FORMER YORK BUTTER FACTORY
62-66 KING STREET MELBOURNE, MELBOURNE CITY
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Statement of Significance
What is significant?
The York Butter Factory was originally two separate three storey bluestone warehouses, each with a basement. One section was built in 1852 by the owners of the land, Allison & Knight. The exact date of construction of the other is not known but it is probably also around the early 1850s. Possible architects for its design include Charles Laing and John Gill, both of whom called for tenders for the erection of several bluestone warehouses in King Street in the early 1850s. The three openings to the northern part of the building have segmental arches, whilst the openings to the southern part have elliptical arches. In the first years of the twentieth century both buildings came under the tenancy of Hansen and Farrell, who converted them into a butter factory. From 1902 the buildings were known as Hansen and Farrell Co. Butter Factory. Around this time the exterior of the first floor was rendered and the cement balustrade was added to the bluestone parapet. The name painted on the facade was changed to the ‘York Butter Co’ in 1940.
Whilst externally the main facade now presents a unified building to King Street, internally the buildings are quite different. The larger southern part of the building has chamfered timber Oregon columns supporting the ground and first floors and first floor ceiling. The basement and ground floor columns have additional diagonal struts. The roof is a timber queen post truss with corrugated steel cladding. The northern part of the building shares a bluestone party wall with the southern building. It has five cast iron columns supporting each floor, the basement columns resting on square bluestone plinths. The columns have crosshead capitals to carry Oregon beams, which in turn carry joists. The roof is a king post truss. At the rear is the remnant of a bluestone laneway. Access to the ground floor and basement is via King’s Street, whilst a walkway has been introduced to give access to the first floor from the Rialto Plaza.
How is it significant?
The York Butter Factory is of historical and architectural significance to the State of Victoria.
Why is it significant?
The York Butter Factory is historically significant as one of the oldest warehouses in central Melbourne. The various tenancies demonstrate the range of manufacturing business types that once operated in the central business area. Before the two buildings were unified to operate as a butter factory from 1902, a large variety of business types were conducted from the premises, including shipping agents, a meat preserving company, tanners and printers. The building is one of the few survivors of a large number of warehouses which owed their existence to the presence of wharves on the nearby River Yarra.
The York Butter Factory is architecturally significant as one of the few survivors of a large number of bluestone warehouses which date from the period of the early 1850s. It is significant for its expressed structural use of bluestone, a stone which despite its ready availability remained out of favour until the 1850s. The King Street facade is representative of simple but dignified warehouse architecture of the 1850s, a style which persisted into the 1860s. Internally the building contrasts the structural use of Oregon posts to cast iron columns. If the cast iron columns were accurately dated to the early 1850s, they would represent one of the earliest surviving examples of this construction in Melbourne.
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FORMER YORK BUTTER FACTORY - History
Architect not known. Possibilities include John Gill or Charles Laing, both of whom tendered for several bluestone warehouses in King Street in the early 1850s.
History of Place:
The Memorial Sydney 1757 of September 1840 records J Allison and A Knight purchasing Crown Allotments 16 and 17 for 3000 pounds.
Occupiers (not owners, who were Allison and Knight from 1840-1935):
62-64 King Street (southern part)
1855-69 Newill, Hooper and Stevens (merchants)
1869-71 J N Alexander, (Commission Agent)
1874 Echuca Meat Preserving Company
1875 Charles Howard (Wine Merchant), Poole Picken & Co. (General merchants)
1881 H Drysdale
1886 Wells Storage Co.
1902-38 Hansen and Farrell (Butter Manufacturers)
1940 York Butter Co.
64-66 King Street (northen part)
1854 Thomas Gardiner & Co
1855 Wills, Holden and Co
1859-60 Lord & Co
1860-66 Vacant
1867 Anderson & Co
1874-81 Eliza Tinsley & Co (Iron and steel merchants)
1882-87 Lloyd Bros (Tanners and curriers)
1888-1901 Tysack & Picken (Printers0
1902-38 Hansen and Farrell (Butter manufacturers)
1940 York Butter Co.FORMER YORK BUTTER FACTORY - Permit Exemptions
General Exemptions:General exemptions apply to all places and objects included in the Victorian Heritage Register (VHR). General exemptions have been designed to allow everyday activities, maintenance and changes to your property, which don’t harm its cultural heritage significance, to proceed without the need to obtain approvals under the Heritage Act 2017.Places of worship: In some circumstances, you can alter a place of worship to accommodate religious practices without a permit, but you must notify the Executive Director of Heritage Victoria before you start the works or activities at least 20 business days before the works or activities are to commence.Subdivision/consolidation: Permit exemptions exist for some subdivisions and consolidations. If the subdivision or consolidation is in accordance with a planning permit granted under Part 4 of the Planning and Environment Act 1987 and the application for the planning permit was referred to the Executive Director of Heritage Victoria as a determining referral authority, a permit is not required.Specific exemptions may also apply to your registered place or object. If applicable, these are listed below. Specific exemptions are tailored to the conservation and management needs of an individual registered place or object and set out works and activities that are exempt from the requirements of a permit. Specific exemptions prevail if they conflict with general exemptions. Find out more about heritage permit exemptions here.Specific Exemptions:General Conditions:
1. All exempted alterations are to be planned and carried out in a manner which prevents damage to the fabric of the registered place or object.
2. Should it become apparent during further inspection or the carrying out of alterations that original or previously hidden or inaccessible details of the place or object are revealed which relate to the significance of the place or object, then the exemption covering such alteration shall cease and the Executive Director shall be notified as soon as possible.
3. If there is a conservation policy and plan approved by the Executive Director, all works shall be in accordance with it.
4. Nothing in this declaration prevents the Executive Director from amending or rescinding all or any of the permit exemptions.
Nothing in this declaration exempts owners or their agents from the responsibility to seek relevant planning or building permits from the responsible authority where applicable.
Exterior
* Minor repairs and maintenance which replace like with like.
* Installation and removal, contained to existing areas such as the roof or the rear of the building, of extraneous items such as air conditioners, pipe work, ducting, wiring, antennae, aerials etc, and making good.
Interior
* Replacement of carpets and/or flexible floor coverings in existing areas, i.e. first floor.
* Refurbishment of existing bathrooms, toilets and or en suites including removal, installation or replacement of sanitary fixtures and associated piping, mirrors, wall and floor coverings.
* Removal or replacement of existing kitchen benches and fixtures including sinks, stoves, ovens, refrigerators, dishwashers etc and associated plumbing and wiring.
* Installation, removal or replacement of electrical wiring provided that all new wiring is fully concealed and any original light switches, pull cords, push buttons or power outlets are retained in-situ. Note: if wiring original to the place was carried in timber conduits then the conduits should remain in-situ.
* Installation, removal or replacement of smoke detectors.FORMER YORK BUTTER FACTORY - Permit Exemption Policy
The purpose of the permit exemptions is to allow works that do not impact on the significance of the place to take place without the need for a permit.
The main importance of the former York Butter Factory building is the integrity of the expressed internal and external structure of bluestone, brick, cast iron columns, and Oregon columns, floors and trusses. Any structural alterations will require a permit. Changes to the decorative scheme of the of bluestone, brick, cast iron columns, and Oregon columns, floors and trusses will also require permits. Changes to exterior signage will also require a permit.
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