Melbourne Shipping Exchange, 25 King Street, Melbourne
Butler, Graeme1985
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Total copies: 1
Title:
Melbourne Shipping Exchange, 25 King Street, Melbourne
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Date of work:
1985
Reference number:
BIF-CITY 105293
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Item from Collection: Heritage Collection (HC)
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Graphic materialsTextual material
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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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RESEARCH ADDED BY GRAEME BUTLER 2021:Period: VictorianConstruction date: 1887ASSOCIATIONS: Deane, Captain James; Melbourne Coal, Shipping, and Engineering Company LimitedDESIGNER: Frederick Williams;BUILDER: Carlton, James - Erskine St Hotham Hill.CONTEXT (WITH GJM HERITAGE) 2020, HODDLE GRID HERITAGE REVIEWStatement of SignificanceWhat is significant?The commercial building at 25 King Street, Melbourne, designed by Frederick Williams and completed in 1889.Elements that contribute to the significance of the place include (but are not limited to):• The building’s original form, materials and detailing;• The building’s high level of integrity to its original design;• Detailing of the façade including rusticated ground floor, engaged pilasters with entablature above, deep cornices, moulded architraves, sills and sill brackets; and• Pattern and size of original fenestration, and original window joinery.Later alterations, including a non-original window centrally located at the first level, are not significant.How it is significant?25 King Street, Melbourne is of local historic, representative and aesthetic significance to the City of Melbourne.Why it is significant?25 King Street is of historic significance for its association with Melbourne's foremost late nineteenth and early twentieth century shipping company, the Melbourne Coal, Shipping and Engineering Co, known as the Shipping Exchange and from 1895 as the Melbourne Steamship Company. The present building at 25 King Street served as the company headquarters from 1889-1913 before it relocated next door to 27-31 King Street. (Criterion A) 25 King Street is a fine example of an Italianate commercial building from the late Victorian era. Designed by architect and Sandridge mayor and councillor, Frederick Williams, it is significant for its somewhat unusual feature of a half basement which is also employed at Williams’ other building at 384-386 Flinders Lane. The Italianate façade is of high quality featuring moulded stucco work to the façade. (Criterion D)25 King Street is aesthetically significant, demonstrating key characteristics of the Italianate style, including a scholarly arrangement of classical elements such as a decorated parapet, deeply moulded cornices, a variety of windows with segmented, round arched and squared heads and a rusticated ground level with engaged pilasters. 25 King Street is notable for its high degree of integrity to the façade. (Criterion E)Primary sourceHoddle Grid Heritage Review (Context & GJM Heritage, 2020).GRAEME BUTLER 1985 MELBOURNE CENTRAL ACTIVITIES DISTRICT CONSERVATION STUDYBUILDING IDENTIFICATION FORM cites source 85, L. Wilson & Associates, 'Report on Central Business District Block 6, (Melbourne) 2 Vols, 1976, page 149.L. Wilson & Associates, 'Report on Central Business District Block 6, (Melbourne) 2 Vols, 1976, page 1491. HISTORY. 1886 Brick and iron house. 1887 Brick store, 3 flats, Wood &Co., Produce Merchants (rate book). 1889 Melbourne Shipping Exchange (Mahlstedt 1888, also rate The building remained as a centre for ship-owners and agents until the 1930's. books).2. DESCRIPTION. Three storey building with brick loadbearing walls, the two upper floors present a simple elegance in window treatr.~nt which contrasts with the ill-proportioned and clumsy ground floor treatment.3. RECOMMENDATION. The retention of this building is not justified..VICTORIAN HERITAGE INVENTORY H7822-18481866 - building on site. 1877 - two-storey building and yard, J Johnson, Store. 1888 - two-storey building, yard and shed. 1905 - three-storey building, Melbourne Steam Ship Company.VICTORIAN TITLES OFFICE - V3727 F302.City of Melbourne online mapsThree storey rendered brick former warehouse with basement. Built 1887.Bruce M. Gooley, 2016. Captain James Deane 1829-1900-Port Phillip Sea Pilot, Ship Owner and director of the Melbourne Steamship Cohttps://www.blurb.co.uk/b/7213476-captain-james-deane-1829-1900A brief maritime history of one of Victoria's largely forgotten ship owners who was also a master mariner, coal merchant, a major tug operator, Port Phillip Sea pilot, floating dock owner, employer and co-founder of the Melbourne Steamship Company which survived into the 1960's. This work is richly illustrated and features many images of the ships associated with James Deane. Some of these images may not have been published before..LEWIS, M- AUSTRALIAN ARCHITECTURE INDEX:Record 71743 Deane, J Melbourne VIC Office Buildings; Warehouses Carlton, James - Erskine St Hotham Hill 1885 10 9 1781.