Dental Hospital

The Dental Hospital at 2-28 Chalmers St, Surry Hills, is one of the best examples of the interwar Functionalist style in Sydney CBD with strip windows in surrounds and strong horizontal lines demonstrating key characteristics of the style. With an illuminated tower of glass and long bands of windows that emphasised its striking wedge shape, the Dental Hospital of Sydney drew international attention for its world-class design and oral hygiene services.

The original Dental Hospital on this site was built in 1910. By the early 1930s the building could no longer cope with the demands of the public and the requirements of the advancing dental profession. The new building, completed in 1940, one of the first to be partially paid for by a grant from the State Lottery, secured Sydney's place as a world leader in dental hygiene services.

The new Dental Hospital was designed by distinguished architecture firm Stephenson & Turner (formerly Stephenson & Meldrum) that served the dual purpose of providing modern and efficient treatment for the poor and a functional training ground for dental students. It took the same form as the iconic Flatiron Building in New York City. Originally having seven storeys when it was first constructed it was designed to accommodate two additional floors which were added in 1948.

The architects accentuated both the height and length of the building with a six-storey rounded stairwell clad in glass soaring upwards and lines of ribbon windows stretching horizontally to illuminate interior workspaces. The Sydney Morning Herald reported in 1936 'the new building [would] not only be a city landmark, but [would] also dominate the architecture in that section of the city. It was built by H. G. Whittle.

---

Sources:

• Sydney Heritage Listing
• State Library of NSW - The Dictionary of Sydney
• Australian Modern: The Architecture of Stephenson & Turner. Melbourne: Miegunyah Press (Melbourne UP), 2004

---