"David Jones Department Store" including interior

Item details


Name of item:	"David Jones Department Store" including interior
Type of item:	Built
Group/Collection:	Retail and Wholesale
Category:	Department Store
Location:	Lat: -33.8726486066724 Long: 151.207857967922
Primary address:	65-77 Market Street, Sydney, NSW 2000
Local govt. area:	Sydney

All addresses

Street Address	Suburb/town	LGA	Parish	County	Type
65-77 Market Street	Sydney	Sydney			Primary Address

Statement of significance:


	The Market Street David Jones Department store is part of an ongoing tradition of centralised commercial, financial and professional dealings in the CBD with particular associations with the pre-eminent Australian firm. The choice of site, along with the Elizabeth Street store (refer No 4019) underline the prestige nature of the business. The building represents the company's long tradition of retailing. It is a fine interoperation of the functionalist design tradition, expressive of the department store use and well related to a strong townscape character at an important city corner. Its materials, attractive proportions and subtlety of address to the corner site show an architectural style and sensitivity of a high order. The use of aluminium for window frames and street awning (both still extant) was innovative at the time.
	Date significance updated: 09 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:	Mackeller & Partridge (1938), Crawford H. Mackeller (1941)
Builder/Maker:	John Grant & Sons
Construction years:	1938-1938
Physical description:	The Market Street David Jones Department store was constructed in two major phases; the lower six levels in the Inter-war period and the upper four levels after WWII. It is difficult to detect the separate construction phases in the facade. The building is clad in sandstone with aluminium framed windows that form strong horizontal articulation. It is one of the earliest uses of aluminium framed windows in Sydney. The facade curves around the corner emphasising the "streamed lined" design. The fine street level awning reinforces the elegance of the horizontally banded building and defines the retail nature of the building. The steel structural frame is expressed internally by large free standing encased columns which dominate the spatial composition. Continued retail usage has required many fit outs over the years with plasterboard stud walls and suspended acoustic ceiling tiles throughout. Limited original timber joinery remains. The original metal escalators remain in the centre of the space with the lift bank located adjacent. The original metal and glass lift doors with metal cages remain intact. Together with the Elizabeth Street David Jones Department store, this building creates a prestige retail precinct, and is a corner landmark. Despite the intrusive new link across Market Street, this is a fine example of Inter-war Functionalist design in the city centre. Category:Individual Building. Style:Inter-War Functionalist. Storeys:10 + lower ground + basement + plant room. Facade:Sandstone and travertine cladding, glass block, glass shopfront, alumin. framed windows and awning. Side/Rear Walls:Rendered masonry. Internal Walls:Plasterbd. and stud, timber and stud, plastered brick. Roof Cladding:Waterproof membrane. Internal Structure:Conc. encased steel frame. Floor:Reinf. conc. slab, carpet, vinyl, slate, timber. Roof:Reinf. conc. slab. Ceilings:Fibrous cement, susp. acoustic tiles,. Stairs:Reinf. conc. stair, terrazzo treads, streamlined metal balustrade; Reinf. conc. stair, ceramic wall tiles, steel fire doors. Fire Stairs:3. Sprinkler System:Yes. Lifts:8, 5 x passenger lifts, 3 x goods lifts. AirConditioned:Yes
Physical condition and/or Archaeological potential:	The original facade and form of the 1930s David Jones department store are generally unaltered. The structural system is expressed on both the exterior and interior of the building as characterised by functionalist architecture of the Inter-war period. Only limited original interior detailing remains and includes metal escalators, lift cages and doors. Intrusive Elements:Above street link over Market Street.
	Date condition updated:09 Jan 06
Modifications and dates:	1938, 1940, 1951, 1968, 1973
Further information:	High Significance:External envelope, form, sandstone facings, windows, shopfronts, awning, entry doors, entry stairs, lifts. Medium Significance:Structure, interior spatial qualities, escalator, basement spaces, tunnel under Market/Castlereagh Street intersection. Low Significance:Retail fitouts and later partitioning on some 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:	Retail, commercial offices
Former use:	Retail

