Sydney Art Deco Heritage

The Commonwealth Bank Leichardt branch was located at 6-8 Norton Street in Leichardt. Following the purchase of land in 1910 the GSB of NSW erected a double storey brick building with downstairs banking chamber and an upstairs Manager’s residence. The premises were erected by builders Messrs Schofield and Wilson under the supervision of prominent Sydney architects, Messrs H E Ross and Rowe. It was first occupied on 29 May 1911. In 1949 extensive renovations were carried out internally but no mention is made of the facade. I haven't been able to find out if the Art Deco facade had already been built and if the original building had been modified or rebuilt with the new facade. The photo below of the bank in the 1960s shows it with no awning. The later addition of the awning spoils the look of the building in my opinion. In February 2009 the Leichhardt branch was relocated to new refurbished premises at 18 Norton Street. The original building has been put up for lease (includi

The Commonwealth Bank Paddington branch at 259 Oxford Street in Paddington is not the most interesting example of an interwar bank branch but it is still being used as the Paddington branch of the bank today. Paddington branch in 1958 Sources: Commonwealth Bank Archives department

Located at 191 Cuba Street on the corner Vivian Street in Wellington, New Zealand, Reid House was designed in 1930 by the Wellington architectural firm Atkins and Mitchell and built for the draper, D.S. Patrick. The contractor was Fletcher Construction Co. The corner was named Patrick's Corner, and the original proprietor, Patrick, had traded on the site since 1910. This three storey-building makes excellent use of its corner site, with five distinct portions folding around the triangular site. It is not symmetrical either, with two bays of Spanish Mission style on Cuba Street a contrast with the busy Art Deco decoration on the other four sides. Reid House itself is remembered by many Wellingtonians as a music venue, particularly the Bluenote. These days the property is home to Bad Grannies pub, takeaway food vendors and two and a half floors of refurbished office space upstairs. The building was up for sale in 2016 but wasn't sold until 2019 when it went for $5 million

The land at 79-81 Pacific Highway, Roseville, was purchased by the Commonwealth Bank in 1924 and it wasn't until 1938 that the new two storey building was constructed. A feature of this Commonwealth Bank branch was the curved corner entrance vestibule. Banking operations were transferred to the new premises on Tuesday, 17 January 1939. The former Commonwealth Bank bank and attached shops/dwellings in Roseville is an excellent representative example of the class of building constructed by the Commonwealth Bank during the 1930s. It was characterised by the exemplary and consistent application of the Art Deco style of architecture to its suburban branches which conveyed the image the Commonwealth Bank wanted to promote for itself at the time. They followed the lead of Tooth & Co who adopted the Art Deco style in their massive hotel building spree during the Interwar period in NSW. The Commonwealth Bank closed the Roseville branch in March 1998. Picture of the bank in 19

The old Turramurra Commonwealth Bank is located at 1356 Pacific Highway in Turramurra. It was built by the Commonwealth Bank during the 1930's in the then popular Art Deco style. Banking institutions of the period commonly used a pool of architectural firms to design their premises and adopted popular and distinctive architectural styles to promote their operations and corporate image. The Art Deco monumental style suited the image the Bank wanted to promote at the time and they have left a great legacy with many excellent buildings still extant. With the advent of modern banking the Commonwealth Bank closed many of its suburban branches. When the Turramurra branch was closed it was acquired by Gillian Adams in 1994. She converted it into a beauty salon and spa which is still operating today in Turramurra. Front door detail Sources: Commonwealth historical archives

The developer, Colonial, has requested permission from the minister for planning to remove the heritage overlay which would allow complete demolition of one of Victoria’s most significant Art Deco heritage buildings, Lonsdale House. Melbourne risks going down the path Sydney has adopted in the past of sacrificing culturally significant buildings to the developers and leaving the city with no soul. Despite appeals by the National Trust and the Art Deco Society, Heritage Victoria has sternly refused to protect this significant building and the Lonsdale Street and Caledonian Lane streetscapes for future generations. **** UPDATE **** On January 15th 2010 demolition of Lonsdale House had commenced. A sad day for Melbourne and for Art Deco heritage in general.

The Criterion Hotel located at 258 Pitt Street, Sydney, was designed by Copeman, Lemont & Keesing and was constructed by Paynter and Dixon in 1936. After the original Criterion Theatre was demolished in 1935 the license was sold to Tooth & Co who replaced and extended the building in 1936. It is the finest of the five remaining hotel buildings constructed in this style in the CBD. The others are the Criterion (Sussex Street), the Great Southern Hotel, the Tudor Inn, and the Wynyard. The site has the historical significance of being the location of the Criterion Theatre which was demolished to make way to widen Park street in 1935. The picture opposite shows the partially demolished Criterion Theatre with the new hotel constructed behind it. The Criterion Hotel is a three storey blond brick building constructed in the Inter-War Art Deco style. The highly articulated face brick facade features light green faience terracotta tile detailing at window heads and spandrel