Melbourne Tramway & Omnibus Co building, 669-675 Bourke Street, Melbourne
Butler, Graeme1985
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Total copies: 1
Title:
Melbourne Tramway & Omnibus Co building, 669-675 Bourke Street, Melbourne
Creator:
Date of work:
1985
Reference number:
BIF-CITY 101165
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:
Style: Gothic RevivalPeriod: VictorianConstruction date: 1890-1891Notable features: Ceramic ornament, stone dressings relate to Gothic revival group to eastRecommended to Historic Buildings Register in 1975ASSOCIATED RESEARCH ADDED BY GRAEME BUTLER:GRAEME BUTLER 1985 MELBOURNE CENTRAL ACTIVITIES DISTRICT CONSERVATION STUDYStatement of SignificanceHistoryFrancis Clapp, William McCulloch and Henry Hoyt's Melbourne Omnibus Company (1868) was reconstituted in 1877 as the Melbourne Tramway and Omnibus Company, the first owners and occupiers of this building. The first company aimed to supplant with a system of horse-drawn omnibuses, the motley host of cabs and masonettes which aided the railways in transporting the public in the 1860s . Clapp's eventual aim was the introduction of tramways on the routes established by the omnibuses.Fearing official sanction to a monopoly company, parliament was slow to pass the Melbourne Tramway & Omnibus Company's Act (1883), initiating with it the Melbourne Tramways Trust as watch dog. This did not stop the company obtaining 21 year tramway leases in the 12 constituent municipalities of the Tramways Trust, within a year of its proclamation. The Tramways Trust was the construction authority providing tracks, cables, and engine sheds but the trams were to be supplied by the company and the tramways returned to the government in as-new condition by 1916 (as amended in 1890). The company's consulting engineer, George Duncan, also became the Trust’s engineer for the lines' construction.Richmond (1885), Fitzroy and Victoria Street (1886), Clifton Hill, Nicholson Street, Brunswick and Carlton (1887), Brighton Road (1888), Port South, North and West Melbourne (18900, also Windsor and St Kilda (1891) were the first cable tram lines opened in the colony. At 47 miles of cable tramway, it was the largest similar system in the world, furthering the already rampant land speculation in the colony. Like many others, the company's shares, fell spectacularly in parallel with the reduced passenger patronage brought by the depression of the early 1890s.When company shares peaked new offices were erected in Bourke Street, at one of the two city termini. Architects, Twentyman and Askew, had an approved design by late 1889 when builder, Thomas Machin, commenced their erection. Shops, leased as tea rooms, by bootmakers and chemists, occupied the gro und level and the company's offices, the upper levels.Near the leasehold's end, in 1910, a Royal Commission recommended the electrification of the network and the creation of a Municipal Tramways Trust. The Tramway Board Act (1915), superseded by the Melbourne and Metropolitan Tramways Board (MMTB) legislation allowed the running of cable tramways to pass from private hands (Melbourne Tramways and Omnibus Co. Ltd.) to the MMTB in November 1919 via the temporary Tramways Board (MTB). Prolonged bartering until 1919, gave the company 115,000 pounds compensation for rolling stock, equipment, depots and offices, transferred to the Board, also signalling its end.Melbourne Tramway & Omnibus Co.DescriptionOn three levels and walled in red brick, the Gothic revival is evident on the facade as foliated stucco ornament on balconettes and window moulding which progresses from two forms of painted archways to an upper level of flat arch window heads. Corbel tables and bas-relief arcading mark the upper storey and parapet levels. Whilst quatrefoil piercing to the parapet balustrade and diaper pattern bas-relief form the other two major horizontal friezes on the facade. Vertical emphasis is crowned by the central cemented gabled parapet which extends down the facade on buttress-like legs to rest on twin colonettes, set on a corbelled base. In keeping with the Italian Gothic influence, on the building's design, ceramic tiling is set in spandrels and within the parapet gable. Comparison with earlier and more successful Gothic revival commercial buildings such as the E.S. & A banks, and with more ornate contemporaries such as the former Wool Exchange and New Zealand Insurance Building, places this design at an intermediate importance within the style group. However not that this is a relatively small group within the overall preference for classical styles in commercial work. Internal elements which may survive include an open cage lift, staircase, cylindrical cast iron columns and wrought iron truss work.SignificanceOf intermediate architectural importance, given the relatively uncommon use of Gothic revival in the 19th Century commercial architecture, but of a high historical importance as the foremost and probable only surviving office building erected for the important Melbourne Tramways and Omnibus