Albany House

Statement of Significance

Albany House
Albany House, a two-storey Victorian Regency style rendered masonry and iron office building with residential facilities, has cultural heritage significance for the following reasons:
the place contributes strongly to the physical character of the Albany town centre, located at a prominent intersection and displays some fine aesthetic qualities typical of the Victorian Regency style;
the place is an important component of the Stirling Terrace streetscape and an early example of a regional branch of the Union Bank in Western Australia;
the place is indicative of the importance of railways in the development of the State;
the place is closely associated with the Union and ANZ Banks and the commercial life of Albany and surrounding farming districts;
the place was built by well-known local building contractor Charles Donat Keyser who also built the National Bank building and private residence Brackenhurst;
and
the place is a substantial pre-goldrush building which contributes to the community's sense of place, having occupied its prominent corner site since 1884.

Stirling Terrace Precinct
Stirling Terrace Precinct, a predominantly late Victorian and Federation period townscape set along a segmented crescent plan overlooking Princess Royal Harbour, Albany and containing a diverse range of building types and styles, has cultural heritage significance for the following reasons:
the historic precinct is a fine and relatively intact example of a late nineteenth century and early twentieth century townscape, dating primarily from 1867 to 1915, demonstrating a range of activities and support infrastructure associated with the foundation and development of a prominent nineteenth century town;
the historic precinct is rare as a prominently located townscape with a town plan dating from the foundation of the settlement with a set of finely designed Victorian and Federation period buildings;
as the original commercial heart of the town, the historic precinct was an important part of the development of the region and the State to varying degrees from the 1830s until World War One when Albany was a prominent town in the Colony and Australia, due to its role as the Colony’s coal depot for the international mail and passenger service, which linked Europe to the eastern colonies. This role was expanded with the addition of regional railways and interstate telegraph links;
viewed from the harbour and from the western approaches to the town, the historic precinct as a whole is a landmark, strengthened by the strong vertical accents of the Royal George Hotel and the former Post Office;
the historic precinct is highly valued by the local community for its aesthetic values and historic associations and, along with the defining topography of the Princess Royal Harbour, Mount Melville and Mount Clarence, is as one of the elements that contributes to the local community’s sense of place and to the identity of Albany;
within the precinct, G.T. Poole’s designs for the Post Office and Court House demonstrate creative excellence and J.T. Hobbs’ design for the Sandover & Co store, which later became Drew Robinson & Co.’s store, at 108-110 Stirling Terrace makes innovative use of large plate glass windows;
and
the historic precinct includes buildings designed by prominent architects James Manning, Lt. General Sir J. T. Hobbs, J. Herbert Eales, and George T. Poole, and was historically the location of businesses founded and run by significant Albany and regional identities including Thomas Sherratt, Alexander Moir, John Robinson, Charles Drew, Frank Dymes, Edward Barnett, J.F.T. Hassell, and E.G. Everett.

Physical Description

Albany House is a two-storey building occupying a prominent site at the north-west junction of the main commercial and waterfront streets of the Albany Town Centre. Constructed in the Victorian Regency style in 1884, the building contributes to the Stirling Terrace streetscape. A single-storey wing on the west side of the building is set back from Stirling Terrace and extends across the site to the boundary with the neighbouring London Hotel which is of similar scale and proportions. Albany House comprises office space at ground floor with residential accommodation above. The entrance to the brick paved car park located on the north side of the building is from York Street, through an opening in the stretcher bond, face brickwork fence.

The building has a dominant square form with a truncated corner at the junction of the two street frontages. The first-floor balcony of the north elevation has a timber floor, a balustrade comprising cast iron panels and a corrugated iron skillion roof. Some smaller forms house sanitary and laundry facilities and are located beneath the balcony at ground level, at either end of the rear verandah along the north façade. The verandah has a concrete floor and is bordered by timber posts supporting the upper balcony. The main roof, presumably also of corrugated iron, is concealed behind a parapet. Chimneys with moulded tops and a flag pole at the south-east corner are visible from street level.

Albany House is constructed in rendered, load bearing masonry. A rendered plinth at the base of the building is continuous around the main façade and is deepest at the truncated corner as the site slopes to the south. A decorative frieze stringcourse divides the ground and first floor with further horizontal mouldings. The two street facades are identical and broken into bays by the pairing of window elements.

The main entrance to the building is at the truncated corner. A stainless steel handrail divides the set of five concrete risers and leads to the public office space. Further offices are provided at ground floor with the strong room equipped with original door and hardware from the former bank immediately behind the public space. Some residential facilities are provided on the ground floor with a kitchen, dining room, laundry in the north-west corner of the building, and a hall with a staircase at the upper floor located centrally. A former unpretentious entrance to the residence from Stirling Terrace is situated in the single-storey weatherboard clad portion protruding from the junction of the lower west wing with the main building.

The upper floor accommodation provides four main spaces, one of which has been subdivided for kitchen and bathroom facilities. The central hall is divided by semi-circular arches with plaster mouldings and leads to the rear verandah. The main spaces of both levels are generously proportioned and together with the high ceilings and large windows contribute to an impression of comfortable grandeur.