__________________________________________________CONTEXT (WITH GJM HERITAGE) 2020, HODDLE GRID HERITAGE REVIEW1866 Cox Building on site.1877 Dove Two-storey building and yard, J Johnson, Store.1880 Panorama1888 Mahlstedt Two-storey building, yard, shed.1905/6 Mahlstedt Three-storey building, Melbourne Steam Ship Company.Summary· Historically significant for its association with prominent shipping line, the Melbourne Steamship Company.· Significant as representative of a late Victorian Italianate commercial building with unusual half basement.· Aesthetically significant for demonstrating the Italianate style, including a high quality façade with moulded stucco workSITE HISTORYThe first documented occupation of the site at 25 King Street, originally 17 King Street, dates to 1854, with previous buildings on the site including Martindale and Steele’s store (Age 1 November 1854:1; Fels, Lavelle & Mider 1993, Inventory no 848).Melbourne Steamship Co Ltd 1885-1912In 1884 shipping businesses James Deane and Co, Melbourne Coal Co and Hobson's Floating Dock Co were sold to a private company directed by H R Reid, Captain James Deane and Captain James McIntyre, and managed by D York Syme. It became the Melbourne Coal, Shipping and Engineering Co (UoM). Reid held many public positions in Melbourne, including the President of the Chamber of Commerce, whilst cousins and Port Phillip Sea pilots Deane and McIntyre were well known identities in shipping circles throughout Victoria (Maitland Weekly Mercury 28 September 1907:13; Muswellbrook Chronicle 24 April 1909:4; Williamstown Chronicle 2 March 1900:3).In 1885, a brick building of three floors containing a store and offices was constructed on the subject site by builder James Carlton for the Melbourne Coal, Shipping and Engineering Co, and called the ‘Shipping Exchange’ in Sands and McDougall street directories from c1892 (Figure 1) (MCC registration no 1781, as cited in AAI, record no 71743). Fire damaged the building in 1888, burning the roof and destroying the top storey and the entire contents of the building (Argus 8 December 1888:7). This destruction, coupled with severe water damage to the other levels, resulted in the structure’s complete rebuilding the following year.The new three-storey building plus basement was erected on the site in 1889 to the design of architect Frederick Williams (Figure 2) (Australasian Builder and Contractor’s News 5 January 1889:21). In 1895 the Melbourne Coal, Shipping and Engineering Co was renamed the Melbourne Steamship Co (UoM). Until 1909 the firm operated from the ground floor of the building and Reid, Deane and McIntyre occupied offices on the first level, with executors of Deane’s estate taking up his office from his death in 1900 (S&Mc 1890, 1892, 1896-1910). Other tenants during this time included champagne and wine manufacturers, printing goods importer and oil and general merchants, among others.Figure 1. Detail from 1888 Mahlstedt plan shows the original 1885 building on the site before it was destroyed by fire. (Source: Mahlstedt Map, no 1A, 1888)By 1910 the Melbourne Steamship Co had expanded its offices to occupy all three floors of the building, and by 1913 had vacated the premises at 25 King Street and re-established itself in a new building at 27-31 King Street next door (Figure 2) (MCC registration no 3392, as cited in AAI, record no 71706; S&Mc 1910-1913). The business survived at these new premises into the 1960s, until the sale of its biggest and most well-known ship, Duntroon.Figure 2. Detail from 1910 Mahlstedt plan shows the current building on the subject site. In 1910 25 King Street was still occupied by the Melbourne Shipping Co., despite a tab for ‘Austral Wine & Spirit Agency’ blocking out the business name on the above plan. (Mahlstedt Map, no 24, 1910)In 1913 25 King Street was sold to Mary Georgina Alston, wife of one of Australia’s leading nineteenth century industrialists, James Alston (CT:V3727 F745302). Mary was an avid philanthropist; at her death in 1932 she was president of the Women’s Hospital and Loreto Free Kindergarten, as well as patroness of the central executive of St Vincent’s Hospital and a vice-president of the Victoria League. During World War One she had been a zealous worker for the Red Cross and she was also a member of the Lyceum Club (Parsons 1979).Austral Wine and Spirit Agency 1916-1922In 1916 merchant Pierce Cody moved his wine and spirit agency from 407 Little Collins Street into the building at 25 King Street, purchasing