Former Warehouse Including Interiors (22 York Street)

Item details


Name of item:	Former Warehouse Including Interiors (22 York Street)
Other name/s:	Part of The Landmark Building Development
Type of item:	Built
Group/Collection:	Commercial
Category:	Warehouse/storage area
Location:	Lat: -33.8697150583715 Long: 151.205118346209
Primary address:	22-26 York Street, Sydney, NSW 2000
Local govt. area:	Sydney

All addresses

Street Address	Suburb/town	LGA	Parish	County	Type
22-26 York Street	Sydney	Sydney			Primary Address
22 York Street	Sydney	Sydney			Alternate Address

Statement of significance:


	22 York Street together with 24-26 York Street is a rare group of warehouses with sandstone facades designed in the Victorian neo Romanesque style. No 22 York Street is of historic and scientific significance as one of only about half a dozen former warehouses with surviving cast iron column structures. Other warehouses retaining cast iron columns include 24-26 York Street, 2-6 Barrack Street, 104-112 Clarence Street, the former John Frazer & Co. Warehouse at 63 York Street,Gardiner House at 71 York Street, Spiden House at 46-48 York Street, the Letraset House group in Kent and Clarence Streets and Taito House at 535 George Street . It is also one of very few Victorian commercial buildings which retains its original façade at street level. The intactness of No 24-26 provides research potential into the construction and use of late 19th century and early 20th century warehouses. It is of high aesthetic significance as a remarkably intact Victorian warehouse which retains many original structural elements and finishes and retains a powerful ability to evoke the character of the Victorian street. The building has a structure comprising load bearing masonry envelope and cast iron internal columns with decorative capitals and timber beams. Together with No 24-26 York Street it is part of a streetscape between King and Barrack Streets (the so-called York Street Wall) which retains many other fine 19th and early 20th century buildings. It has historic significance from its long association with the well-known furniture emporium of Beard Watson & Co.
	Date significance updated: 13 Feb 13
	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:	Mansfield Bros (Nos 24-6)
Builder/Maker:	Unknown
Construction years:	1878-1878
Physical description:	The building at 22-26 York Street, originally four storeys high throughout, now comprises two separate buildings of four storeys (No 22) and six storeys with basement (Nos 24-26), all in Victorian Romanesque style. The facade is of stone, with the extension to Nos 24-26 rendered (although it is possible that the original stone parapet was reused at the higher level, as it matches that of No 22). The facade of 24-26 and the modernised ground floor facade of 22 (which serves as a vehicular entrance to the Landmark building) are painted. The original facades have florid detailing including rusticated and fluted pilasters with ornate capitals, vermiculated courses, swag mouldings, dentils, parapet and broken pediments topped by urns. The ground floor to 24-26, although altered, remains largely in its original configuration. Internally, the building has cast iron columns and timber beams and floors, oversheeted in No 22 but generally exposed in 24-26 which also has a top storey lit by large south-light roof windows. 22-26 is connected at basement and upper levels to buildings at 359-363 George Street, with a lightwell to the upper storeys. Category:Group of Buildings. Style:Victorian Romanesque. Storeys:22: 4; 24-26: 6 + basement. Facade:Sandstone, timber frame windows; 24-26 (upper levels) stucco masonry. Side/Rear Walls:Face brick. Internal Walls:Rendered masonry, plasterbd. & stud. Roof Cladding:Corrugated steel sheet. Internal Structure:Cast iron posts & timber beams. Floor:Timber joists & boards, carpet, vinyl tiles. Roof:22: presumably timber trusses; 24-26: timber & iron trusses with south lights. Ceilings:22: susp. acoustic tiles; 24-26: timber boards (basement, ground & top floors), sprayed vermiculite. Stairs:22: Refer fire stairs: 24-26: original timber stair, balustrade sheeted over. Fire Stairs:1 each building, reinf conc., steel pipe balustrade. Sprinkler System:Yes. Lifts:22: 1 modern; 24-26: former goods lift, disused. AirConditioned:Yes
Physical condition and/or Archaeological potential:	No. 22 has air conditioning as part of the Landmark building. At street level, No. 22 incorporates ramp to Landmark building carpark. No. 22, having recently been modernised, is generally in good condition, although most original fabric is concealed by later finishes. Intrusive Elements:22 facade and entry ramp at ground level, concrete link to Landmark Building, fire passages and fire stair enclosures, toilets in rear wings, all war partitions and fitout works.
	Date condition updated:13 Jan 06
Modifications and dates:	1878
Further information:	High Significance:Sandstone facade, timber windows & doors, cast iron columns and timber beams, floors and roof structures, timber ceilings and stairs, basement cartway. Medium Significance:Existing interconnections to 361 George Street. East windows to light well. Water tower. Wncased steel columns to basement. Low Significance:Reinforced concrete fire stairs, recent internal stairs and partitioning, infill of light well. Reglazing of shop windows and central entry door. 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:	22: Commercial offices; 24-26: Parking (basement), Retail (ground floor), vacant above
Former use:	Warehouse

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. There is no written record of the name of the language spoken and currently there are debates as whether the coastal peoples spoke a separate language "Eora" or whether this was actually a dialect of the Dharug language. Remnant bushland in places like Blackwattle Bay retain elements of traditional plant, bird and animal life, including fish and rock oysters.

