Australian Mutual Provident Building, 419-429 Collins Street, Melbourne
Butler, Graeme`985
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Total copies: 1
Title:
Australian Mutual Provident Building, 419-429 Collins Street, Melbourne
Creator:
Date of work:
`985
Reference number:
BIF-CITY 102099
Level of description:
Item from Collection: Heritage Collection (HC)
Type of materials:
Graphic materialsTextual material
Part of:
Series: Central City (BIF-CITY)
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UnrestrictedOpen access.
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UnrestrictedPlease contact City of Melbourne Libraries about obtaining permission to reproduce images.
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Style: Neo-RenaissancePeriod: Inter-WarConstruction date: 1931Notable features: 1. Winner of 1932 RVIA Street Architecture Medal. 2. Stone facing/carving - sculpture.ASSOCIATED RESEARCH ADDED BY GRAEME BUTLER:.Victorian Heritage Register H0421What is significant?The Former AMP Building was designed by Bates, Smart and McCutcheon and built in 1929-31. It is a ten storey, steel-framed building, with walls variously constructed of brick, reinforced concrete or terra cotta partition blocks. The brick walls of the Collins and Market Street frontages are clad with pink Casterton granite at the base and Sydney freestone above. A group of symbolic statues, executed in Sydney Freestone by Orlando Dutton, ornaments the main entrance on Collins Street. Other decoration includes reliefs of the Australian States' emblems on the ground floor window reveals.How is it significant?The Former AMP Building is of architectural significance to the State of Victoria.Why is it significant?The Former AMP Building is of architectural significance as an outstanding example of an inter-war period office building and of the work of Bates, Smart and McCutcheon. The building shows the influence of American high rise office design, and can particularly be compared with Americanised palazzo designs of McKim, Mead and White, H.R. Richardson and Louis Sullivan. The building's Renaissance revival style is rather conservative, as was much commercial building in Melbourne at the time. This conservatism probably appropriately reflected AMP's reputation as a solid, safe institution at a time when the Great Depression had wrought tremendous havoc amongst Australia's business and financial establishments. Nevertheless, beneath its conservative facade the building featured two remarkable innovations: a concealed panel heating system, the first of its kind in Australia, and adjustable steel slatted sun-blinds on the Collins Street and Market Street upper floor windows. The quality of the building's architecture was recognised soon after its construction, when it was awarded the fourth Royal Victorian Institute of Architects Street Architecture Medal in 1932. The building is a notable early work of Sir Walter Osborn McCutcheon (1899-1981), and the partnership Bates, Smart and McCutcheon. After WW2 the firm became Australia's experts in high rise office design, with McCutcheon's most important design being for the former ICI Building in East Melbourne..GRAEME BUTLER 1985 MELBOURNE CENTRAL ACTIVITIES DISTRICT CONSERVATION STUDYBUILDING IDENTIFICATION FORM citesGRAEME BUTLER 1982-3, ROYAL AUSTRALIAN INSTITUTE OF ARCHITECTS (VIC) 20TH CENTURY ARCHITECTURE SURVEY and 20th CENTURY BUILDINGS REGISTER ;source 80 Keith & John R Reid, 1976, CBD STUDY AREA 7, p65.Hermes heritage database record 736Contextual History: History of Place:At Melbourne's second land sale in November, 1837, John Pascoe Fawkner acquired an allotment in Collins Street, alongside a market reserve and including the site of this building. On the allotment he erected his second hotel which opened for business on July 2 1838. The Market and Collins Street corner was used as a timber yard, until Fawkner built a two storey building in 1839 which he let to the Melbourne Club, which occupied it until 1845. It then operated as the Shakespeare Hotel until 1862 when it was rebuilt. From 1864 to 1870 the new building functioned as the headquarters of the Union Club and after that as the Union Club Hotel. It was the Union Club Hotel that was demolished in 1927 to make way for the new headquarters of the AMP Society..Newspapers:see https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/203087275?searchTerm=%22Australian%20Mutual%20Provident%22%20Collinshttps://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/223903261?searchTerm=%22Australian%20Mutual%20Provident%22%20Collins.The Argus (Melbourne, Vic. : 1848 - 1957) Wed 10 Aug 1932 Page 5 PRIZE-WINNING BUILDING.The Australian Mutual Provident Society Building, at the corner of Collins and Market streets, which has been awarded the street architecture medal of the Royal Victorian Institute of Architects for 1932. The architects were Messrs. Bates, Smart, anti McCutcheon..The Argus (Melbourne, Vic. : 1848 - 1957) Wed 10 Aug 1932 Page 7STREET ARCHITECTURE. BRONZE MEDAL AWARD, A.M.P. Society Building.Describing the building as a valuable contribution to the architecture of the State, the Royal Victorian Institute of Architects has awarded its street architecture medal for 1932 to the Australian Mutual Provident Society building at the corner of Collins street and Market street. The medal is awarded each year for a building of exceptionally meritorious design elected within the previous three years. The building must be on a public thorough- fare, and the award is not intended for memorials or buildings of a collegiate, ecclesiastic, or domestic character except flats or "town-house" types of home. The A.M.P. building, which was designed and erected by Messrs. Bates, Smart, and McCutcheon, was chosen from many others by a jury appointed by the Royal Victorian Institute of Architects, and comprising the president of the institute (Mr. Leighton Irwin), the chief architect of the Public Works department (Mr A. J. Wood), the director of the National Art Gallery (Mr. Bernard Hill) the art inspector of the Education department (Mr. W.R. Dean), and the following architects - Messrs. W.A.M. Blackett C N Hollinshed C.E. Serpell, G.R. King and N.F. Schefferle.The jury reported that several of the buildings entered for the medal were of a high order of merit. "We are impressed by the simple and restrained treatment of the Australian Mutual Provident Society building," the report read, "and the scholarly handling of the details. Although the design is based on traditional architectural style there is ample evidence of original thought, and the design suggests that nothing was done without a definite purpose or with- out careful consideration. As a mass the building possesses solid, dignified simplicity which is almost severity, but this is relieved by well-placed carving and enrichments.The jury commends the design of the lower stories, more especially the treatment of the arched openings with excellent detailed carved reveals. The selection of materials-warm tinted granite sandstone, and bronze-is most satisfactory, and the design should survive the test of time." Mr. E.A. Bates, one of the architects who designed the building, died last year. He was chairman of the Architects' Registration Board of Victoria, and at one time was president of the Royal Victorian Institute of Architects. Mr. C.P. Smart is a fellow and Mr. W.O. McCutcheon an associate of the institute.
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Research and reports
Record number:
1194821
| Type | Reference No. | Extent | Status/Desc |
|---|---|---|---|
| Original | 102099 | 1 PDF : 1,109 KB ; A4 | Group of Items (May not be issued, may not be reproduced) |