Gledden Building

Physical Description

The seven-storied concrete building, embodying features new to the State at the time introduced others like the lightwell through the centre of the building, the introduction of two modern lifts and the postal chute (now a character feature) which ran the entire height of the building alongside the l i fts. Renovated in recent years by the architectural firm Oldham, Boas and Ednie-Browne, the building is in excel lent condition and demonstrates a clear identification of major and minor vertical structural supports in the striated spandrels below windows and at the parapet , together with the stepped decorated spire. The building demonstrates the influence of the New York skyscraper in particular the Chrysler Building and the Empire State building which are recalled in miniature and echoes another skyscraper influence which can be seen in the facade of the former Plaza Theatre further up the Mal l. The Gledden Building can be viewed as a separate entity in the streetscape of the Mal 1. "Wrapped around the corner" it imbues a presence which i s not afforded other buildings in the long street facade. The building embodies features which were new to the State at the time of its erection .and the University held a competition for an ornamental frieze to be placed above the shopfronts in the ground floor arcade and based on the subject of typical Western Australian flora. Fauna, natural landscape and aboriginal life. The competition was won by George C. Benson whose work also decorates the ceiling at Winthrop Hall at the University of W. A. The second prize was won by C. Kennedy, whose frieze decorated a seventh floor room used by the University Senate whi ch depicted animals, birds, fish and flowers of this State and provided glimpses of the native life. The third prize was won by the well known thirties W. G. Bennett, Who col laborated wi th the surreal i st artist Herber t McClintock (alias M . Ebert) to produce a glass etched mural in the basement of the building• Hidden from view . for many years the basemen t mura l was executed by M Ebert and Henriette Drake Brockman. The Gledden Building occupies the south-eastern corner of the intersection of Hay and William Streets, Perth and is flanked by the P & 0 . Building fronting William Street on its lefthand side and Devon House fronting Hay Street on its right hand side. The three constitute a significant group which reflect the concerns of the 1930s which is emphasised by the lettering of the period to be seen to advantage at the Gledden Building.

History

Assessment 1989 Construction 1937 Designer Harold Boas Commissioned in 1937, Gledden Building was the first Art Deco styled structure to be erected in the City of Perth and is and excellent example of the Vertical Moderne “skyscrape” style, emphasizing height with a flat roof, rounded corners and recessed windows. Once the tallest building in Perth, the stepped decorative spire supported a light which guided the Bungana (?) over the city. Designed by Harold Boas it was built at a cost of 40,000 pounds and represented a generous gift to the University of WA by the mining engineer Robert Gledden, who wrote in his will that the land was to be used for the promotion and encouragement of education – in particular Applied Science and that it was to provide more scholarships to the University of WA.

Uses

Historic Themes

Creation Date

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