objection to d/2018/1034 116 lang road, moore park, … · 1.2 errors and omissions in the heritage...
TRANSCRIPT
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OBJECTION TO D/2018/1034 116 LANG ROAD, MOORE PARK, NSW 2021
THE FORMER ANTHONY HORDERN PAVILION AND THE
FORMER WARBURTON FRANKI PAVILION
(now known as Byron Kennedy Hall and Building 14A)
John Freeman
The Astor
123 Macquarie Street
SYDNEY
NSW 2000
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Contents
1 Background to objection 1
1.1 Available evidence 1
1.2 Errors and omissions in the Heritage Impact Statement 1
1.3 Heritage impacts understated 2
1.4 Other SEPP 47 matters 3
1.5 Acknowledgements
2 The site and buildings 3
2.1 Setting of Byron Kennedy Hall and Building 14A 4
2.2 The 1899 Anthony Hordern & Sons Ltd pavilion and the 1923 extension 7
2.3 The 1924 Anthony Hordern & Sons Ltd pavilion 11
2.4 The 1969 Meat Hall 15
2.5 The 1986 Banquet Hall 15
2.6 Building 14A 15
2.7 Tresillian Centre 16
3 Heritage significance
3.1 Historical and associative significance 18
3.2 Aesthetic significance
3.3 Technical significance
4 Impacts of proposed works and uses on heritage values 25
4.1 Compatibility of proposed use
4.2 Joining Building 14A
4.3 Doors
4.4 Partitions
4.5 Annex works and condenser units
5 Other SEPP 47 matters 29
5.1 Impacts on the amenity of adjoining residential areas
5.2 Traffic impacts
5.3 Master plan and concept plan
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1. Background to objection
I object to this proposal. A resident of the city for 25 years, I worry about the amenity, landscape quality, and heritage values of Sydney’s public domain. I don’t live close to the development application (DA) site; my objection concentrates on the proposal’s impacts on heritage values but also comments on impacts on the amenity of residents.
1.1 Available evidence The applicant’s Heritage Impact Statement (HIS) has not utilised the following sources of information:
• Council’s archives, which hold the original 1923 architectural drawings for Byron Kennedy Hall and the 1986 extension.
• The 1988 Conservation Plan of Sydney Showground.1
• In March 1996, Godden Mackay Pty Ltd Heritage Consultants undertook an archival recording of buildings in the precinct.2
• The Hordern Monthly and other company publications in the State Library.
• The photographs in the State Library.
• The archives of the Royal Agricultural Society of NSW.
A wealth of information about the buildings is readily accessible.
1.2 Errors and omissions in the Heritage Impact Statement The Conservation Strategy states that:
A detailed Heritage Impact Statement should be prepared as part of all Development Applications for specific
works on items of significance.3
In this regard the HIS has multiple errors and omissions:
1. There is no statement of the conservation policy for Byron Kennedy Hall.
2. The HIS does not mention that Byron Kennedy Hall is listed by the National Trust.
3. The Anthony Hordern Pavilion was not built as a new building in 1924. It was an extension of a brick exhibition building that Anthony Hordern and Sons Ltd built in 1899 to supplement its annual marquee and extended in 1923. This accounts for the irregular shape of the building. Much of the 1899 and 1923 structures survive.
4. The HIS does not mention that the architect of the 1924 pavilion extension was Frederick Trenchard Smith, who was also the architect of the nearby Hordern Pavilion, built at the same time, and of other works at the showgrounds.
5. Anthony Hordern and Sons Ltd was a far bigger business than the HIS recognises. It was not merely
of “local significance”. The company operated several factories and supplied much of the Asia-
Pacific region. Its large London office bought and shipped the latest European innovations to
Sydney and thereby the company had a huge social impact in NSW and (through its mail order
business) Australia.
1 Conservation plan of Sydney Showground / prepared for NSW Public Works by Conybeare Morrison & Partners. New South Wales. Public Works Department; Conybeare Morrison & Partners: 1988. 2 Godden Mackay Pty. Ltd. - Moore Park Showground photographic record of significant items, 1997 3 Godden Mackay Pty. Ltd. 1995. Moore Park Showground Conservation Strategy. Prepared for Fox Studios Australia and the Heritage Council
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6. Apart from war years, the exhibition pavilion was used as such by Anthony Hordern & Sons every year from 1899 to 1965, far longer than the HIS realises. Referring to the building as the “Banquet Hall” is derogatory, it was only named this for around ten years, and during this time accommodated functions of many types, not just banquets.
7. It would be more accurate to say that the “belltower” is a campanile reminiscent of the campanile on the main Hordern’s store (and on some of the family’s homes).
8. The columns in the hall are of the Ionic order and the Doric order, not the Corinthian order. Moreover, the Doric order columns match those on the Hordern Pavilion, which Trenchard Smith designed at the same time.
9. The terrazzo floor at the entrance incorporates not “a tiled motif which references the building’s and the site’s agricultural past” but a mosaic of the company trademark, an oak tree, referencing the company motto: “While I live, I’ll grow”. The oak tree can also be seen on the tower above.
10. Building 14A was completed in 1923, not “as early as the 1930s”. It was a permanent structure that replaced earlier temporary pavilions built on the same site by the same owner.
