Tye & Co. Furniture Warehouse, 93-97 Little Bourke Street, Melbourne
Graeme Butler and Associates01/07/1989
Archives
Total copies: 1
Title:
Tye & Co. Furniture Warehouse, 93-97 Little Bourke Street, Melbourne
Creator:
Date of work:
01/07/1989
Reference number:
BIF-CITY 101219
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:
Construction date: 1907, 1925Notable features: Cornice spandrels, bricksVHR Number: HO686/ HO507ASSOCIATED RESEARCH ADDED BY GRAEME BUTLER:.GRAEME BUTLER 1989, LITTLE BOURKE STREET PRECINCT CONSERVATION STUDYStatement of Significance.HistoryOnce a vacant lot between Morning Star Lane and Lees Place, it was sold to furniture dealers, Tye & Company in 1907 and became the site for the warehouse extension in their redevelopment of their Bourke Street premises < D Routt, cites first field book entry of 1908 listing brick warehouse at rear 54'x145'>, occupied by the company since the 1890s. By 1905, Tye & Co. had six retail outlets within the inner suburbs and a furniture factory in South Melbourne. They sold bamboo and wicker furniture, bedding and wire mattresses; they were upholsterers, made baby carriages and furniture generally and, despite the Eastern intonation of the company surname, its proprietors were European.Their architect for this redevelopment was Frank Stapely and their builders Peters & Hetherington < MCC PA 469, 5.07 >.This building, at first a warehouse showroom, became a storeroom by the late 1920s and the company itself handled second-hand furniture only by the late 1930s, presumably heralding its decline. In 1926 (or 1925?) two floors were added in matching brick to the Little Bourke Street elevation and more fundamentally, the windows, ground level entry and internal structure was replace in 1965-6 for Bogle & Banfield's Palladium Carpark redevelopment.DescriptionToday, what has been just a facade remnant of Kye's store since the 1960s, is now decidedly so, stripped even of its reinforced concrete carpark. What remains is the pressed-cement architectural embellishment to the tall Romanesque revival archways which is reminiscent of the American (Louis Sullivan) origin of this popular Edwardian revival for warehouse buildings, brought to perfection in Melbourne by the Tompkins Brothers.External IntegrityAll but the front bay of the building has been removed,. glazing taken from windows, walls built over part of the openings, the ground floor replaced, a canopyadded, and the brickwork painted in part with signs.StreetscapeFurther west along Little Bourke Street Nahum Barnet's renovated Romanesque revival warehouses (107-109) show a similar if more austere face, linked to Kye's building by the more prosaic 19th century warehouse at 105 Little Bourke Street.SignificanceAs a facade it is incomplete but possesses some valuable detailing and, with its form and use of materials, relates to other surviving Edwardian and late Victorian elements in Chinatown. It also remains as the last city remnant of a medium sized furniture suburban retailer whose products were sold throughout Victoria and perpetuatedthe long history of cabinetmaking in the precinct.Contributes to precinct...GRAEME BUTLER 1989, LITTLE BOURKE STREET PRECINCT CONSERVATION STUDYcites CITY OF MELBOURNE BUILDING PERMIT APPLICATIONS 469, 5.1907.LEWIS, M- AUSTRALIAN ARCHITECTURE INDEXCITY OF MELBOURNE BUILDING PERMIT APPLICATIONSRecord 73332 Stapley, F; Tye & Co Melbourne VIC Warehouses Peters & Hetherington - 230 King St 1907 05 20 469 MCC registration no 469 [Burchett Index]. Fee 6.0.0 three-storey brick warehouse, Little Bourke.NEWSPAPERS (TROVE)The Age (Melbourne, Vic. : 1854 - 1954) Fri 29 Jun 1900 Page 1 AdvertisingA SWEEPING CLEARING SALE. Prior to EXTENSIVE ALTERATIONS.Eight Years Ago. When Melbourne Was in the Depth of the Great. Depression, the Pre sent Proprietors of RICHARDS and . Co. . Bought from the Trustees of Mr. Elijah Richards the Business then Carried on by Him. and so Great has their Success been, that Every Year the Already Largo Premises have had to be Enlarged, and the Climax is Now Reached, when, after Building is far Back to : ' Little Bourke-street as They Can Go, they are Compelled to take in the Adjoining Premises, Known for the Last 50 Years as ST. GEORGE'S HALL." The Plans have been Prepared by , Mr. FRANK STAPLEY, ARCHITECT. &c.. SWANSTON-STREET. And are Now in the Hands of MESSRS: O. J. and T. HAM, The Agents for the Owner, Awaiting their Approval, which may be Granted in a Few Days, when the Work will be Vigorously Proceeded with, as Everything Must be in Readiness to Commence the NEW SEASON'S TRADE in AUGUST. To Bring About this Most Desirable End,We WILL COMMENCE TO-MORROW (SATURDAY), 30th JUNE,The Herald (Melbourne, Vic. : 1861 - 1954)Wednesday 12 August 1925 - Page 4https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/243629839Messrs. Tye and Co.'s new five storey warehouse, erected upon the site of the firm's old Bourke street premises, and notable forthe fact that it it built of brick. Frank Stapley, F.R.V.I.A., Image of Bourke Street buildingNews (Adelaide, SA : 1923 - 1954) Wed 19 Aug 1925 Page 11 (TROVE)BUILDING IN BRICKhttps://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/129789900BUILDING IN BRICKNotable Modern Example .While the use of concrete has become the favorite for the construction of modern city commercial houses, brick has not been entirely superseded. A notable example of modern construction in brick is that offered by the replacement of Tye & Co.'s warehouse iln Bourke street, Melbourne.This fine building is nearing completion. The site has a frontage of 60 ft., and is one of the few that extends through to Little Bourke street. The new ware house has an area of 63,000 superficial feet, or nearly one and a half acres. The building is five-storeys, with basement. It is steel-framed with brick walls.An unusual feature of the design is that the front is set back about five feet and carried down to the basement to form a shop window there. These being tiled and protected by bronze railings. The main and Island windows extend back 50 feet. Flood lighting from the verandah has been arranged to illuminate the front. The cost of the building, which was designed by Mr. F. Stapley, F.R.V.I.A., will be about £40,000.
Related material link:
Names:
Form/Genre:
Record types:
Research and reports
Record number:
1190546
| Type | Reference No. | Extent | Status/Desc |
|---|---|---|---|
| Original | 101219 | 1 PDF : 1,385 KB ; A4 | Group of Items (May not be issued, may not be reproduced) |