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 David Jones Market Street store was the third David Jones building to be erected in the city. It was designed by Mackellar and Partridge and built by John Grant and Sons. The building originally comprised three floors below ground and, after an additional two were added during the course of construction, six above ground. This store was generally associated with menswear although form the outset it incorporated a food hall on the lower ground floor as well as a modern snack bar. The building employed the latest technology and relied on well defined use of materials such as aluminium (the most extensive use of this material in any Australian building at that time), travertine and sanstone for its "clean" look. In 1940 Mackeller was responsible for additions worth 50,000 pounds and in 1946 designed both a milk bar for the lower ground floor and the tunnel linking the two stores. In 1951 an additional four storeys were added to the building. Mackeller was again responsible for the additions to the store in 1968 which cost 300,00 pounds. In 1973 alterations and additions to the value of $10,000 were executed.

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]	The Market Street David Jones department store is part of an ongoing tradition of centralised commercial, financial and professional dealings in the CBD with particular associations with the pre-eminent Australian firm. The choice of site, diagonally opposite the Elizabeth Street store, underline the prestige nature of the business. The building was purpose built as a department store and has since continued in that function. Has historic significance at a State level.
SHR Criteria c) [Aesthetic significance]	The Market Street David Jones department store exhibits a very early use of aluminium for window frames and the street awning. Has aesthetic significance at a State level. Cultural:The Market Street David Jones department store is a good example of the Functionalist style. The use of sandstone facing and attractive proportions of fenestration relate well to buildings of the early 20th century, including the Elizabeth Street David Jones store, creating a strong townscape character around Market and Castlereagh Streets. The corner site is well addressed by this building.
SHR Criteria d) [Social significance]	With the other surviving David Jones store diagonally opposite, the Market Street store is a symbol for quality retailing for the people of Sydney and NSW (through mail order shopping). Has social significance at a State level.The Market Street David Jones department store is a good example of the Functionalist style. The use of sandstone facing and attractive proportions of fenestration relate well to buildings of the early 20th century, including the Elizabeth Street David Jones store, creating a strong townscape character around Market and Castlereagh Streets. The corner site is well addressed by this building.
SHR Criteria f) [Rarity]	As one of the two surviving large David Jones department stores (out of three), the Market Street building is a symbol of the long standing relationship between David Jones and the city of Sydney and has strong social significance for generations of Sydney dwellers and a wider state catchment.
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: The David Jones Market Street Store is of such significance that a Conservation Plan is required to guide future management, use and maintenance. The overall building form should be preserved. Exterior: Any future development should preserve external materials and details including the sandstone facing and detailing, aluminium framed windows, street level awning, shopfronts, and entry doors in accordance with the Conservation Plan. Interior: Any future development should preserve the entry stairs to ground and lower ground floors, lifts (both passenger and goods), early escalators and general internal spatial quality. Continued use as a department store is the strongly preferred future management policy. Given the ongoing change required to accommodate trends in retailing, adaptive reuse may be required, and should be acceptable provided the new work respects the original spatial qualities and structure, does not affect the external envelope, and is reversible in terms of impact on original internal fabric. Adaptive reuse should be carried out in accordance with the Conservation Plan. 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	I1888	14 Dec 12
Heritage study

References, internet links & images

Type	Author	Year	Title
Oral History			John McAdam, Director of Operations, David Jones.
Written		1941	Building, December 1941, (Journal).
Written		1941	Building, p17ff, 24 May 1941 (Journal).
Written		1938	Decoration & Glass, p10ff, June 1938, (Journal).
Written			SCC Records (BAs, Das)
Written	Clive Lucas, Stapleton & Partners	2000	David Jones Market Street Sydney store : conservation plan
Written	Anita Heiss		Aboriginal People and Place, Barani: Indigenous History of Sydney City

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:	2424032

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