11. It is not true that “the building was converted to a function centre as part of the Fox Studios redevelopment of the Showgrounds”. The Banquet Hall name dates from 1986 and preceded the Fox Studios by ten years. The Banquet Hall was outside the Fox Studios lease.
12. It is not true to say that Building 14A has a “historical association” with Byron Kennedy Hall and should therefore be linked. The reverse is true, there is a historical disassociation: for at least sixty years the buildings and the buildings’ predecessors were the separate show pavilions of Warburton Franki and Anthony Hordern & Sons.
13. It is not true to say that “the building as a whole does not demonstrate construction techniques other than those commonly used at the time”. It is a rare surviving example of the early use of concrete for building construction.
14. The “secondary structure” at the rear of Building 14A was not a secondary structure but a significant heritage item that was only demolished because Fox Studios could not utilise it. The proposed reuse is for landscaping purposes.
The heritage significance of Byron Kennedy Hall is far greater than the HIS states.
1.3 Heritage impacts understated The DA understates the heritage impacts because it does not recognise the significance of Byron Kennedy
Hall and has not followed the Burra Charter or the Conservation Strategy:
1. The proposed uses are not compatible uses in terms of the Burra Charter.
2. The proposal would detract from the setting of the building in terms of the Burra Charter. The
drawings show minor works related to pedestrian access within the Fox Studios area on the
north side of the building, ie outside the defined site. There is an easement for access, but the
application doesn’t explain the context to the proposals or the terms of the easement.
3. There are no proposals for interpretation.
4. The proposal is silent about maintenance.
5. The proposals for the entry doors and the signage proposals would detract from the aesthetic
value of the front façade and do not utilise the original 1899 and 1924 signage panels. The SEE
does not provide details of the existing signage consents, which are relevant to the assessing the
impacts of the signage proposals on the public domain.
6. The applicant states that the purpose of the proposal is “to temporarily accommodate activities
impacted by the Sydney Football Stadium redevelopment.” However, the application considers
no alternative locations. The Environmental Impact Statement for the Stadium redevelopment
mentions the demolition of buildings that house ancillary activities, but it does not state that the
activities in these buildings must relocate to the Entertainment Quarter, or why new facilities
need to be built to house them. Moreover, the records of discussions between CPMPT and
Stadium project representatives do not mention relocation of activities to the Entertainment
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Quarter. Therefore, the applicant must assess the existing and alternative uses of Byron Kennedy
Hall and Building 14A, and the applicant must demonstrate that the proposed uses are the best
use that is also compatible with the heritage values of the buildings.
7. The application documents do not explain why the changes to the building need to be made to conserve it.
1.4 Other SEPP 47 matters The Statement of Environmental Effects (SEE) states that “The site is well removed from surrounding
residential properties and will have no impact on the amenity of the adjoining residential areas.” This is not
so: the proposal would deprive residents of a function centre and opportunities to enjoy and appreciate the
1920s interior. Moreover, it is somewhat insulting to residents to say that the site is “well-removed”, Moore
Park and the former showgrounds are a much-loved part of the city.
The SEE states that as the activities to be accommodated are already located in the immediate precinct,
existing traffic generation to and from the precinct will remain much the same. This is not true. The
Entertainment Quarter is a different precinct to the Stadium, and this objection explains that there would be
traffic impacts, albeit minor. The applicant has not stated how many people would work in the building.
The proposal would impede the implementation of the concept plan, the next steps being the exhibition of a
landscape strategy and a design strategy. The Master Plan approved the demolition of Building 14A with a
view to landscaping the site. The 2011 determination of the Concept Plan included a commitment to the
preparation of an open space strategy to guide further landscape and use planning for public open space
including roads and footpaths.
1.5 Acknowledgements I express my thanks to Susan Kennedy, Ben Arnfield, and Sarah O’Neill of Cnouncil Archives for their assistance. I am indebted to Nicole Rawson of the Royal Agricultural Society of NSW for providing copies of photographs and plans in the Society’s archives, and for her helpful comments. I also thank Mark Gould for permission to use his photographs.
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2 The site and buildings
2.1 Setting of Byron Kennedy Hall and Building 14A Byron Kennedy Hall is near the former main entrance to the Showgrounds. It stands between the route taken by Easter Show crowds and the President’s road. Byron Kennedy Hall is one of three 1924 buildings, all surviving, that defined the route from the main entrance on Driver Avenue to the showring: the Hordern Pavilion, the Anthony Hordern & Sons Pavilion with its campanile and the Grandstand with its clocktower.
Figure 1 is a photograph taken from the Grandstand while the three buildings were still under construction.
Figure 1. March 1924. Looking from the Grandstand along Park Road North towards Moore Park
The Mark Foy’s pavilion (completed 1922) can be see at top left and the Anthony Hordern’s pavilion at top right.
Source: NSW State Library
The three 1924 buildings transformed the appearance of the showgrounds. According to Conybeare Morrison & Partners:
Many buildings at Sydney Showground were constructed in grand Neo-Classical style and have the ability to demonstrate the pride and importance placed on Australian produce and manufactured products. This expression of nationalism was a design intent of exhibition buildings all around the world at this time—in England, France, the United States and Canada. In Australia, buildings at the Sydney Showground such as the Banquet Hall, the Carousel Pavilion and the Royal Hall of Industries, depict the grandness of the British Empire in Exhibition Empire style.4
The Anthony Hordern & Sons Ltd Pavilion was the smallest of the three buildings, but it was by far the largest private sector pavilion on the Showground. Figures 2 and 3 are taken from the tower of Byron Kennedy Hall during the 1926 Easter Show.