With the invasion of the Sydney region, the Cadigal and Wangal people were decimated but there are descendants still living in Sydney today. All cities include many immigrants in their population. Aboriginal people from across the state have been attracted to suburbs such as Pyrmont, Balmain, Rozelle, Glebe and Redfern since the 1930s. Changes in government legislation in the 1960s provided freedom of movement enabling more Aboriginal people to choose to live in Sydney.

(Information sourced from Anita Heiss, "Aboriginal People and Place", Barani: Indigenous History of Sydney City http://www.cityofsydney.nsw.gov.au/barani )

The land on which these buildings stand was granted to Thomas Wright in 1832. In 1873 the land was transferred to James Norton and others, who arranged as trustees for sale to have the property transferred to Robert Gray, warehouseman. Physical evidence supports the presumption that the building was constructed in 1878, the date shown on the parapet. Early photographs show 24-26 in its original four storey configuration; a later photograph shows the name Sargood on the side wall of the six storey building. This extension must have occurred prior to 1913 when Joseland & Vernon submitted a proposal to connect 24-26 to Beard Watsons at 361 George Street; physical evidence suggests a date of about 1905. The 1913 proposal also included the construction of the present cartway and basement area. Beard Watsons continued to occupy the property until at least 1955.

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]	24-26 is a remarkably intact Victorian warehouse which retains many original structural elements and finishes. It was for many years associated with the well-known furniture emporium of Beard Watson & Co. Retains a powerful ability to evoke the character of the Victorian street.
SHR Criteria c) [Aesthetic significance]	The intactness of 24-26 provides research potential into the construction and use of late 19th century and early 20th century warehouses. Cultural:22-26 has a well detailed and strongly modelled sandstone facade which is almost entirely intact, the alterations being an unsympathetic adaptation at street level (22) and a well detailed harmonious Edwardian addition (24-26). Part of a streetscape between King and Barrack Streets which retains many other fine 19th and early 20th century buildings.
SHR Criteria f) [Rarity]	One of only six former warehouses with surviving cast iron column structures, and one of very few Victorian commercial buildings which retain their original facade at street level.
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: 22 should be conserved, with in future an attempt to recover some of the significance lost in its conversion as part of the Landmark building. The addition of two floors to 22 would be acceptable provided this is done as authentically as was done with 24-26. 24-26 provides a real opportunity to convert the building for modern uses while retaining its significance as a largely intact late Victorian warehouse, and should be conserved in its existing form, scale and configuration. Surfaces never intended for painting, notably face brickwork and sandstone, should remain unpainted, while surfaces such as stucco and timber which were originally painted should continue to be painted in appropriate colours. Exterior: The facade of 22 at street level should in future be adapted to be more sympathetic to the original above. The facade of 24-26 should be conserved, especially at street level, with minimal adaptation apart from that which recovers significance. Interior: 22 is capable of further internal adaptive reuse and alteration, provided that surviving significant fabric (mainly the cast iron and timber floor and roof structures) remains undamaged. Consideration should be given in future to displaying more of the original structure on upper floors, to aid interpretation. The internal configuration, structure and finishes of 24-26, especially the valuable early interiors at street level and on the top floor, should be conserved with minimal adaptation except for works to recover significance. 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	I1976	14 Dec 12
Heritage study

References, internet links & images

Type	Author	Year	Title
Written		2001	Policy for the Management of Warehouse/Courtyard Complexes in Central Sydney
Written		1913	BA drawing by Joseland & Vernon, 1913
Written			National Trust listing card
Written			Council building application records
Written			Mitchell Library Small Picture File
Written			Land Title Search: CT Vol 276 Fol 229
Written	Anita Heiss		Aboriginal People and Place, Barani: Indigenous History of Sydney City
Written	Brian McDonald & Associates.	2000	22-26 York Street, Sydney : maintenance plan
Written	Brian McDonald & Associates.	1996	22-26 York Street, Sydney : statement of heritage impact
Written	Brian McDonald & Associates.	1996	22-26 York Street, Sydney : conservation plan
Written	Brian McDonald & Associates.	1996	Physical analysis of 22-26 York Street and 357-365 George Street

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:	2423859

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