sale with bank leaseCBD sale with bank leaseHARLEY House, at 71 Collins Street, on the corner of Exhibition Street, is to be sold at auction with a leaseback to National Australia Bank on the lower four floors. (pic)https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/261966871Built in 1924 by Dr Gengoult Smith as a medical practitioners’ arcade, Harley House was designed by architects Smith Ogg and Serpell as a miniature of the Port Authority building. With its high quality finishes the building mirrors the conservative and decorous approach taken to the redevelopment of Collins Street in the inter-war period. It was last sold in 1936 for the sum of $114,000. The total building area is 1616 square metres and the block has frontages of 12.8 metres to Collins Street and 24.4 metres to Exhibition Street. The NAB will lease back the basement, ground, first and sec ond floors, and there are existing multiple tenancies on the third to fifth floors, all short-term. Current annual net income is around $369,950. First Pacific Davies and Jones Lang Wootton will offer the building at auction on Wednesday July 1.The Herald (Melbourne, Vic. : 1861 - 1954)Wednesday 11 June 1924 - Page 14https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/246171317EAST END OF CITY.Brisk Building Campaign While property investors in the city have been watching the rebuilding of Collins street west of Elizabeth street, a remarkable campaign of reconstruction has been proceeding unnoticed by many In the east. Harley House, on the south-west corner of Collins and Exhibition streets, lately completed by Messrs Hansen and Yencken, contractors, to plans by Messrs Sydney Smith, Ogg and Serpell Is a beautiful example of professional chambers, with elevations of cement relieved by Roman arches, and largo panels of moulded copper. The use of metal to provide a warm color note in grey cement fronts has become very popular In America. The metal will endure for many years, whore wood would perish, and the need for paint ing Is obviated. Harley House occupies a site formerly carrying some relic of early Melbourne construction that had long outlived Its usefulness. The property Is owned by Dr Gengoult Smith, who has invested here a large sum of money to provide the medical practitioners and kindred professional men with modern, surgeries, for which there has long been a pressing need.
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1191696
| Type | Reference No. | Extent | Status/Desc |
|---|---|---|---|
| Original | 102064 | 1 PDF : 1,008 KB ; A4 | Group of Items (May not be issued, may not be reproduced) |