the property in July 1920 (CT:V03727 F302; S&Mc 1916). On Cody’s death in 1923, the property and business were devolved to his sons Patrick and Matthew, and while Austral Wine and Spirit Agency had moved on from 25 King Street in 1922, the property itself remained with the Cody family for the next 50 years. Other tenants during the Cody’s ownership included the agency for the Australian Farmers’ Service, Colonial Rubber Co Ltd manufacturers, and various ship chandlers (S&Mc 1922-1942).Figure 3. Details from 1925 (top) and 1948 (bottom) Mahlstedt plans show the building at 25 King Street remaining unchanged over the years. (Source: Mahlstedt Map, no 24, 1925; Mahlstedt Map, no 24, 1948Figure 4. Photograph from the late 1960s showing 25 King Street delineated in red outline. (Source: Halla 1965-1972, SLV)Frederick Williams, architectFrederick Williams became a councillor (1875-1886) and mayor (1880) of Sandridge Council (Port Melbourne) following his arrival in Melbourne in 1857. Williams commenced his career as an architect and surveyor in 1869 and was engaged in erecting numerous buildings in the city, suburbs and country. He designed many buildings in Port Melbourne including Excelsior Hall, the Holy Trinity Church Hall and Graham's Family Hotel. He also designed the extension to Swallow and Ariell's biscuit factory on the corner of Rouse and Stokes streets, Sandridge (Port Melbourne) as well as its office and counting house on the opposite side of Stokes Street (Gee 2010).Williams was chosen as the Sandridge Council's representative on the Melbourne Tramways Trust and served in that capacity until 1886, when he retired from Council. He was appointed architect to the Modern Permanent Building Society in 1883. His offices were at 76 Collins Street west and his private residence was in Brighton (Gee 2010).REFERENCESAge, as cited.Argus, as cited.Australasian Builder and Contractor’s News, as cited.Australian Architectural Index (AAI), as cited. Copyright Miles Lewis.Context 2011, ‘City of Melbourne Thematic Environmental History’, prepared for the City of Melbourne.Fels, M, Lavelle S, and Mider D 1993, ‘Archaeological Management Plan’, prepared for the City of Melbourne.Gee, Colma B 2010, Gee Family In Australia: Information about FREDERICK WILLIAMS, http://www.genealogy.com/ftm/g/e/e/Colma-B-Gee/WEBSITE-0001/UHP-0827.html, accessed 15 June 2017.Halla, K J 1965-1972, ‘King Street west between Flinders Street and Flinders Lane, Melbourne, Vic’, State Library of Victoria (SLV) Halla collection of negatives: views of East Melbourne, Fitzroy, Melbourne & North Melbourne, accessed online 3 March 2018.Land Victoria, Certificates of Title (CT), as cited.Mahlstedt and Gee 1888, Standard plans of the city of Melbourne, Mahlstedt and Gee, Melbourne.Mahlstedt, G 1910, Index to the City of Melbourne detail fire survey, Mahlstedt, Melbourne.Mahlstedt’s Pty Ltd 1925, City of Melbourne detail fire survey. Section 1, Mahlstedt Pty Ltd, Melbourne.Mahlstedt’s Pty Ltd 1948, City of Melbourne detail fire survey. Section 1, Mahlstedt Pty Ltd, Melbourne.Maitland Weekly Mercury, as cited.Melbourne Planning Scheme (MPS), 'Melbourne and its Heritage Precincts', reference document to Clause 22.06 Heritage Precincts Policy of the Melbourne Planning Scheme, https://www.melbourne.vic.gov.au/SiteCollectionDocuments/heritage-precincts-history-significance.pdf, accessed 2 February 2018.Muswellbrook Chronicle, as cited.Parsons, G 1979, ‘Alston, Mary Sophia (1856-1932), Australian Dictionary of Biography, National Centre of Biography, Australian National University, originally published 1979, http://adb.anu.edu.au/biography, accessed online 3 March 2018.Sands & McDougall, Melbourne and Suburban Directories (S&Mc), as cited.Savill, Barbara 1987, 'First landowners in Melbourne', Royal Historical Society of Victoria, http://www.historyvictoria.org.au/Early%20Melbourne/First%20Melbourne%20Settlers.htmlaccessed 23 January 2018.Trace, Keith 2008, 'Port of Melbourne', Encyclopaedia of Melbourne, School of Historical and Philosophical Studies, The University of Melbourne, http://www.emelbourne.net.au/biogs/EM01162b.htm, accessed 24 January 2018.University of Melbourne Archives (UoM), Melbourne Steamship Co. Ltd. Collection, 1962.0008, File 2/1/62, General Note for record listed by Cecily Close, 23 September 1965.Williamstown Chronicle, as cited.