Mt Eliza Apartments

Values

• Known in the community as the ‘Thermos’, Mt Eliza Apartments has been a notable landmark of the Perth city skyline for sixty years due to its distinctive modern finned circular form with decorative rooftop element evocative of space age design, and prominent, elevated location on the Mount Eliza escarpment.

• The building’s circular design with living spaces arranged around a structural internal service core, the expressive use of reinforced concrete structural fins, and application of technological advances such as ducted air-conditioning, demonstrates technical innovations for the time it was constructed.

• As the tallest residential building in Perth upon its completion in 1966, and the second tallest building overall, Mt Eliza Apartments is associated with the changing character of Perth’s skyline during Western Australia’s mineral boom.

• Mt Eliza Apartments was designed by Krantz & Sheldon, a prominent architectural firm which was highly influential in the development of flats in Perth from the 1930s to 1980s. A significant employer of European migrants, the firm was innovative for its application of modern, European-influenced style of architecture that opposed the English styles that dominated Perth.

• Controversial at the time for its perceived impact on a notable environment, the building is an early example of the trend of modern luxury view high-rise apartments that began to accelerate particularly in the 1970s, and again resurging from the 1990s, to the extent that the housing type is now commonplace.

Physical Description

Mt Eliza Apartments is a circular reinforced concrete 16-storey apartment building with a finned design around a central structural and service core, containing 25 units over 15 floors, and former caretaker unit on the ground floor. The building is on a prominent 2,300-square metre site on the Kata Moor /Mount Eliza escarpment in West Perth between Kings Park and the Swan River, at the top of the Jacob’s Ladder staircase. The building is visible from all approaches, particularly from the Perth foreshore and Mitchell Freeway, as well as the South Perth foreshore and elevated locations further afield. The cylindrical façade has a strong vertical emphasis featuring projecting structural concrete fins and secondary vertical concrete elements between each fin, glazed curtain windows with aluminium mullions and painted spandrel panels, and a decorative element on the rooftop concealing services including a water tank. At the foot of the building is a circular concrete podium, with two levels of basement parking below enclosed with a concrete block boundary wall along the eastern boundary to Cliff Street. A large Norfolk Island Pine tree (Araucaria heterohylla) is planted at the entry gate from Bellevue Terrace. Internally, Mt Eliza Apartments has a central structural and service core with two interlocking double helix stairways arranged around a double lift-well. The apartment floor plans fan out from the central core, maximising the 180 or 360-degree views of each unit. The first ten levels above the ground floor lobby comprise two apartments each, with the top five levels each containing a single apartment. The ground floor former caretaker unit is occupied as a rental apartment.

History

Mt Eliza Apartments, a luxury high-rise apartment building on Mount Street constructed 1964-1966, was designed by notable Western Australian architecture firm Krantz & Sheldon for Mt Eliza Pty Ltd. Krantz & Sheldon was prominent in the development of both economical low rise and luxury medium to high rise flats and apartment housing in Perth, mainly in the city, South Perth and western metropolitan suburbs, from the 1930s to the 1980s. Between 1935 and 1981, Krantz & Sheldon designed six flat developments constructed on Mount Street in West Perth, including Mt Eliza Apartments. The site on which Mt Eliza Apartments is located formerly comprised Perth Town Lots L72 and part of L73. A substantial residence on L72 known as Restormel, which had also been used as a boarding house, was demolished in 1964 to make way for the apartment development. Krantz & Sheldon’s practice was to acquire land as close as possible to Perth’s central city block, grouped for economy of scale. Preliminary research suggests that Krantz & Sheldon likely acquired both lots L72 and L73 for development. In 1961, the Krantz & Sheldon designed luxury apartment block, named Sunny Meed (extant; extensively remodelled), was constructed on L73. In 1964 the firm designed Mt Eliza Apartments for Mt Eliza Pty Ltd, comprising 25 luxury apartments at 71 Mount Street, West Perth, with construction completed in 1966. The apartment building was named ‘Mount Eliza’ for its prominent location on the Mount Eliza escarpment. Mt Eliza Apartments was the first circular apartment building in Australia. At the time of completion in 1966 it was the tallest residential building in Perth, and the second tallest building overall, behind the 18-storey T&G Building opened in 1962 (now Citibank House). The building’s design has been attributed to Harold Krantz’ son, David, who joined the practice as a partner in 1960, along with Robin Arndt and Lourens West. Harold Krantz took a step back from design at this time to focus on the business side of the company. David’s design of Mt Eliza Apartments is considered to mark the firm’s change in generation from Harold to David Krantz. According to David Krantz, the building’s circular form was requested by the client, Mt Eliza Pty Ltd. In June 1964, Mt Eliza Apartments, then under construction, was described in Architecture and Arts: The £403,000, 16-storey-block of flats (pictured) being built at the top of Mount-street [sic] is considered to be unique in Australia. It will be the only true circular, multi-storey tower block in Australia, according to the architects Krantz and Sheldon. It is also the first building of its height with only one or two flats to a floor. The 15 residential floors will contain only 25 units. Another unusual feature will be the two interlocking circular stairways arranged around a double lift-well in the centre. Reinforced concrete will be used for the main structural members of the building and for the floors. The service core with the stairways will be one of the main structural members in the building, which will rise 167 feet [approx. 51 metres] above the ground level. The other main structural supports will be four external fins. It will also include two basements for the parking of cars and an undercroft entry as well as the 15 residential floors—18 floors in all. It will go up on a site 160 feet [approx. 49 metres] above sea level, making a total height to the top of 327 feet [approx. 100 metres]. Most floors will command a full-circle view, extending over the river to the ranges in one direction and to the sea in the other. The top five floors will have only one residential unit on each floor, the ten below will have two each. The entrance foyer will be in the undercroft. Cars will put passengers down beneath a port-cochere. There will be a commissionaire’s office in the undercroft for continuous control of the entry. A two-way closed-circuit intercommunications system will enable visitors seeking admission to speak to a flat occupant from the foyer. Electronically-controlled glass doors operated by the flat owner will admit visitors to the lobby—otherwise they stay out. The fully air-conditioned building will have the cooling tower on top hidden by a decorative motif. The full-floor units will have a living room, three bedrooms, two bathrooms, three water closets, laundry and one additional room separated by a concertina door. This may be used as a fourth bedroom or a private den. The two suites on the other floors will each contain a living room, kitchen, two bedrooms, bathroom, two water closets and a laundry. A roof garden is included with the top floor unit. An article published in the Canberra Times in June 1964 noted the role of Mt Eliza Apartments in the arrival of the ‘trend towards luxury apartment living’ in Perth: The trend to prestige living was shown when five apartments in a proposed Mt. Eliza building sold at prices ranging from £29,000 to £36,000. Many inquiries were received by the agents for 20 apartments in the same building at prices around the £15,000 mark.’ Situated on a prominent site adjacent to Kings Park and rising above the horizon line, Mt Eliza Apartments was an instant landmark. The building is colloquially known as the ‘Thermos’, ‘Thermos Flask’ or Rocket Flask’ due to its appearance. Decorative elements used to conceal services on the rooftop, primarily a cooling tower plant room and water tank, are reminiscent of 1960s space age design. At the time of construction, Mt Eliza Apartments was controversial, considered a modernist imposition on a notable environment.

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