Former "Bank of NSW" including interiors

Item details


Name of item:	Former "Bank of NSW" including interiors
Type of item:	Built
Group/Collection:	Commercial
Category:	Bank
Location:	Lat: -33.8669208848475 Long: 151.208553970738
Primary address:	16 O'Connell Street, Sydney, NSW 2000
Local govt. area:	Sydney

All addresses

Street Address	Suburb/town	LGA	Parish	County	Type
16 O'Connell Street	Sydney	Sydney			Primary Address
16-18 O'Connell Street	Sydney	Sydney			Alternate Address

Statement of significance:


	AFT House is one of Australia's finest examples of the Art Deco office building; the stylistic treatment of the main entry and lifts is unique in Sydney. Its formal qualities, especially at the top, make it significant in the streetscape. It is one of the finest works of Bruce Dellit, a leading practitioner of the period, responsible for notable Sydney landmarks including Hyde Park War Memorial and Kyle House (1931), his only other major office building. The ground floor interiors contain sufficient form and fabric to interpret the excellence of their Art Deco style. The building represents the departure, in the 1930s, from traditional architectural styles and adopted a new form of expression and adaptation of modern building technologies. These technologies are evident in the integration of decoration with the function of the building and its original zoned air conditioning system. AFT House is part of an ongoing tradition of the CBD as a financial and commercial focus and illustrates very well the principal design influence of the time.
	Date significance updated: 10 Jan 06
	Note: The State Heritage Inventory provides information about heritage items listed by local and State government agencies. The State Heritage Inventory is continually being updated by local and State agencies as new information becomes available. Read the Department of Premier and Cabinet copyright and disclaimer.

Description


Designer/Maker:	C. Bruce Dellit
Builder/Maker:	Stuart Bros Ltd
Construction years:	1939-1940
Physical description:	AFT House, originally a banking chamber with offices above, exemplifies the Art Deco style. The facade comprises two zones. The first consists of a decorative archway clad in granite, rising four floors in height, which dominates the streetscape. Above rises an expanse of sandstone. The building features stylised and geometric semi-abstract decoration. On bronzed doors and carved panels beneath the arch, the architect has allegorised the spirit of the machine age and NSW, "The Land of Plenty". The entrance foyer has travertine clad walls and a marble floor, and retains original metal and glass light fittings and decorative lift doors. The former Egyptian Art Deco banking chamber is monumental. Two storeys in height, the chamber retains a vaulted ceiling and rich detailing. Contemporary office space on the upper levels consists of plasterboard and timber veneer stud wall with glazed sections and a suspended acoustic ceiling. The building is visually linked by design and materials to Manufacturers House adjacent, and fits well into the streetscape. Category:Individual building. Style:Inter-War Art Deco. Storeys:11 + basement. Facade:Sandstone cladding, granite cladding, bronze and glass panels. Side/Rear Walls:Rendered masonry. Internal Walls:Plasterbd. and stud, glass, timber and stud, travertine facing. Roof Cladding:Waterproof membrane. Internal Structure:Conc. encased steel frame. Floor:Reinf. conc. slab, travertine, carpet, marble. Roof:Reinf. conc. slab. Ceilings:Susp. acoustic tiles, decorative plaster. Stairs:Reinf. conc. stair, terrazzo treads, detailed bronze balusters with timber railing and carpet treads, timber balustrade.. Fire Stairs:2. AirConditioned:Yes Sprinkler System:Yes. Lifts:3, original lift cars with new mechanics, decorative pressed metal.
Physical condition and/or Archaeological potential:	Generally, the interiors of AFT House have been substantially modified, however the original banking chamber has been sympathetically altered. The exterior and structure remain unaltered. Original steel framed windows have been retained. The exterior is clad with rich materials which create a confident, modern architectural expression..Intrusive Elements:Internal fitout of later phases on upper floors.
	Date condition updated:10 Jan 06
Modifications and dates:	1939-1940
Further information:	High Significance:Exterior form, materials and finishes, entrance foyer, surviving elements of ground floor banking chamber interior including Art Deco motifs and domed ceiling, and lifts. Medium Significance:Concrete encased steel frame and concrete floors. Was a heritage item in 1989, and remains so since that time. Heritage Inventory sheets are often not comprehensive, and should be regarded as a general guide only. Inventory sheets are based on information available, and often do not include the social history of sites and buildings. Inventory sheets are constantly updated by the City as further information becomes available. An inventory sheet with little information may simply indicate that there has been no building work done to the item recently: it does not mean that items are not significant. Further research is always recommended as part of preparation of development proposals for heritage items, and is necessary in preparation of Heritage Impact Assessments and Conservation Management Plans, so that the significance of heritage items can be fully assessed prior to submitting development applications.


Current use:	Commercial offices
Former use:	Bank, commercial offices

History

Historical notes:

The "Eora people" was the name given to the coastal Aborigines around Sydney. Central Sydney is therefore often referred to as "Eora Country". Within the City of Sydney local government area, the traditional owners are the Cadigal and Wangal bands of the Eora. .