CoGRAEME BUTLER 1985-, MELBOURNE CENTRAL ACTIVITIES DISTRICT CONSERVATION STUDY BIFcites Lawrie Wilson & Associates, 1977. Historic Buildings Preservation Council Report on CBD Block No 6 Dec 1977,p66;CITY OF MELBOURNE BUILDING PERMIT APPLICATION 4175Lewis, M. Australian Architecture Index:record 73859 Twentyman & Askew Melbourne Tramway & Omnibus Co Melbourne VIC Office Buildings Machin, Thomas - Park St South Yarra 1889 10 18 MCC registration no 4175 [Burchett Index]. Fee 6.0.0 officesVICTORIAN HERITAGE DATABASENational Trust of Australia (Vic)Last updated on - July 21, 2008This building was constructed in 1891 as the new office for the privately-owned Melbourne Tramway and Omnibus Company. The company formed in 1868 and was re-constructed as the Melbourne Tramway & Omnibus Co in 1877 from the Melbourne Omnibus Co which was formed in 1869. It held a monopoly over the running of trams on the inner city's cable tram system from 1885-1916 and the office was constructed at one of the city termini. Designed by architects Twentyman and Askew, it is in a Gothic Revival style similar to the more elaborate Olderfleet-Rialto row in Collins Street. The building is of great significance for its association with the development of Melbourne's cable tramway system, at the time the largest in the world. A small portion of the cable tram track remained buried in the asphalt outside in Bourke Street for some years before it was removed. .Classified: 06/06/1994HERITAGE BRANCH, MINISTRY FOR PLANNING & ENVIRONMENT 1987 CITY OF MELBOURNE CENTRAL CITY NOTABLE BUILDINGS CITATIONSThis building was constructed in 1891 as the new offices for the privately-owned Melbourne Tramway and Omnibus Company. The company, formed in 1868, held a monopoly over the running of trams on the inner city's cable tram system from 1890-1911 and the office was constructed at one of the two city termini. Designed by architects Twentyman and Askew, it is in a Gothic Revival style similar to the more elaborate Olderfleet-Rialto row in Collins Street. The building is of great significance for its association with the development of Melbourne's cable. This building was constructed in 1891 as the new offices for the privately-owned Melbourne Tramway and Omnibus Company. The building is of great significance for its association With the development of Melbourne's cable tramway system, at the time the largest in the world. A small portion of the cable tram track remains buried in the asphalt outside in Bourke Street.VICTORIA HERITAGE REGISTERH0785'What is significant?The Former Melbourne Tramway and Omnibus Company Building was constructed in 1891 for the Melbourne Tramway and Omnibus Company to a design by the architects Twentyman and Askew. The building was constructed of red brick with render detailing, including corbelled banding separating the floors. The facade consists of three bays, the central bay projecting slightly starting from impost height of the first floor and framing Gothic arched windows, and terminating in a pedimented gable. The ground floor houses shop fronts. The first floor windows are Gothic, the second compressed Gothic and the third flatheaded. Three banks of chimneys distinguish the steeply pitched slate roof.How is it significant?The Former Melbourne Tramway and Omnibus Company Building is of historical and architectural significance to the State of Victoria.Why is it significant?The Former Melbourne Tramway and Omnibus Company Building is of historical significance as a substantial reminder of the origins of Melbourne's tram system. The Melbourne Tramway and Omnibus Company developed Melbourne's first horse tramway system and then, after much controversy, Melbourne's extensive cable tram system from 1885. The tram system, one of the most extensive in the world at the time, had a profound effect on the development of Melbourne's social life and physical form. The company's success was reflected in this substantial and attractive building, an important remaining element of Melbourne's early tramway infrastructure.The Former Melbourne Tramway and Omnibus Company Building is of architectural significance as one of a rare collection of Venetian Gothic-inspired buildings in Melbourne's Westend. The Gothic style, often associated with churches, became fashionable as an expression of Melbourne's boom era wealth in a number of temples of commerce, especially in Collins Street. This building can be seen in the same light, although its styling is considerably more restrained than the Olderfleet or Rialto. The building's significance is enhanced by the high degree of integrity of its interior fittings and spaces. The tile work in the entrance and foyer, leadlight windows, wooden staircases and other elements are especially notable, providing an excellent sense of 19th century office building interiors.
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1188276
| Type | Reference No. | Extent | Status/Desc |
|---|---|---|---|
| Original | 101165 | 1 PDF : 872 KB ; A4 | Group of Items (May not be issued, may not be reproduced) |