Sydney Art Deco Heritage

The Commonwealth Bank at 58 Spit Road in Spit Junction is another Art Deco gem built in 1935 by Messrs Hutcherson Bros of Stanmore Road, Petersham and supervised by the Department of the Interior, Works and Services Branch of NSW. It was completed in August 1935. During work in 1978 the exterior ‘cantilevered’ awning was extended across and above the main entrance of the branch. The branch closed in April 1998. Thankfully the awning was subsequently removed much to the benefit of the building. Facade detail The branch in 1977 Prior to general construction works the following year. The branch in 1978 The extended box awning across the front of the bank. Totally destroyed the nature of the building The branch in 1992 THe awning was still there in 1992. Currently (2022) the bulky awning is long gone and the building is now occupied by Signarama who have placed a *mini* awning over the front door. It still looks *tacked on* to the building because they have int...

Built in 1940 this double storeyed, cement rendered brick building in the familiar ‘Commonwealth Bank Art Deco’ style of the times, featured a ground floor banking chamber with a Manager’s residence on the first floor. An unusual feature of the design of the building, located at 838-840 Princes Highway in Tempe, was the three rounded external walls with glass brick windows and the flat roofs, one leading to a roof garden. This style of architecture evolved in the Architectural Branch of the Commonwealth Department of the Interior who were the main architects the Bank used for its building construction up the late 1950s. In December 1989 the bank sold the building but retained tenancy from 1990 for an initial 5 year period. In October 1996 the branch was closed. Main entrance detail The bank in 1940 New signage in 1992 Sources: Commonwealth Bank Archive Department