With the invasion of the Sydney region, the Cadigal and Wangal people were decimated but there are descendants still living in Sydney today.

AFT House was constructed to serve as a branch for the Bank of NSW which occupied the ground and mezzanine floors. The basement area was reserved for other bank uses and services. The value of the site influenced the owners to extend the building to the maximum height allowance; floors 1-10 were leased to a variety of tenants. Designed by C B Dellit and constructed by Stuart Bros in 1939-1940, the building was acknowledged at the time to be one of the most striking in the city in terms of design and detailing. The latter included extensive use of red granite, Bondi sandstone, travertine, marble, Queensland maple, bronze, glass and tiles. The exterior was noteworthy for its symbolism alluding to the place of the bank in the community, the wealth of the environment and a celebration of the modern age symbolised by the wireless. While the entire interior was praised for its style the banking chamber was singled out for its vaulted ceiling, lighting units, bronze doors and treatment of the mezzanine. Air conditioning was also innovative; the building was divided into three zones responding to the varying conditions produced by the changing angle of the sun. The interior of the building, particularly the tenants' floors, have since been subject to numerous minor alterations, rearrangement of spaces, and upgrading of services.

The building was sold to the “Development Finance Company” in 1961 when it was re-named "Delfin House" (P McNair 2014, pers. comm. 6 March).

Historic themes

Australian theme (abbrev)	New South Wales theme	Local theme
3. Economy-Developing local, regional and national economies	Commerce-Activities relating to buying, selling and exchanging goods and services	(none)-

Assessment of significance


SHR Criteria a) [Historical significance]	AFT House was part of an ongoing tradition of the CBD as a financial and commercial focus, the extension of the building reflecting the growing value of real estate for this purpose. Its physical expression makes it an outstanding late example of the principle design influences of the time. Has historic significance at a State level.
SHR Criteria c) [Aesthetic significance]	AFT House originally employed innovative zoned air conditioning installation. Cultural:AFT House is one of the finest examples of Art Deco architecture produced by the distinguished architect, Bruce Dellit. The building stands as symbol of its time. It demonstrates an outstanding use of materials and decoration integrated with the function and structure of the building. It makes a major contribution to the townscape character of one of the city's distinctive streets.
SHR Criteria f) [Rarity]	AFT House is a rare as an example of the highest quality Art Deco design in New South Wales.
SHR Criteria g) [Representativeness]	AFT House is one of the very best examples representative of the Inter War Art Deco style in New South Wales.
Assessment criteria:	Items are assessed against the State Heritage Register (SHR) Criteria to determine the level of significance. Refer to the Listings below for the level of statutory protection.

Recommended management:

General: AFT House is of such high significance that a conservation plan is required and any proposal for future works should be carried out in accordance with the Plan. The form and scale of the building should be preserved. Exterior: Future development should preserve external finishes and materials. Interior: Future development should preserve original internal materials and finishes of entrance foyer and lifts. The original appearance and detail of the banking chamber space should be restored or reconstructed if opportunity arises. Any further work in this area should be compatible with and aid interpretation of original interior design. Future works on upper floors to be preceded by careful investigation to determine whether original finishes, details survive. The building should be retained and conserved. A Heritage Assessment and Heritage Impact Statement, or a Conservation Management Plan, should be prepared for the building prior to any major works being undertaken. There shall be no vertical additions to the building and no alterations to the façade of the building other than to reinstate original features. The principal room layout and planning configuration as well as significant internal original features including ceilings, cornices, joinery, flooring and fireplaces should be retained and conserved. Any additions and alterations should be confined to the rear in areas of less significance, should not be visibly prominent and shall be in accordance with the relevant planning controls.

Listings

Heritage Listing	Listing Title	Listing Number	Gazette Date	Gazette Number	Gazette Page
Local Environmental Plan	Sydney Local Environmental Plan 2012	I1903	14 Dec 12
Heritage study

References, internet links & images

Type	Author	Year	Title	Internet Links
Written		1940	Decoration & Glass, p9ff, Sept 1940, (journal).
Written		1940	Building, p17ff, 24 July 1940, (journal).
Written			Council Records (DAs, BAs)
Written	Anita Heiss		Aboriginal People and Place, Barani: Indigenous History of Sydney City	View detail
Written	Howard Tanner(Ed.)	1981	Information on Bruce Dellit, from "The Architects of Australia"
Written	Peter McNair	2014	Personal communication, email of 3 March 2014
Written	Woodhead Firth Lee	1996	AFT House, 16-18 O'Connell Street, Sydney : conservation plan
Written	Woodhead International	1998	AFT House, 16-18 O'Connell Street, Sydney : conservation plan : amendment 3

Note: internet links may be to web pages, documents or images.

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Data source


The information for this entry comes from the following source:
Name:	Local Government
Database number:	2423719

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