Interior wall surfaces are plastered at both levels with particularly elaborate cornice details in the ground floor public space. Elsewhere original skirtings, ceiling roses, panelled doors and the timber joinery in the stair and window architraves are still in evidence. The ablution facilities extending from the rear of the building are likely to have been added in the early 1950’s. Rearrangements to the office spaces has involved the partial removal of some walls, the insertion of the new brick walls and alterations to door openings. Bathroom facilities and additional kitchen facilities have been incorporated in the upstairs residence.

Refer also to: Considine & Griffiths Architects in association with Kris Bizzaca, Stirling Terrace, Albany, Conservation Plan, October 2000.

History

Albany House
By the late 1870s the Union, Commercial and National Banks each had a branch in Albany. The General Manager of the Union Bank of Australia, John Franklin McMullen, acquired Albany Town Lot S33 on the corner of Stirling Terrace and York Street, in 1879.

Construction of the Great Southern Railway began in 1884, and the prospects for Albany’s economic growth were viewed with optimism. That year, Melbourne Architect, George C Inskip, was commissioned to design a new building for the Union Bank in Albany. Tenders were called on 29 April 1884 and in June 1884 the tender was awarded to local builder Charles Donat Keyser for £3200. George Inskip was also involved with Fremantle and Geraldton Union Bank buildings. From 1888, he was in partnership with William E. Robertson. They used Perth Architect, James W Wright, as their representative in Western Australia. Charles Donat Keyser was the builder for other well-known buildings in Albany including the National Bank in Stirling Tce (1881), private residence Brackenhurst in Brunswick Rd (1881), as well as the stores for Edward Treasure on York Street (Treasure’s Building, 1882) and for John McKail in Stirling Terrace (J McKail & Co, 1880).

The foundation stone for the Union Bank was laid on 12 August 1884. The upper floor of Albany House was designed as a residence, which was occupied by the Bank Manager. The land was transferred by endorsement to the Union Bank in 1888, and in 1945, Lot S33 was subdivided and a section at the back - fronting York Street - was sold.

The development of the Union Bank of Australia was paralleled by that of the Bank of Australasia. They were both British owned banks and were known in the 1800s as the ‘Imperial Banks’. The Bank of Australasia had premises in Albany in York Street. In the twentieth century, the market share of the Union Bank and the Bank of Australasia declined while other banks grew. After several failed attempts, they finally merged, becoming the Australia and New Zealand Bank on 10 October 1951. In Albany, the ANZ continued to run the two branch premises, York Street and Albany House. In 1970, the ANZ Bank took over the English, Scottish and Australian Bank and became the Australia and New Zealand Banking Group Ltd. The ANZ Banking Group occupied the ES&A Bank building on Albany Highway following the takeover of that Bank, and the York Street branch was closed. In 1973, they vacated Albany House and relocated that branch in Peel Place.

In 1975, Albany House was purchased by Raymond and Orina Wyness and the following year, by the Bellemore family of Perth. Under their ownership renovations to the place were carried out by architects Hobbs, Smith & Holmes of Albany, who had also been involved with renovations on the place for the Union Bank in the 1950s. The latest work includes the reconstruction of the two-storey back verandah. Albany House has always been a residence as well as a business premises. In 1999, Western QBE Insurance occupied the ground floor of Albany House. There have been subsequent changes in retail and commercial tenants since the 2000s to the present day.

Stirling Terrace Precinct
Stirling Terrace is one of the City of Albany’s most significant heritage assets, both as a streetscape and as a collection of Victorian and Federation period buildings overlooking Princess Royal Harbour. Stirling Terrace is located in visually striking topography and its segmented crescent plan form remains basically as it was when first recorded by Surveyor Hillman in 1835. The mature trees and the harmonious architectural composition of diverse building types and styles provide additional visual interest.

Stirling Terrace was developed from the 1830s following the establishment of Albany as part of the Swan River colony, and was an important part of the development of the region and the State to varying degrees from the 1830s until World War One. The 1835 Hillman survey plan set the scene for the emergence of Stirling Terrace as the prime location in the town, with a rich variety of social, commercial, leisure, institutional and service functions. The majority of the built fabric which remains today was completed in the period 1867 to 1915. The buildings were designed by some of the State’s most eminent architects and many were built for prominent citizens and institutions.

Over the years the commercial focus of Albany has moved to York Street, with many institutions, such as banks and the post office relocating there. Free of substantial development pressure at a critical time, Stirling Terrace has managed to retain many of its historic structures and features. Viewed from the harbour, and from the western approach to the town, Stirling Terrace has a landmark quality as a whole.

Refer also to: Considine & Griffiths Architects in association with Kris Bizzaca, Stirling Terrace, Albany, Conservation Plan, October 2000.

Integrity/Authenticity

Integrity: High/Moderate
Authenticity: High/Moderate

Condition

Good

Uses

Historic Themes

Creation Date

Publish place record online (inHerit):

Last Update

Disclaimer

This information is provided voluntarily as a public service. The information provided is made available in good faith and is derived from sources believed to be reliable and accurate. However, the information is provided solely on the basis that readers will be responsible for making their own assessment of the matters discussed herein and are advised to verify all relevant representations, statements and information.