David Jones Market Street

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 were added by 1947 and a further two by 1969.

In 2016 David Jones sold the Market Street store to Scentre Group (owner of Westfield) and Cbus for $360 million. They plan a major redevelopment of the site designed by architecture firm fjmt. A curved 22-storey residential tower will rise from the heritage retail store, home to 101 ritzy apartments in the centre of the CBD.

Anna McLaurin, a heritage consultant from Weir Phillips Heritage and Planning, has been working on the site, which initially housed a six-storey building, and was the men’s answer to the flagship David Jones women’s store on Elizabeth St. The DA was approved in 2020.

It is heart warming to see a sympathetic redevelopment of an historic Art Deco building which preserves its past glory while bringing it into the 21st century.

The redevelopment will result in a stunning addition to the architectural soul of the Sydney CBD. I'm sure in 100 years time people will look back on this redevelopment with the same passion we currently afford our city's Art Deco heritage from the early 20th Century.

Wouldn't it be nice to have a spare million or so to purchase one of these unique units.

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Sources:

• Sydney Heritage Listings
• 111 Castereagh Street website (vision)
• Woods Bagot website (fantastic 3D renderings of the proposal)

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