376-390 COLLINS STREET
382-390 COLLINS STREET AND 74-92 QUEEN STREET MELBOURNE, MELBOURNE CITY
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Statement of Significance
This place is included on the Victorian Heritage Inventory, for its potential to contain historical archaeological remains associated with the settlement and growth of early Melbourne. Under the terms of the Heritage Act 2017 there is protection for all historical archaeology sites and objects in the state.
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376-390 COLLINS STREET - History
Heritage Inventory History of Site: Date of first documented occupation, 1839Heritage Inventory Description
376-390 COLLINS STREET - Heritage Inventory Description
Fisrt land sale, Block 13, Allotment 1, EW Umphelby. 1839 - cluster of six buildings to Little Collins St, larger joined buildings: 'Power'. 1840s - site of wholesale grocery store. 1877 - cluster of 13 buildings, commercial and residential.1887 - construction of current building.
Heritage Inventory Significance: HBR34HISTORIC BUILDINGS COUNCIL - STATEMENT OF SIGNIFICANCE:TWO BUILDINGS OCCUPY THE SITE AND THE RICHLY ORNATE VENECIAN GOTHIC BANKING CHAMBER OCCUPIES THE GROUND FLOORS OF BOTH BUILDINGS. THE CORNER BUILDING NO 384-392 COLLINS STREET WAS DESIGNED BY WILLIAM WARDELL AND BUILT IN 1883 BY GROSS AND MASS ON USING PYRMONT (SYDNEY) SANDSTONE. THE WALLS ARE PIERCED BY A FEW LARGE ORNATE WINDOWS WITH A SECOND LOW PARAPET WHICH REPRESENTS A SIMPLE EXTENSION OF THE WALL. THE FACADE OF THE SECOND BUILDING NO 376-382 COLLINS STREET CONSISTS OF SIX LEVELS AND IS A MUCH MORE ORNATE ECLECTIC GOTHIC DESIGN. THE GROUND FLOOR IS GIVEN EMPHASIS THROUGH THE USE OF GOTHIC ARCHES OF TWICE THE FLOOR-TO-FLOOR HEIGHT OF THE UPPER FLOORS AND BY THE RECESSING OF THE PRESENT BANKING CHAMBER WALL AND WINDOWS BEHIND THESE GRAND SCALE GOTHIC ARCHES. THE DETAILING OF EACH FLOOR VARIES BUT THE GOTHIC THEME IS CONSISTENT. THE CONCEPT IS ONE OF A COMPLEX BROKEN SURFACE. THE BUILDING WAS COMPLETED IN 1890 AT A COST OF 200,000 POUNDS, THE ARCHITECT WAS PITT AND THE BUILDER LOCKINGTON. HBR451HISTORIC BUILDINGS COUNCIL - STATEMENT OF SIGNIFICANCE: THIS BUILDING WAS ERECTED IN 1890 BY THE STOCK EXCHANGE OF MELBOURNE CO. AS THE MELBOURNE SAFE DEPOSIT BUILDING. THE DESIGN WAS COMPLETED BY THE WELL KNOWN ARCHITECT WILLIAM PITT AND WAS CONSTRUCTED BY A MR. G.B. LESTER. A CONTEMPORARY ACCOUNT OF THE CONSTRUCTION MADE GREAT PLAY OF THE STRONG-ROOM CONSTRUCTION, WHICH WAS SEEN TO BE OF CONSIDERABLE IMPORTANCE GIVEN THE BUILDING'S PROPOSED USE. FOLLOWING THE COLLAPSE OF THE BANKS IN THE 1890S PEPLE TURNED TO 'SAFE DEPOSIT' AGENCIES TO LOOK AFTER THEIR MONEY. THIS BUILDING SERVED AS ONE OF THESE AGENCIES AND CONSEQUENTLY IN ASSOCIATION WITH THE E.S. & A. BANK ON THE CORNER AND THE OLD STOCK EXCHANGE BUILDING MAKES AN IMPORTANT HISTORICAL GROUP. IT IS WORTH NOTING THAT THIS STOCK EXCHANGE WAS IN FACT THE NEWER OF THE TWO COMPETING EXCHANGES IN MELBOURNE. THIS ONE WAS THE STOCK EXCHANGE OF MELBOURNE, FOUNDED BY B.J. FINK IN 1886-87. IT IN FACT WAS PHYSICALLY LINKED WITH 90 QUEEN STREET. IN 1925 THE E.S. & A. BANK ACQUIRED THE BUILDING AND APPARENTLY ADDED THE SEVENTH FLOOR AND THE ADDITIONAL 16 FEET TO THE NORTH OF THE BUILDING. FROM 1929 IT IS REFERRED TO AS THE SAFE DEPOSIT BUILDING. IT IS CURRENTLY OWNED BY THE A.N.Z. BANK. THE BUILDING IS AN IMPORTANT EXAMPLE OF THE GOTHIC REVIVAL USING BRICKWORK AND STUCCO, IT HAS AN IMPORTANT LINK WITH THE BOOM PERIOD IN MELBOURNE'S HISTORY AS A POPULAR ALTERNATIVE TO THE BANKING INSTITUTIONS AND ALSO AN IMPORTANT LINK WITH THE E.S. & A. BANK AND MELBOURNE STOCK EXCHANGE, BOTH VISUALLY AND FUNCTIONALLY.
Archeological Potential: Extant bldg Fabric, Potential/Disturbed, Site.
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FORMER ROYAL AUSTRALIAN ARMY MEDICAL CORPS TRAINING DEPOTVictorian Heritage Register H0717
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MITRE TAVERNVictorian Heritage Register H0464
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MELBOURNE SAVAGE CLUBVictorian Heritage Register H0025
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