4 Conybeare Morrison & Partners
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Figure 2 2 April, 1926: view of the Easter Show from the tower of Byron Kennedy Hall; at bottom left is the flag pole on the south-east corner of the building
Source: NSW State Library
Figure 3 2 April 1926: view from the tower of Byron Kennedy Hall, looking South; Hordern Pavilion on the left, then the Exhibition Hall, the wall along Lang Road, and Centennial Park
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Before 1912 there were no large buildings between Driver Avenue and the showring. The 1899 Anthony Hordern & Sons Ltd pavilion was the largest private sector pavilion but lacking a tower was not such an eminent structure, and there were no exhibition pavilions the size of the 1912 Royal Hall of Industries (see Figure 4 and enlargement).
Figure 4 Panorama of Royal Agricultural Society Show, 1910
photographed by Hall & Co.
Source: NSW State Library XV/114
Enlargement of right-hand side of panorama photograph:
Anthony Hordern & Sons Pavilion
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2.2 The 1899 Anthony Hordern & Sons pavilion The HIS is wrong about the origins of the Byron Kennedy Hall building. The HIS says it is a new building
completed in 1924. It was in fact an extension of an 1899 brick building that was extended again in 1922-23.
The building was built by Anthony Hordern and Sons as their main pavilion.
Figure 6 shows the new pavilion in its 1900 setting on Park Road.
Figure 6 Plan of the showgrounds, 1900 Source: Archives of the Royal Agricultural Society of NSW.
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Figure 7 is a 1906 view of the building from the east. The signage panels on the wall of the building remain to
this day. The building was lit by skylights, allowing the outer walls to be used for signage and the inner walls
to be used for exhibition purposes. Figure 8 shows the front (Park Road) façade of the building.
Figure 7 View of the Machinery Section, RAS Showgrounds, 1906 Source: The RAS Annual 1906.
The Anthony Hordern & Sons pavilion can be seen on the right of the photograph.
Figure 8 Royal Easter Show 1911: view of the 1899 Anthony Hordern & Sons pavilion from Park Road
Source: NSW State Library
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The roof was supported by two rows of cast iron pillars. These stood in the middle of each of two central
display stands (see Figure 9 and Figure 10).
Figure 9 Interior of 1899 Anthony Hordern & Sons pavilion Source: Australian Town and Country Journal, 8 Apr 1899, page 26.
Figure 10 Layout of pavilion interior
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Two of the four corner entrance porticos survive in the current Byron Kennedy Hall, and these can be seen in
Figure 11.
Figure 11 The 1899 Anthony Hordern & Sons pavilion
Source: NSW State Library.
The likely architect was Albert Bond. Bond was the architect of Hordern’s Palace Emporium (completed 1881)
and the new Palace Emporium (completed 1906). Emery Balint writes of the 1881 structure:
Outside walls were of massive brickwork and it is assumed that the internal floor structure consisted of cast
iron columns supporting ironbark girders, hardwood floor joists and Kauri Pine flooring, fairly typical of Albert
Bond’s work.5
Bond was also the architect of the 1878 Harrison Jones and Devlin woolstores in Macquarie Place using a
similar construction method.6
The pavilion was extended in time for the 1923 Easter Show:
The beautiful main pavilion of Anthony Hordern’s in the centre of the Showground is bigger than ever this year.
The enlarged accommodation is utilised primarily for an exquisite display of furniture, most of which comes
from the firm’s own factory.7
The entire 1923 extension survives in the current Byron Kennedy Hall, though just how much of the fabric is
original is not clear. The reference in the 1923 to the “main pavilion” is because in 1911 Anthony Hordern &
Sons commenced construction of a separate permanent pavilion to accommodate agricultural equipment.
5 Emery Balint, 1987, Record of Commercial Buildings Constructed in the Victorian Era in NSW. Printed by the NSW Department of Environment and Planning. 6 Emery Balint, Trevor Howells and Victoria Smyth, 1982, Warehouses and Woolstores of Victorian Sydney. Oxford University Press. 7 Daily Telegraph, 27 March 1923, p. 9. Manufactures: Hall of Industries “The Big Store”.
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The drawings for this building can be found in the City of Sydney’s archives. Prior to 1911, a marquee was
used for the agricultural equipment.
In 1911, an Act of Parliament vested the Showground site in the Royal Agricultural Society of New South
Wales. A further area of 5.9 ha was leased from the Commonwealth Government for 20 years from 1 July
1920.8 The acquisition of additional land enabled the Society to resume building and allowed more
opportunities for others to build permanent pavilions.
2.3 The 1924 extension of the Anthony Hordern & Sons pavilion In 1923 Anthony Hordern & Sons took over the leased area on the west side of their pavilion. This made it
possible to extend the company’s pavilion as far as the Warburton Franki pavilion, which had just been built
(see Figure 12). Warburton Franki was a large firm of electrical contractors and suppliers headquartered in
Melbourne. It had occupied its leased area for some years. The shape of the extended leased area
determined the irregular shape of the extended Anthony Hordern pavilion. The drawings for the new building
show which parts of the 1899 and 1923 works were retained (see Figure 13).
