W D & H O Wills Warehouse (fmr)

Statement of Significance

The place is one of the very few extant examples illustrating the full range of features of the Interwar Chicagoesque style in Perth.
The place contributes to the streetscape in its prominent position at the intersection Murray and Milligan Streets, with the rounded façade above the main entrance hinging the two facades and complementing the intersection of the streets.
The place was one of two buildings in Perth to be configured with suspended concrete floor slabs and has rarity value in its innovative use of reinforced concrete and ‘mushroom’ columns to save building height by the elimination of beams.
The place is important for the fine articulation of the Interwar Chicagoesque facades facing Murray Street and Milligan Street, expressed in the balance between the projecting vertical members and the horizontal bands and the further refinement of the window glazing squares and circles.

Physical Description

Three storey commercial, rendered brick building with reinforced concrete structure.

The curved section to the corner addresses the street corner and features a decorative curved, projection awning above the ground floor entry doors. Flat piers extend the height of the building with simplified ornamentation to the piers and to the projecting cornice. Use of angular, fan shaped keystones along the parapet which conceals the roof. The first and second floors have large areas of multi-paned double hung windows with decorative circular elements to the first floor windows. The ground floor windows have curved wrought iron security bars which are original.

The building facade retains all original detail to the facade.

History

Until the 1880s the town centre was characterised by the establishment of small cottages, shops and small businesses and was rural in character. The expansion of commerce following the discovery of gold in the 1890s put pressure on land in the centre of Perth with the result that many of the residential buildings located in the inner city were replaced with commercial buildings during this time, and the centre of Perth was substantially rebuilt. Murray Street was established along with St. Georges Terrace and Hay Street as one of the main streets of Perth from the time of colonisation in 1829 when the Perth Town Lots were surveyed and planned out.
Perth Town Lot V38 was originally owned by Annie Elise Poncy McNess in 1912. Evidence obtained from the Certificate of Title and Perth Rate Books suggests that the land locate on the northwest corner of Murray and Milligan Streets remained vacant until McNess sold to W. D. & H. O. Wills (Australia) Ltd. in 1922.The W.D & H.O Wills warehouse and office building was designed by Oldham Boas and Ednie-Brown Architects in 1926 and constructed in 1926/27. The building showcased a number of new developments in structural techniques and material technology. It is noted for its use of mushroom shaped columns which transformed on the first-floor office quarters into elaborate classicised columns. The original plan of the building also featured a tennis court.
The W. D. & H. O. Wills (Australia) Ltd. company name was first registered for use as a trading name in Australia in July 1901. W.D. & H.O. Wills warehouse on Murray Street was associated with the tobacco industry in Western Australia from 1927 to the 1960s.
In 1967 the property was sold to Robert Frederick Hatfield and Robert Geoffrey Stanley as tenants in common. From 1967 the warehouse remained largely unoccupied. Since the 1980s numerous holding companies owned the building and at times leased the warehouse.
In 2007-2008 the building was converted into apartments with the addition of three more stories, and consolidation of the two buildings adjacent (Nos. 474 and 476). Apartment developer, Match, won a Heritage Council Award in 2009 for Adaptive Reuse of Heritage Renewal Projects.

Integrity/Authenticity

Medium level of integrity.
Medium level of authenticity as it is largely as originally constructed with detail intact.

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.