STALBRIDGE CHAMBERS
435-443 LITTLE COLLINS STREET MELBOURNE, MELBOURNE CITY
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Statement of Significance
What is significant?
Stalbridge Chambers was built in 1890-1891 for R C Brown to the design of architects Twentyman & Askew. Brown was the president of the Buildings and Contractors' Association, and his company were responsible for the construction of the building. The new nine storey building, including a basement, replaced the Waterloo Hotel. It was speculatively built to attract tenancies. It incorporated a hotel bar and shops on the ground floor with office space above. The construction is brick with facing Harcourt granite to the ground floor and render above. The floors are a composite construction of concrete and timber supported by cast iron columns and steel joists. Internally the entrance lobby and stairs are particularly notable. Stylistically the building is an example of Mannerist design, incorporating a free use of elements of Renaissance architecture, such as pilasters, pediments, Doric and Corinthian orders, round arch windows and bold rustication at the ground floor level. The exaggerated cornice at attic storey level is supported by masculine, fluted brackets. Alterations to the shop fronts were carried out in 1929 and 1954.
How is it significant?
Stalbridge Chambers is of architectural significance to the State of Victoria.
Why is it significant?
Stalbridge Chambers is architecturally significant as an intact example of a richly decorated, boom-period Mannerist design by the noted Melbourne architects Twentyman & Askew. Twentyman and Askew were also responsible for another Mannerist design, the Block Arcade. As the product of the owner-builder R C Brown, the building epitomises the speculative nature of the early 1890s period and, with its combination of hotel, shops, professional chambers and offices, it is an early example of multi-use development. It is a rare example of an unpainted stuccoed high-rise building of the 1890s. The building represents the technological transition in the 1890s, whereby lifts enabled extra storeys and therefore extra rental revenue, but traditional load-bearing brick construction still restricted the overall height of the structure.
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STALBRIDGE CHAMBERS - History
History of Place:
From at least 1861 the corner of Bank Place and Little Collins Street was the site of a two-storey pub, the Waterloo Hotel. Stalbridge Chambers were begun in 1891 but the completion date is not known. The levels above ground floor were not tenanted until the mid 1890s, possibly when the building was finally completed. The basement was tenanted by 1897 and a caretaker moved into the attic flat in 1898. Rate books in 1900 describe the building as Stalbridge Hotel with nine rooms and six floors of offices and a basement. .Between 1916 and 1926 there were minor alterations to the basement and wall partitions. The shop fronts were altered in 1928 and 1929. The original Stalbridge Chambers Hotel was replaced in 1903 by the Queens Mansions Hotel. From the beginning a pub occupied the corner and part of the grounsd floor shop area but it was replaced by a stationer by World War 1. The entrance lobby may have been refurbished in 1932.
(Stalbridge Chambers, Bruce Henderson, 1988)
Reinforced Concrete and Monier Pipe Construction files, University of Melbourne Archives
Stalbridge Chambers File no. 640
November 1907, 3rd storey ceiling failed and replaced by Monier concrete. File talks of concrete ceilings papered 12 years previously, ie c1895. Coke breeze concrete construction in original building.
Associated People: R C Brown - owner of Stalbridge Chambers in 1891, and President of the Buildings and Contractors' AssociationSTALBRIDGE CHAMBERS - 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.
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