Figure 12 Extract from 1920 plan of the showgrounds
Source: archives of the Royal Agricultural Society of NSW
8 Royal Agricultural Society of NSW, 1927, A Short History of the Activities of the Society.
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Figure 13 Surviving parts of 1899 Anthony Hordern & Sons pavilion and 1923 extension
Figure 14 Architectural drawing for the 1923 pavilion extension
Source: archives of the City of Sydney
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A press report on the opening ceremony for 1924 extension stated:9
Anthony Hordern and Sons have made large additions to their pavilion. It will be found a very attractive place,
with a fine dome supported by a number of big pillars
It can be seen in Figure 2 that the 1912 eastern façade had signage panels whereas the 1924 western façade
is flat concrete without any articulation.
According to Howard Tanner:10
During the early years of this century the decorated sheds of the individual exhibitors were gradually replaced
by more permanent structures. Marcus Clarke and Company, retailers, erected a compact pilastered pavilion
and not be outdone, Anthony Hordern and Company built a spectacular palazzo – now the Banquet Hall – of
classical loggias and colonnades rising to an impressive plaster dome and externally to a loft campanile.
Throughout the British Empire, trade and agricultural exhibition venues were seen as important venues to
show the superiority of British systems and products. An Imperial style of architecture dominated such sites,
providing impressive formal structures wherever the map was coloured pink…….
Architecturally, the building is a pot-pourri of neo-classical ornament. The porticoed entrance is festooned with
urns, mock balustrades and massive cornices. Inside the dome is a circular glass leadlight which supported by
grand Ionic capped columns.
However, Tanner overlooks the design quality of the front façade. He was probably unaware of the original
glazing, which extended down to the ground. Figure 15 shows the front façade on the day the building was
opened while Figure 16 is a recent photograph. The original elegant simplicity of the front façade has been
lost, though it would be comparatively easy to restore it. The 1899 and 1924 signage panels on the east and
west facades of the building survive but are not used. The building identification signage is now usually
placed inappropriately at the base of the tower instead on the face of the ground floor front façade.
Figure 15 2 April 1924. Completion of Anthony Hordern & Sons Ltd Pavilion Source: NSW State Library
9 Sydney Morning Herald (NSW : 1842 - 1954), Thursday 3 April 1924, page 10. 10 Howard Tanner. 1988. The Showground Architecture. Parallax, No. 2. Arcadia Press, Sydney.
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Figure 16 Byron Kennedy Hall, 15 October 2018: note the absence of building identification signage and the loss of the large plate glass windows Photographer: Mark Gould
The loss of the three 1924 flagpoles has also detracted from the appearance of the building.
The pavilion was in use as Anthony Hordern & Sons exhibition hall until the 1965 Easter Show.
Figure 17 Looking east past the front façade of the Anthony Hordern & Sons pavilion 31 July 1961 This is a trade show (in the fountain is welcome sign from the Council of the City of Sydney) and is evidence of use of the hall for functions outside the Royal Easter Show even during the Anthony Hordern & Sons era. Also, the windows are still original, indicating that the modifications took place as part of the meat industry adaptation.
Source: City of Sydney Archives, NSCA CRS 48/1766
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One of the main architectural elements of the building is the central dome. The HIS does not give a proper
description of the site’s principal architectural feature. The dome of Byron Kennedy Hall copies elements of
the Pantheon in Rome: it has an oculus, and has sunken coffers similar in design to the Pantheon ones.
Figure 18 Pantheon, Rome
The HIS says the dome is supported by “ornate” columns and of the Corinthian order; this is incorrect, the columns are in a plain Ionic style in contrast to the Corinthian columns of the Pantheon. Interestingly, the capitals of the columns supporting the false balcony are Doric, though the bases are not. The columns at the nearby Hordern Pavilion, which Trenchard Smith designed at the same time as the Anthony Hordern Pavilion, are also in the Doric style.
2.4 1969 Meat Hall In 1969 the Royal Agricultural Society purchased the pavilion. In 1969 the Australian Meat Board and the
Metropolitan Meat Industries Board jointly contributed to the conversion of the Anthony Hordern and Sons
Ltd building into a meat hall. It was formally opened on 26 March 1969.
2.5 1986 Banqueting Hall In 1986 the meat hall was restored as a Banqueting Hall. From that year it was used for a variety of functions
every year until the present day. The toilet block attached to the north-east corner of the building was added
in 1986.
2.6 Building 14 A The SEE claims that Building 14A has an “historical association” with Byron Kennedy Hall and that this
justifies linking the two buildings:
The proposed actions to Building 14A would allow the building to continue its historical association with Byron
Kennedy Hall.
The HIS states:
Building 14A, located directly to the west of Byron Kennedy Hall, was constructed as early as the 1930s, and
appears on the 1934 plan of the Showgrounds (Figure 5, above). It was likely constructed as an ancillary
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building to the Banquet Hall, as suggested by its proximity to the main building and its siting in relation to as
secondary structure to the rear, which has since been demolished.
Building 14A was the Warburton Franki pavilion, approved by Council on 3 March 1922 and the drawings and
specifications survive in Council’s archives. It had concrete floors and walls. The photographs in the HIS show
a building that corresponds in size and form to that approved by Council. The building can be clearly seen in
Figure 15. According to a 1924 report:
WARBURTON, FRANKI, LTD.
