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Dalgety House, 487-477 Bourke Street, Melbourne

Butler, Graeme1985

Scope and contents

Constructed in 1966-68 to a design by Peddle Thorp & Walker in association with Meldrum & Partners, the Former Dalgety House has a clear association with the postwar building boom which transformed central Melbourne into a modern high-rise city.

Record details

Title:

Dalgety House, 487-477 Bourke Street, Melbourne

Creator:

Butler, Graeme (Name details)

Date of work:

1985

Reference number:

BIF-CITY 101152

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:

ASSOCIATED RESEARCH ADDED BY GRAEME BUTLER 2024:DATE: 1966-9;ASSOCIATIONS: Dalgety & New Zealand Loan Limited.;DESIGNER: Peddle Thorp & Walker (Sydney) in association with Meldrum & Partners;BUILDER: Costain (Aust.) Pty LtdPeriod: Post Second WarNotable features: reversion to pseudo-structural facades - here in aluminium.___________________________CONTEXT (WITH GJM HERITAGE) 2020, HODDLE GRID HERITAGE REVIEW: 99see https://s3.ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/hdp.au.prod.app.com-participate.files/7715/9494/1195/PROPERTY_101152_457TO471_BOURKE_ST.pdfStatement of SignificanceWhat is significant?The Former Dalgety House, 457-471 Bourke Street, a multi-storey office building constructed in 1966-68.Elements that contribute to the significance of the place include (but are not limited to):• The building’s original external form, materials and detailing• The building’s high level of integrity to its original design.Later alterations made to the street level frontage are not significant.How it is significant?The Former Dalgety House at 457-471 Bourke Street is of historical and representative significance to the City of Melbourne.Why it is significant?Constructed in 1966-68 to a design by Peddle Thorp & Walker in association with Meldrum & Partners, the Former Dalgety House has a clear association with the postwar building boom which transformed central Melbourne into a modern high-rise city. The design of these commercial buildings from the late 1950s to the mid-1970s – many of which were architect designed – was driven by the commercial demands and the prestige afforded by a dominant city presence (Criterion A).The Former Dalgety House is a fine and highly intact representative example of a Post-War Modernist commercial building. The building strongly reflects the style which was popular in the 1960s to the mid 1970s, particularly in central Melbourne. Constructed as an 18-storey building, the Former Dalgety House clearly demonstrates typical characteristics of a 1960s to mid 1970s structure, including twoadjacent grid-like curtain walls (front and west sides) of dominant vertical mullions and piers with rows of aluminium framed glazing and opaque brown glass spandrels, as well as the use of materials such as opaque glass and aluminium cladding and window frames. These demonstrate important aspects of the Post-War Modernist style (Criterion D).Primary sourceHoddle Grid Heritage Review (Context & GJM Heritage, 2020)___________________________CONTEXT (WITH GJM HERITAGE) 2020, HODDLE GRID HERITAGE REVIEW: 99see https://s3.ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/hdp.au.prod.app.com-participate.files/7715/9494/1195/PROPERTY_101152_457TO471_BOURKE_ST.pdfEXTRACT FROM REPORT.RECOMMENDATIONSRecommended for inclusion in the Schedule to the Heritage Overlay of the Melbourne PlanningScheme as an individual heritage place.Extent of overlay: To extent of property boundarySUMMARYThe Former Dalgety House was designed by Sydney-based architects Peddle Thorp & Walker, withMeldrum & Partners as local supervising architects, and was constructed in 1966-68. Dalgety & NewZealand Loan Limited were the principal occupants of the building following its construction.SITE HISTORYThe Former Dalgety House was designed by Sydney-based architects Peddle Thorp & Walker, with Meldrum & Partners as local supervising architects, and constructed in 1966-68 (Figure 1 - Figure 4). The builders were Costain (Aust.) Pty Ltd (Age, 5 Jun 1968:24; 10 Jul 1968:26).A permit application for the multi-storey office building was received by City of Melbourne in October 1966 (with an estimated project cost of $4,250,000) (BAI). The Age reported on the building in the ‘financial heart of Melbourne’, that was nearing completion in June 1968, describing the 18-storey building with a basement, carpark for 35 cars, and a Bourke Street entrance comprising a terrazzo plaza, colonnade, steps and a ramp (Age, 5 Jun 1968:24; 19 Jun 1968:15). Another contemporary newspaper article reported that a feature of the building was that the air conditioning ducts for the main system were installed around the perimeter of the building, saving heights on each storey (Age, 10 Jul 1968:26).The 1970 Sands & McDougall Directory listed the primary occupant of the building as Dalgety & New Zealand