"Fayworth House" including interior

Item details


Name of item:	"Fayworth House" including interior
Type of item:	Built
Group/Collection:	Retail and Wholesale
Category:	Department Store
Location:	Lat: -33.8779626778427 Long: 151.206486348217
Primary address:	379-383 Pitt Street, Sydney, NSW 2000
Local govt. area:	Sydney

All addresses

Street Address	Suburb/town	LGA	Parish	County	Type
379-383 Pitt Street	Sydney	Sydney			Primary Address

Statement of significance:


	Fayworth House is part of an ongoing tradition of centralising commercial, financial and professional dealings within the CBD having particular associations with a well known Australian retailing firm. The choice of site reflects the importance of this portion of the CBD as retail precinct in the 1920s-30s, and retail growth after World War I. It is a good example of the Chicagoesque style, uncommon in Sydney's CBD, with limited use of classical ornamentation. It has landmark presence on a prominent corner site in the southern CBD townscape. The two stages of construction mark the transition from a timber column and beam structure with load bearing masonry walls on the lower two floors, to the post-World War II steel framed upper section.
	Date significance updated: 11 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:	Morrow and Dupree (1924 addition)
Builder/Maker:	Unknown
Construction years:	1913-1913
Physical description:	The seven storey building is a well defined example of the Chicagoesque style. The lower two levels have an ironbark column and beam structure while the upper five levels utilise a steel and concrete structure. It has a stucco finish with simple horizontal banding to much of the facade and it is difficult to distinguish the two construction phases. It is rectangular in its arrangement with the vertical structural members treated as pilasters. The horizontal spandrel panels are flush and clearly express the floor divisions. Fayworth House articulates the corner site with a chamfered facade that houses the original 1924 Fay company clock. Modern glazed shopfronts define street level with a metal awning running above. Federation style leadlight windows are positioned just above the awning with timber framed windows incorporating geometric patterned leadlight to the first floor level above. The original internal finishes have been substantially altered following successive refits of Fayworth House however the original timber structure (lower two levels) and steel structure (upper five levels) remain intact along with limited timber joinery to the second level clock cupboard. Category:Individual building. Style:Inter-War Chicagoesque. Storeys:7 + basement. Facade:Stucco masonry, timber framed windows, metal awning. Side/Rear Walls:Face brick, steel framed windows. Internal Walls:Plasterbd. and stud, plastered brick, timber panelling. Roof Cladding:Corrugated steel sheeting. Internal Structure:Timber post and beam (lower 2 storeys), conc. encased steel frame (upper 5 storeys). Floor:Timber joists and boards, granite, carpet. Roof:Unknown. Ceilings:Susp. plasterbd., fibrous plaster. Stairs:Reinf. conc. stair, steel balustrade (1980s addition).AirConditioned:Yes FireStairs:1 Sprinkler System:Yes. Lifts:2, recently upgraded.
Physical condition and/or Archaeological potential:	The facade and external form of Fayworth House have remained reasonably unaltered since the 1924 additions. The window joinery has been well preserved with the leadlight glazing to the ground level (1913 period) and first level. The 1924 landmark clock has been retained on the corner facade..Intrusive Elements:New lifts and firestairs.
	Date condition updated:11 Jan 06
Modifications and dates:	1913 (2 storey original bldg + basement), 1924 (5 storey addition following fire)
Further information:	High Significance:Overall building form, rendered masonry envelope and detailing, all windows above ground level, leadlight windows above awning, glass pavement lights, water tower, clock, internal timber doors to clock. Medium Significance:Surviving interior framing, wall surfaces, timber floorboards, surviving remnants of fibrous plaster ceilings. Low Significance:Street level awning, shopfronts. 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, offices
Former use:	Retail, 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. 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 )

Fayworth House is a purpose built retail and office building for E Fay Ltd. Designed in two parts, the lower two storeys and basement level were built in 1913 and the upper five storeys in 1924. Morrow and Dupree were the architects for the later section. In 1929-30 and again in 1930 the shopfronts were altered at 379 Pitt Street. A kiosk was created at the same address in 1937. In 1940 H Seagraves made alterations to the entrance at 381 Pitt Street. Relatively minor changes were made to the building throughout the 1940s and most of the 1950s until 1958-59 when H P Oscar was commissioned to remodel and alter the shop. Similar work was conducted in 1961. Partitions and stud walls were introduced in 1965 and 1969 and a major programme of alterations was initiated later that year. More partitions were added between 1970-75. The building has been newly refurbished, remedying some of the less sympathetic works of the 1960s.

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]	Fayworth House is part of an ongoing tradition of centralising commercial, financial and professional dealings within the CBD with particular association with a well known Australian retailing firm. The choice of site reflects the importance of this portion of the CBD as retail precinct in the 1920s-30s. Has historic significance locally.
SHR Criteria c) [Aesthetic significance]	Fayworth House marks the transition from timber post and beam structure with load bearing masonry external walls, all still evident in the lower two storeys, to steel framing employed for the upper section in the 1920s. Has aesthetic significance locally. Cultural:Fayworth House is a good example of the Chicagoesque style, which is relatively uncommon in Sydney. It is a tall building with limited use of classical detailing. Ionic capitals, dentils and deep cornices enhance the building's character. It addresses the corner site well and is an important townscape element providing a landmark for the southern CBD.
SHR Criteria g) [Representativeness]	Fayworth House is representative of the growth of post World War I retailing in the CBD. It is a good example of Inter-War Chicagoesque multi-storey city architecture. It makes a landmark contribution to the southern CBD townscape. The combination of earlier timber framing and load bearing masonry with steel framing of later upper floors is interesting.
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 overall form of Fayworth House should be preserved. Exterior: Any future development should preserve existing external fabric including masonry and render detailing, windows, leadlight windows above awning, clock, water tower, and glass pavement lights, all in accordance with the existing Conservation Plan. Interior: Surviving internal framing, materials, wall surfaces and joinery should also be preserved in accordance with the existing Conservation Plan. Given the low level of intactness of the majority of internal fabric, adaptive re-use should be acceptable provided the work does not adversely affect extant significant fabric. 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	I1944	14 Dec 12
Heritage study

References, internet links & images

Type	Author	Year	Title
Written			SCC Records (BAs, DAs)
Written	Anita Heiss		Aboriginal People and Place, Barani: Indigenous History of Sydney City
Written	Brian McDonald & Associates	1994	"Fayworth House", 379-383 Pitt Street, Sydney : conservation plan

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

(Click on thumbnail for full size image and image details)

Data source


The information for this entry comes from the following source:
Name:	Local Government
Database number:	2424139

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