One of the first displays to call for attention and interest of the visitor to the Show, was that of Messrs.
Warburton, Franki, Ltd. In a well-placed pavilion, near the main entrance gates, one reads the word 'Delco.' It
stands for light. There the visitor was let into ''the secret of house lighting”, plants for supplying electric light in
country homes. But what seemed more interesting to one housewife and her good man at the time our
representative looked in, was the Delco-Light Washing Machine, described as the most remarkable washing
machine ever built. In it you have the washer and wringer combined. The Delco-Light pressure water system
was also to be seen. It provides water, under pressure, without the use of an overhead tank. This plant, we
were told, has been before the public of this State for the past seven years. It has a part of its regular
equipment, the Tudor Plante type of battery similar to those used in most large Government and municipal
undertakings.11
The stand continued operating until the War when the Commonwealth government took over the
Showgrounds. After the War Warburton Franki exhibited in the Commemorative Pavilion, and 14A
accommodated food stalls. There is no historical associations of Building 14a with Byron Kennedy Hall. The
applicant provides no evidence. All the available evidence points to the contrary.
2.4 “Ancillary building” (The Tresillian Centre) Figure 11 in the HIS shows a building, now demolished, behind 14A and adjoining Byron Kennedy Hall. The
Figure labels this building an “ancillary building” (to Byron Kennedy Hall). Although the building was
demolished after the Conservation Strategy, it remains relevant to any modifications to Byron Kennedy Hall
and the landscaping of the open land adjoining it. According to Conybeare Morrison and Partners:
The Tresilian building is significant in its fit with the surrounding environment. It is complementary in detailing
to the Banquet Hall and is orientated to the 1902 grid planting of trees in the area which was formerly a picnic
ground between the Tresillian and ‘Rawson’.
In fact, it had no connection with Byron Kennedy Hall. It was built by the Royal Society for the Welfare of
Mothers and Babies in 1927 on land that the Society had leased from the Royal Agricultural Society for a
peppercorn rental.12 The building had two main purposes: to allow women visiting the Easter Show to leave
their infants in the care of the Society, and to promote better child care. Being close to the entrance to the
Easter Show it was an ideal location, and the facility operated successfully and continuously (apart from the
war years) until the 1955 show. After the 1955 show the Society sold it to the Royal Agricultural Society
because other facilities were available:
It was felt by Members of the Council that, with the provision of various Rest Rooms and Baby Minding Centres
at the Show Ground, there was no further need for the Society to maintain the Mothers Bungalow…..the
Bungalow was purchased by the Royal Agricultural Society for a very satisfactory figure.13
According to Conybeare Morrison and Partners:
11 Country Life Stock and Station Journal (Sydney, NSW : 1924 - 1925) Fri 25 Apr 1924 Page 4. 12 Royal Society for the Welfare of Mothers and Babies, 1927, Annual Report. 13 Annual Report 1955/56
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The Tresillian Centre appears to be in very good condition with only minimal changes to the building since it
was constructed…..It is a light timber framed building, clad with asbestos cement sheeting on a rough cast
rendered brick base. An awning with exposed, shaped eaves rafters is supported on a row of simple classical
columns. In its classical detailing, it is sympathetic with elements of the Banquet hall.14
Figure 19 Mothers and babies welfare bungalow, 1927 (note tower of Byron Kennedy Hall)
Source: NSW Sta
The Tresillian building fell within the Fox Studios lease. Fox Studios had no practical use for it, and that was
the reason for its demolition.
Figure 20 Interior of mothers and children bungalow, 1927
Source: NSW State Library
14 Conybeare Morrison and Partners. 1988. Conservation Plan of Sydney Showground. NSW Public Works Department.
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3. Heritage significance The HIS assessed the heritage significance of the Anthony Hordern & Sons Pavilion (now known as Byron
Kennedy Hall) using the criteria specified by the NSW Office of Environment and Heritage. However, it
overlooked many details of the building’s history and design features relevant to its significance.
3.1 Historical and associative significance The HIS recognises that the building contributes to the historical understanding of the RAS Showgrounds and
the transformations that have occurred at the site.
The trademark of Anthony Hordern & Sons Ltd The terrazzo floor at the entrance incorporates not “a tiled motif which references the building’s and the
site’s agricultural past” but a mosaic of the company trademark, an oak tree, referencing the company
motto: “While I live, I’ll grow”. The oak tree can also be seen on the tower above.
Figure 21 Mosaic of the Anthony Hordern & Sons Ltd trademark
The main Anthony Hordern & Sons store in the city centre had a similar entrance mosaic. In 1938, the
company imported a large quantity (50,000 according to one report) of British oak saplings to mark the
company’s 115th anniversary. After growth in a nursery, the company distributed them among customers
(“Get your oak tree today!”).
Sir Samuel Hordern Byron Kennedy Hall is significant as one of the last surviving buildings linked with Sir Samuel Hordern. It is an
irony that the Hordern Pavilion was built for the RAS and merely named after Sir Samuel whereas the
Anthony Hordern & Sons Pavilion was built for the company of which Sir Samuel was the governing director.