Loan Limited. Dalgety and Company Ltd had occupied a portion of the site from the 1880s, addressed to 471 Bourke Street in 1890. In 1900, the Sands & McDougall Directories described the company as merchants and importers, stock and station agents, and woolbrokers. By the mid-twentieth century, Dalgety and Company Ltd was a world-wide establishment and one of the biggest wool selling brokers in the world (Victor Harbour Times, 17 Jun 1960:3). The earlier building at the subject site occupied by Dalgety and Company Ltd, as well as the adjacent Optical House Chambers next to Michael Lane at 457-459 Bourke Street), were demolished to make way for the present building (S&Mc).A series of photos dating to 1969 show the newly completed building (Figure 5 – Figure 7). Above the entrance was the name ‘Dalgety House’. The ground floor lift lobby was designed with a stained glass panel designed by artist Leonard French (Figure 8), the abstract design representing the sun. French is primarily known for his design of the stained glass ceiling at the National Gallery of Victoria (1968) and series of windows at the National Library in Canberra (1967), displaying a planet theme.Peddle Thorp & Walker, architectsJames Peddle (1862-1930) arrived in Australia and practiced as an architect in Sydney from 1889. In 1902, Peddle employed an articled student (Samuel) George Thorp (1889-1967). Peddle left Thorp in charge of the Australian practice in 1911 and travelled to the United States where he established a practice in California. The partnership of Peddle & Thorp was formed in 1914. From 1920, Frederick H E Walker (1900-1950) served his articles at the firm before completing his studies, working in the United States and travelling. Walker re-joined the firm as partner in 1924, which established the firm Peddle, Thorp & Walker. Frank Thorp (1903-1968; George Thorp’s younger brother) became the fourth partner in 1929. George Thorp travelled in 1953 and 1960 to review the latest overseas architectural developments and trends (Goad & Higham 2012:535-6).From the 1950s, Peddle, Thorp & Walker asserted itself as a major Sydney postwar practice. The firm’s design for AMP’s Sydney headquarters on Phillip Street (1962) brought them international attention for designing the first skyscraper completed in Sydney (Goad & Higham 2012:535-6; Taylor 2001:58). The curved and glazed curtain wall tower broke the 150 foot (c45.75m) height limit and ‘signalled a new era of skyscraper design and a race for height’ (Goad & Higham 2012:536). The firm continued designing tall buildings in Sydney, including Sun Alliance House, Bridge Street (1964-65; demolished), Goldfields House, Pitt Street (1966), the Royal Exchange Building, Bridge Street (1967) and the ANZ Bank and Offices, Pitt Street (1972) (Goad & Higham 2012:535-6). In Melbourne, the firm designed Dalgety House on Bourke Street (1966-68) and Australia-Netherlands House on Collins Street (c1968-70), both in association with Melbourne-based architects Meldrum & Partners, as well as the multi-storey office building at 601 Bourke Street (1974).By the 1980s the firm had grown substantially, with offices established interstate and in New Zealand, and by 2010, a number of offices were located throughout Asia. Since c2008, the firm has been called PTW Architects, with Peddle Thorp Architects continuing to operate in Melbourne, Brisbane and Auckland as separate offices and entities (Goad & Higham 2012:535-6).Meldrum & Partners, architectsPercy H Meldrum (1887-1968) was born in Casterton, Victoria and studied architecture before being articled to A A Fritsch from 1907. He remained with Fritsch until 1913 before travelling to the United States and working in England. Meldrum returned to Australia in 1921 and joined A G Stephenson in practice as Stephenson & Meldrum from 1921 to 1937. Meldrum subsequently partnered with Arthur A Noad (1903-1973), forming Meldrum & Noad, before establishing Meldrum & Partners in 1959 (Willis 2012:450).Meldrum & Noad are known to have designed the Coles and Garrard Building at 376-78 Bourke Street (1957) and the National Bank of Australasia Stock Exchange Branch at 85-91 Queen Street, Melbourne (1973).Meldrum & Partners designed the multi-storey State Savings Bank building at 258-264 Little Bourke Street (1961) with Robert Cousland, and the State Electricity Commission building at 15 William Street (1965) (AIA). Meldrum & Partners acted as the local architects for Sydney-based firm Peddle Thorp & Walker, in the design and construction of Dalgety House on Bourke Street (1966-68) and Australia-Netherlands House on Collins Street (1968-70).Meldrum partnered with Sydney-based architect Bill Burrows to form Meldrum Burrows, before Meldrum’s son, Richard J Meldrum (1928-2004), joined the firm and Percy Meldrum retired in 1965. Meldrum Burrows gained prominence in the 1970s and ‘80s with large interstate and international