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ANZ Gothic Bank
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ANZ Gothic Bank, Melbourne - This bank comprises several amalgamated buildings on the north-east corner of Collins and Queen streets, most notably the Gothic Bank built in 1883-87 for the English, Scottish and Australian Chartered Bank (ES&A). It was designed by William Wardell and commissioned by ES&A general manager Sir George Verdon.
An unusual combination of taste, money and talent produced this masterpiece of Marvellous Melbourne, but Verdon's vision of a building 'worthy of the city' was essentially Wardell's creation. The Pyrmont sandstone façade shows English, French and especially Venetian Gothic influences. Richly decorated cast-iron columns in the banking chamber support a bold, breathtaking ceiling, where the bolt heads and spandrel openings are coated in pure gold leaf and each group of four columns effectively frames a painted panel portraying the arms of the bank or one of its major places of operation. The upper floors, once Verdon's residence, were also lavishly ornamented.
The building's history proves the possibilities of heritage conservation coexisting with progress. In the 1920s ES&A extended the banking chamber eastwards into the adjoining Stock Exchange and Safe Deposit Building. This L-shaped structure (built 1889-91 and designed by William Pitt) had frontages to Collins and Queen streets. Its magnificent public hall, now known as the Cathedral Room, was incorporated into the banking chamber in 1950. ES&A's successor, Australia & New Zealand Banking Group Ltd, undertook restoration and redevelopment of the site in 1990-93, when a modern office tower was built at the rear (near Little Collins Street) and connected to the other buildings by a glass-roofed atrium.
If you haven't called by here before, drop in and check it out, it's magnificent.
ANZ Gothic Bank
plus.google.com/u/0/103947891078334438586/posts
ANZ Gothic Bank, Melbourne - This bank comprises several amalgamated buildings on the north-east corner of Collins and Queen streets, most notably the Gothic Bank built in 1883-87 for the English, Scottish and Australian Chartered Bank (ES&A). It was designed by William Wardell and commissioned by ES&A general manager Sir George Verdon.
An unusual combination of taste, money and talent produced this masterpiece of Marvellous Melbourne, but Verdon's vision of a building 'worthy of the city' was essentially Wardell's creation. The Pyrmont sandstone façade shows English, French and especially Venetian Gothic influences. Richly decorated cast-iron columns in the banking chamber support a bold, breathtaking ceiling, where the bolt heads and spandrel openings are coated in pure gold leaf and each group of four columns effectively frames a painted panel portraying the arms of the bank or one of its major places of operation. The upper floors, once Verdon's residence, were also lavishly ornamented.
The building's history proves the possibilities of heritage conservation coexisting with progress. In the 1920s ES&A extended the banking chamber eastwards into the adjoining Stock Exchange and Safe Deposit Building. This L-shaped structure (built 1889-91 and designed by William Pitt) had frontages to Collins and Queen streets. Its magnificent public hall, now known as the Cathedral Room, was incorporated into the banking chamber in 1950. ES&A's successor, Australia & New Zealand Banking Group Ltd, undertook restoration and redevelopment of the site in 1990-93, when a modern office tower was built at the rear (near Little Collins Street) and connected to the other buildings by a glass-roofed atrium.
If you haven't called by here before, drop in and check it out, it's magnificent.