Sir Samuel Hordern was President of the RAS from 1915 until 194. He was largely responsible for the growth
of the Royal Easter Show from a small fair to one of the world's greatest agricultural shows.15 Moreover,
shortly after the opening of Byron Kennedy Hall he travelled to the United Kingdom in his capacity as
President and attended the Royal Show (the United Kingdom equivalent of the NSW Easter Show) and the
Empire Exhibition at Wembley, where Australia had a large pavilion.
15 Caroline Simpson, 'Hordern, Sir Samuel (1876–1956)', Australian Dictionary of Biography, National Centre of Biography, Australian National University, http://adb.anu.edu.au/biography/hordern-sir-samuel-506/text11627, published first in hardcopy 1983, accessed online 5 October 2018.
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Justly Rawlings Justly Rawlings was born in Salisbury, England. He joined Anthony Hordern’s London office in 1903 and was
manager from 1916. The London office was a big operation because it was responsible for buying many of
the goods sold in Australia. However, the First World War curtailed operations because much of the
continent was under enemy control. In 1917 industrial disputes and a tramway strike caused Anthony
Hordern’s great difficulties, and the company invited Rawlings to Sydney to manage the company.16 He
instigated the development of Hordern’s sportsground, a regular staff newsletter, and welfare provisions for
the staff. Rawlings was managing director of the company from 1924 until 31 January 1936. When the UK
Government decided to extend the Empire Exhibition into 1925, the Commonwealth Government appointed
Rawlings to take over the management of the Australian pavilion. He was away from May 1925 to February
1926. He was present at the 1924 opening of the Anthony Hordern & Sons Pavilion at the RAS Showground.
The close relationship of Rawlings and Hordern enabled the latter to retire from Anthony Hordern & Sons in
1926 (when it became a public company) and devote himself to his pastoral interests.
Figure 22
15 February 1926. Justly Rawlings (left) and
Sir Samuel Hordern (right) at Central Station
on Rawlings’ return from the United Kingdom
Source: NSW State Library
Frederick Trenchard Smith Frederick Trenchard Smith (1867-1953) was a prolific architect, most of whose many buildings survive.
However, none of his buildings are on the RAIA register of significant architecture in NSW. He entered his
articles with Mansfield Brothers, eminent architects of the period—G Allen Mansfield was the first President
of the Institute of Architects of NSW. The following works of the Trenchard Smith and Maisey partnership
are relevant to the Byron Kennedy building:
• The Exhibition Hall at the Showgrounds (1924), see Figure 6 below.
• The brick boundary wall (1929)
In addition, the 1937 Commemorative Exhibition Building was designed by Alan Dwyer of Trenchard Smith
and Maisey, Trenchard Smith himself having retired in 1932. It is described in the Register of the National
Estate as a 'heroic mixture of Art Deco and Neo Classical, reputedly modelled on European Zeppelin hangers
and influenced by the Sydney Harbour Bridge'.
Trenchard Smith was for a time secretary of the Builders’ Exchange, which together with the Master Builders
Association of NSW. The oldest association in the Australian building industry still in existence is The Builders’
Exchange of NSW Ltd which is made up of suppliers of products and services to the building and construction
industry. It promotes the interests of members of the Builders’ Exchange to the industry, to government
bodies, and to the community at large. The Builders Exchange was formed in 1864 and, while it was
principally a suppliers’ organisation, a number of builders also joined it. Since the mid 1970’s the President of
the Master Builders Association of NSW is Patron of the Builders Exchange, and a virtual merger has taken
16 Thomas J Redmond, 1938, The History of Anthony Hordern and Sons Limited, Anthony Horderns’ Print.
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place. Besides being secretary for a time, Trenchard Smith was the architect for the Builders’ Exchange
building.
Figure 23 Opening of the Anthony Hordern & Sons Pavilion on 2 April 1924.
Sir George Fuller (Premier) is the tall man wearing a light-coloured jacket in front of the building entrance,
Sir Samuel Hordern is the tall man immediately to his right,
Justly Rawlings, Managing Director of Anthony Hordern & Sons is the man immediately to his right,
Joseph Carruthers, former Premier of NSW, is the short man immediately to his right.
Source: NSW State Library
Sir George Fuller Sir George Warburton Fuller (1861-1940) was a Commonwealth and NSW politician.17 Fuller was present at
the 1924 openings of the Anthony Hordern and Sons Pavilion, the Hordern Pavilion and the Grandstand. He
entered the first Commonwealth parliament as Free Trade member for Illawarra in 1901; he held the seat
until 1913. As minister for home affairs (1909-10) under Alfred Deakin, he introduced the bill to make
Canberra the seat of Federal government. Fuller was Premier of NSW from 1922 to 1925. During his
Premiership the Sydney Harbour Bridge Act was passed (1922) and construction commenced.
17 John M. Ward, 'Fuller, Sir George Warburton (1861–1940)', Australian Dictionary of Biography, National Centre of Biography, Australian National University, http://adb.anu.edu.au/biography/fuller-sir-george-warburton-6256/text10775, published first in hardcopy 1981, accessed online 5 October 2018.
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Sir Joseph Carruthers Sir Joseph Carruthers was Premier of NSW from 1904 to 1907. His Local Government Act of 1906 introduced
the local government system that we have today. Carruthers was present at the 1924 opening of the
Anthony Hordern & Sons Pavilion. He was a key political supporter of Sir George Fuller.