__________________________________________________NEWSPAPERS (TROVE)Weekly Times (Melbourne, Vic. : 1869 - 1954) Sat 19 Jun 1886 Page 11CITY IMPROVEMENTSThe west end of the City has, during the last three years, very much improved in appearance, several handsome buildings having recently been erected. Prominent amongst the new premises is the Shipping Exchange, at King street, near the corner of Flinders street. The Exchange is four stories in height, and is the property of the Melbourne Coal, Shipping, and Engineering Company Limited who occupy a large portion of the office accommodation. Messrs. Hugh R. Reed and Co,, Captain Dean, and Messrs Shell, Zabel, and Co. also carry on their business in the same building. and, as its name indicates, it is intended that the Exchange shall be is centre for the chipping trade of the colonyThe Age (Melbourne, Vic. : 1854 - 1954) Sat 25 Feb 1888 Page 4` Mr Mitchison has Removed from 5 Queen-street to 17 King-street, near Flinders-street, above Melbourne Shipping Exchange`The Age' 4 April 2020:The office at 25 King Street was revamped by Kennedy Nolan architects.Commercial Real EstateSTEPHEN CRAFTIGhost of Steamship Company sails on Heritage offices have been sensitively reworked, writes Stephen Crafti.The ghosts of the Melbourne Steamship Company can still be seen in a now reberthed, three level, Italianate building in King Street that it occupied for many years.The historic building, with its distinctive arched windows, was later occupied by the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Ophthalmologists.‘‘That’s when all the partitions came in, along with the faux art deco embellishments during the 1980s,’’ says architect Patrick Kennedy, a director of Kennedy Nolan Architects.‘‘Fortunately, there still remained a number of original features,’’ adds Kennedy, pointing out the rich mahogany staircase.Kennedy Nolan Architects brief came from Excelon Projects, a development company with an architectural bent.‘‘Our client wanted us to create both an office for themselves (located on the top floor), as well as a co-working spaces on the lower two floors.The basement is given over to a function space.Rudimentary partitions were removed and a ‘veil’ of walls and partitions were inserted to loosely delineate spaces.Limed plywood joinery in the form of bookshelves now appear, along with floor-to-ceiling glazed walls that allow for a sense of transparency as well as a number of spaces: some enclosed, others more open.‘‘There’s a variety of working spaces, including larger meeting rooms, a boardroom, together with areas that allow for individuals to work independently,’’ says Kennedy.The architects, although keen to create a new contemporary feel within the building, were also mindful of not damaging the original fabric from the 1870s.‘‘From the outset, it was about clarifying the original features, while clearly defining the new work,’’ he adds.While the partitions were removed, Kennedy Nolan made a few new openings, including arches (responding to the building’s Italianate architecture), complete with oriel-style glass windows above. ‘‘It was important to open up the spaces but also allow the original floor plan to be read,’’ says Kennedy.Some of the new amenities, such as a kitchenette on the ground floor, are concealed behind sliding doors adorned with super graphics. However, it’s the Yves Klein blue used within the office that gives this fit-out its distinctive signature. From the front door to the walls and super graphics, the blue hue made famous by the French artist can be seen. Although a particularly popular colour frequently used by interior designers, the choice on this occasion was the result of the rich mahogany of the main staircase. ‘‘Yves Klein blue is a very intense blue/purple. It just worked perfectly with the purplish tones of the original timber,’’ says Kennedy, who sees this tone as having an ultraviolet quality.The same colour also helps to sharpen spaces, as well as providing a balance to the relatively neutral interior scheme: white walls, pale grey and limed timber joinery. Even the original timber floors were limed, with Yves Klein blue carpets creating a punch of colour and acoustic control. There are still a few remnants of the faux art deco period from the 1980s, such as the decorative plaster ceilings. However, these are now painted white and slip into obscurity against the Yves Klein blue touches. ‘‘We’ve touched the interior as lightly as possible. It was also conceived to allow our client to expand beyond the top floor if needed,’’ says Kennedy.‘‘The fixtures and fittings can be moved and rearranged without damaging the building’s original fabric.’’Klein made his mark in the postwar period. One can see his tables and objects d’art, all produced in Yves Klein blue at major galleries and museums such as the Pompidou Centre in Paris. But those not wanting to travel, can always pass by the front door of this King Street office and reflect on the power of colour..DIRECTORIES OF VICTORIA, MELBOURNE-SANDS AND KENNY, SANDS & MCDOUGALL192025 Austral Wine & Spirit Agcy—Cody, P.
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| Type | Reference No. | Extent | Status/Desc |
|---|---|---|---|
| Original | 105293 | 1 JPEG : 252 KB ; A4 | Single Item (May not be issued, may not be reproduced) |