projects (Willis 2012:450).SITE DESCRIPTIONThe Former Dalgety House at 457-471 Bourke Street is an 18-storey commercial building located on the south side of Bourke Street between William and Queen streets. Constructed in 1966-68 to a design by Peddle Thorp & Walker, with Meldrum & Partners as local supervising architects, the multi-storey building is an example of the Post-War Modernist style.The Former Dalgety House is a T-shaped building with broad frontage to Bourke Street which is set back approximately 6.5 metres behind a small raised plaza area. The building comprises a plant room at roof level and a basement carpark which is accessed from Bourke Street (via Michael Lane) at the eastern boundary of the site, and from the rear (via Little Collins Street and Normanby Lane) which leads to the rear of the building, at the western side.The building is of reinforced concrete column and slab construction with articulated facades to the north and west which are grid-like in appearance. These facades are fully glazed with rows of rectangular aluminium-framed windows alternating with precast concrete spandrels, possibly clad with opaque brown glass.These rows are set between thin protruding piers which ascend continuously from a street level arcade to the crown of the building and appear to be clad with vertically ribbed metal sheeting. Six piers divide the front façade into five bays, with matching piers at the corners of the building. The resulting dominant verticality is accentuated by continuous mullions which clearly divide the rows of windows and spandrels into vertical bays between piers, and the absence of a parapet line to provide termination to the vertical elements.At street level the form of the raised entrance plaza has been retained, however modifications include reconfigured stairs and retaining walls and the addition of a glazed canopy. The form of the double-height building podium has also been retained, however columns and fascias have been reclad and shops inserted with fully glazed shopfronts. The continuous podium fascia has obscured the original individual fascia sections which spanned between the podium piers and continued the vertical emphasis of the design scheme.INTEGRITYThe Former Dalgety House, including the original form and the detailing of the exterior of the building above street level, remains highly intact to its original construction in 1966-68. Works to the building at street level have altered the original design of this frontage.Overall, the building retains a high degree of architectural integrity to the Post-War Modernist style in fabric, form and detail. While the building has undergone alterations at street level, these do not diminish the ability to understand and appreciate the place as a fine example of a Post-War Modernistmulti-storey commercial building.AnalysisAs a fine and highly intact representative example of Post-War Modernist commercial building, the Former Dalgety House at 457-471 Bourke Street clearly demonstrates an important phase in the architectural development of multi-storey office buildings within the Hoddle Grid in the City of Melbourne. Similar to the small number of 1960s to mid-1970s buildings presently included in the Heritage Overlay of the Melbourne Planning Scheme – and a number of other examples identified above – the Former Dalgety House clearly demonstrates this class of place....REFERENCESContextual History references contained within City of Melbourne Hoddle Grid Heritage Review: Postwar Thematic Environmental History 1945-1975Australian Institute of Architects (AIA), Victorian Chapter, Register of Notable 20th Century Architecture, Victoria’s State List, <https://dynamic.architecture.com.au/i-cms_file?page=4048/VicRegister08xls.pdf>, accessed October 2019.Building Application Index (BAI) for the City of Melbourne.Building Application Plans (BAP), City of Melbourne.Butler, Graeme (1985), Melbourne Central Activities District Conservation Study, Building Citations and Building Identification Forms (accessed via Heritage Victoria’s Hermes database).Goad, Philip & Anna Higham (2012), ‘Peddle, Thorp & Walker’ in Philip Goad & Julie Willis’s (Eds.) (2012), The Encyclopedia of Australian Architecture, Port Melbourne.Sands & McDougall Directory (S&Mc).State Library of Victoria (SLV), picture collection, photographers and images as cited.Taylor, Jennifer & Susan Stewart (2001), Tall buildings: Australian business going up : 1945-1970, Sydney [NSW].The Age.Victor Harbour Times [S.A.]Willis, Julie (2012), ‘Percy Meldrum’ in Philip Goad & Julie Willis’s (Eds.) (2012), The Encyclopedia of Australian Architecture, Port Melbourne.

Names:

City of Melbourne

Topics:

Central Activities District Conservation Study 1985Conservation studiesPostwar periodOffices

Places:

Melbourne (Vic.)

Form/Genre:

Building Identification Forms (BIFs)

Record types:

Research and reports

Record number:

1188186