3.2 Aesthetic significance The HIS states that Byron Kennedy Hall has aesthetic significance at the local level. In my opinion it has
aesthetic significance at the state level. Byron Kennedy Hall is part of a surviving complex of three buildings
completed in 1924, the other two being the Hordern Pavilion and the Grandstand. Two of these were
designed by the same architect, Frederick Trenchard Smith. According to Conybeare Morrison:
The taller buildings with their towers standing high: the Banquet Hall, the R.A.S. Council Chambers and Stand,
and the Members Grand Stand are like the village church – they stand out above the surrounding and closely
packed buildings and form focal points for vistas from street and vantage points.
3.3 Technical significance According to Conybeare Morrison:
The Banquet Hall, or as it was originally known, the Anthony Hordern Building, is significant in being one of the
earliest all-concrete buildings in Sydney, constructed at a time when construction methods were basic and the
contractual methods were basic and the contractual risks involved in using this untested material were
substantial.18
The builder was Concrete Constructions Ltd, which at the time was managed by Allen Lewis (1891-1970).
The HIS overlooks this. Without the skills of Lewis, I can’t believe that the concrete dome of Byron Kennedy
Hall could have been constructed; furthermore, Trenchard Smith could not have had the engineering skills to
design it (more comment on this later).
Born at Rochester, England in 1891, Lewis was christened Charles Allen, but switched to using Allen Charles
or AC as his Christian name.19 Lewis received his commercial and engineering training with the Indented Bar
and Concrete Engineering Co, London, for whom he sold steel reinforcement and design. He came to Sydney
in 1912 and worked on a commission basis for William Adams & Co Ltd, who were the agents for the
Indented Bar and Concrete Engineering Co. Shortly afterwards he became the manager of William Adams’
reinforced concrete department. In 1916 he helped establish Country Concrete Constructions Ltd (initially as
company secretary). In 1920, the company Ltd was reconstituted as Concrete Constructions Ltd, but
remained a private company. Lewis built up a substantial shareholding and served as chairman. Projects in
the 1920s included:
• Broughton House at 47 King Street, where Concrete Constructions had its head office, which is still
standing.
• Mark Foy’s pavilion at the showground (see Figure 1), completed in 1922.
• The Astor on Macquarie St (completed in 1923 immediately before Byron Kennedy Hall, and itself
something of a concrete engineering marvel for the time, see Figure 6 below),
• The reconstruction of Mark Foy's store in Liverpool Street,
• The main grandstand at the Moore Park showground (1924),
• The Government Savings Bank building in Martin Place,
• The Menzies Hotel, Melbourne, and
• Various reinforced concrete highways.
18 Conybeare Morrison & Partners. 1988. Conservation Plan of Sydney Showground. 19 Patricia Angly, 1982, Concrete Constructions—“A Very Private Company”.
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Figure 24 Concrete Ionic columns on the façade of The Astor, 1923, built by Concrete Constructions
Figure
Figure 25 Construction of Grandstand at the showground, 5 May 1924.
The tall man is Fred Newson, long a key foreman in Concrete Constructions.
Source: NSW State Library
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Dubbed 'Concrete Lewis' by the Bulletin and referred to as such in subsequent newspaper reports, he visited
the United States of America in 1927. Among many later buildings in the city, Concrete Constructions built
the AMP Building at Circular Quay. The fountain at the north end of Macquarie Street was donated by
Concrete Constructions in memory of Lewis (see Figures 7 and 8).
Figure 26 Fountain at north end of Macquarie Street donated by Concrete Constructions in memory of
Allen Lewis
The involvement of Lewis is important because Concrete Constructions built the nearby grandstand at the
Showgrounds at the same time as the pavilion. Byron Kennedy Hall is a rare surviving example of early
concrete construction in the city.
Figure27 Allen C Lewis plaque
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4. Impacts of proposed works and uses on heritage values
4.1 Compatibility of proposed use The HIS fails to describe the existing approved use of Byron Kennedy Hall, or how the proposed change of use
is consistent with conserving the social and associative significance of the building.
The switch from public to private entails a loss of interpretative value: the public has less access. This is a reverse of the recently approved adaptive re-use of the Lands Department and Education Department buildings, state heritage items in Bridge Street. There, the adaptive commercial re-use will provide public access where there was almost none. The Burra Charter states:
Compatible use means a use which respects the cultural significance of a place. Such a use involves no, or minimal, impact on cultural significance.
The proposed change of use is simply not a compatible use. A function centre or retail use of any kind would
be compatible with the original function of the building and with its form and structure.
4.2 Joining Byron Kennedy Hall and Building 14A The proposal to join Byron Kennedy Hall and Building 14A detract from the heritage values of both
The Conservation Strategy classifies building 14A as “intrusive”, so remove original fabric of Byron Kennedy
Hall in order to link the Hall to 14A is contrary to the Conservation Strategy.
4.3 New doors and relocated doors On the south façade, the DA proposes one new door and relocating another. The new doors would detract
from the aesthetic value of the façade. When built, there were doors at the south-west and south-east
corners and at the main entrance beneath the tower (refer Figure ). The design logic was to allow free flow
of people through the exhibition pavilion during the Easter Show. The 1912 pavilion had “portico doors” at
each of its four corners (see Figure ).
