Sydney Art Deco Heritage

Constructed in 1940 to a design by Herbert, Wilson & Pynor the former Paramount Picture Studios building at 53-55 Brisbane Street, Surry Hills, is one of few surviving buildings recording the boom in cinema development in the 1930s and its growing importance for mass entertainment and information. The choice of site records the importance of this area of the city as an early focus for the film industry especially with the former 20th Century Fox building next door and the Hotel Hollywood just down the road. It is significant for the use of glazed terracotta tiles in a low scale building. Corner of the building Sources: Sydney Heritage Listings

Snow's building is located within the Pitt Street streetscape at 360 Pitt Street in Sydney and is unusual for its grey and red terracotta faience tiled facade. The facade is six stories high with a mezzanine above the awning. Snow's building was originally built for Peter Mathieson, a former tobacco merchant who had traded on the site since 1898. The building was destroyed by fire in 1916 and it wasn't until 1934 that Mathieson got a new design by the noted architectural partnership of Ross and Rowe. Building work did not commence until 1937 and the building was not completed until June 1938. In September 1938 Peter Mathieson leased 358-360 to Sydney Snow Ltd and in April 1954 his heirs sold the property to Snow Properties Ltd and it became known as Snow's building. In February 1966 the property was leased to G J Coles & Co Ltd and is now known as the Coles Fossey building. Facade detail Sources: Sydney Heritage Listings

Although a long way from Sydney I thought I would include this building in China. The Bank of China building in Shanghai in the French Concession area is a great example of Art Deco styling adapted for use on a modern building. The imaginative blending of modern glass and building materials with classic Art Deco styling has been achieved with great success. The soaring vertical lines give the building a monumental feel while the detail in the facade and lamps is straight out of the 1930s. Facade detail More facade detail The light fixtures are wonderful examples of modern interpretations of style of the 1930's.

The Telford Trust building at 261 George Street in the Sydney CBD is also known as Feltex House and Interocean House. It was built in 1939 by Concrete Constructions Ltd and was designed by Adam, Wright & Apperly. Originally only three storeys the building was sympathetically extended to nine storeys in 1961 by Buchanan, Felton and Lovell. It is an outstanding example of InterWar Functionalist style and notable for its wide unbroken expanses of glass and horizontal spandrel panels curved at the street corner. Facade detail Sources: Sydney Heritage Listings

Dorchester House at 149 Macquarie Street in Sydney was designed in 1936 by Aaron Bolot. It is an elegant and slim building built on a tiny block. The entire frontage being only twenty two feet. Executed in red texture brick with keystones and bands of bricks in darker shades the eight storey building includes professional offices. On the upper floors were located one and two bedroom apartments. These would have been a nice city pad. Another view of the building Sources: Woollahra Heritage Inventory

The David Jones store at 65-77 Market Street in Sydney designed by Crawford Mackellar (in association with Bruce Partridge) and built by John Grant and Sons and opened in 1938. The building’s statement of significance describes it as “a fine interpretation of the functionalist design tradition, expressive of the department store use and well related to a strong townscape character at an important city corner." “Its materials, attractive proportions and subtlety of address to the corner site show an architectural style and sensitivity of a high order. The use of aluminium for window frames and street awning (both still extant) was innovative at the time.” The building is a good example of the Functionalist style. Castlereagh Street entrance In 1938, the opening of the David Jones store made a permanent change in the life of the city. But it did not emerge fully formed and it took over three decades for the store we see today to be completed. In particular, two storeys we

Charles Plaza at 58-68 King Street in the Sydney CBD is an outstanding example of Art Deco design. It stands as one of the earliest and most "pure" of Sydney's Art Deco skyscrapers. It is associated with a distinguished body of work by Hennessy, Hennessy & Co, who produced more office buildings in the 1930s than any other Sydney based company, particularly for the insurance industry (ACA, Colonial Mutual, Prudential). The 14 storey Inter-War Art Deco buidling was constructed in 1938 by Concrete Constructions Co for the Australasian Catholic Assurances Society Ltd. It was completed in 36 week! A central tower facing King street and stepped in upper floors impart a feeling of grandeur to the building. King Street entrance King Street foyer ceiling Interior Art Deco moulding Sources: Sydney Heritage Listings