4.4 Doors removed The portico doors to be removed at the south-west and south-east are an important original feature of the
building.
4.5 Partitions Filling the hall with partitions will detract from appreciation of the leadlights and dome.
The HIS says the hall and its dome are the building’s principal architectural feature and then goes on to say that filling the space with partitions is OK. It is not OK.
The 1923 drawings for the building show that the architect positioned the skylights in conjunction with the dome. The skylights are actually beatifully designed leadlights.
Figure 28
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The HIS says that because of the concrete construction the proposed fabric changes are reversable, and that the fit-out works are reversible. That argument might have some validity if the fabric changes, new use and fit-out works were necessary to ensure the building’s future. But the HIS provides no evidence that this is so. Again, the comparison with the Lands Department and Education Department buildings in Bridge Street is instructive; it is not feasible for those buildings cannot continue as government offices. The reader of the DA documents senses that the proposed change of use for Byron Kennedy Hall has nothing to do with conservation and everything to do with the desire of the owner (Sydney Cricket Ground Trust) to find somewhere to put displaced tenants.
The DA does not propose to reverse the fabric changes and fit-out at the end of the “temporary” use, so saying the work is reversible is pointless. The Burra Charter is perfectly clear on this: “Reversible changes should be considered temporary”.
4.6 Changes to Annex The Annex dates from 1923, and it is a year older than the main building.
4.7 Changes to portico doors
Figure 29 Front entrance to Byron Kennedy Hall Photograph by Mark Gould, 15 October 2018
The panels either side of the entrance were windows during the Anthony Hordern & Sons Ltd use. Leaving
them opaque detracts from the activation of the façade.
4.8 Condenser units The applicant proposes to locate condenser units within the veranda to the northern annex. This is not
acceptable. The annex is the only part of the 1912 building that survives in complete form (see Figure 1). The
1912 building is significant as being the first permanent exhibition pavilion at the showground.
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Figure 30 View of Annex at north of Byron Kennedy Hall
Photograph by Mark Gould, 15 October 2018
4.9 Signage proposals The DA is silent on proposals for signage on the front façade, apart from proposing signage in the windows.
According to the SEE, there is an existing consent for window signage for events. But with the proposal there
would be separate signage for the tenancies. When built, the Anthony Hordern & Sons pavilion had flagpoles
and signage was in a different position. see Figure 2 (for main flagpole) and Figure 3. The base of the tower
was designed to accommodate the famous company motto, “While I live, I’ll grow”. The east façade had the
1899 signage panels, while the west façade had a signage panel at the top of the wall which still survives. The
building identification signage was on the façade above the windows. Currently, there is no building
identification signage, and the DA proposes none. This is all highly unsatisfactory.
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Figure 31 West façade of Byron Kennedy Hall: note original signage panel at top of wall
Photograph by Mark Gould, 15 October 2018
Figure 32 1899 signage panels on the east façade, 15 October 2018
Photographer Mark Gould
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5 Other SEPP 47 matters
5.1 The proposal would impact the amenity of adjoining residential areas The SEE states that “The site is well removed from surrounding residential properties and will have no impact
on the amenity of the adjoining residential areas.” This is not so: the proposal would deprive adjoining
residential areas of a function centre and opportunities to enjoy and appreciate the 1920s interior.
Moreover, it is somewhat insulting to residents to say that the site is “well-removed”, Moore Park and the
former showgrounds are a much-loved part of the city.
The building has been used as a function centre for its entire life, albeit in various forms. Recent functions
include the following:
2017 The Titanic Exhibition
2014 The Sydney Fair
2013 The Freshbake Show
Ksubi Warehouse Sale
Australian Luggage and Travel Expo
Genesis Fashion Event
2011 EcoXpo
2010 1920s Supper Club
2009 Myer Spring Summer Fashion Launch
2000 National Geographic photography exhibition
A four-year break in function centre use would put the function centre use at risk.
5.2 The proposal would introduce additional traffic and parking demand The SEE states that as the activities to be accommodated are already located in the immediate precinct,
existing traffic generation to and from the precinct will remain much the same. This is not true. The
Entertainment Quarter is a different precinct to the Stadium and there are no direct pedestrian connections
between the two. There would be traffic impacts. The applicant has not stated how many people would work
in the building.
Driver Avenue offers metered parking when there are no events at the stadia. As Driver Avenue is very close
to Byron Kennedy Hall, there would be impacts on access to meter parking by park users.
Already off-street parking at Byron Kennedy is impeding access to the Fire Booster Assembly and detracting
from views of the 1899 signage panels. The location of the Fire Booster Assembly does not comply with
Australian Standard AS2419.1 Fire Hydrant Installations, and parking in front of the hydrant should be
stopped forthwith.
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Figure 33 Hydrant booster assembly, east façade
Photograph by Mark Gould, 15 October 2018
5.3 Master plan and concept plan The proposal would impede the implementation of the concept plan, the next steps being the exhibition of a
landscape strategy and a design strategy. The Master Plan approved the demolition of Building 14A with a
view to landscaping the site. The 2011 determination of the Concept Plan included a commitment to the
preparation of an open space strategy to guide further landscape and use planning for public open space
including roads and footpaths. A landscape strategy has not yet been exhibited.