Adelaide's Walk of the Condemned

Adelaide's Walk of the Condemned

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Posted 2013-03-19 by Dave Walshfollow
[SECTION]The Adelaide Walk of the Condemned[/SECTION]



Adelaide is an attractive city when compared to many others around the world.

It is spacious, the road system is (mostly) well designed and easy to navigate, and there are many green spaces for recreation and pleasure.

Within the city there is an eclectic range of architectural design.

The rectangular modernism (with attached toilet bowl) of the Federal Court stands in sharp juxtaposition to the classical style of the stolid sandstone Adelaide Magistrates Court.



The variety of building styles and streetscapes helps to make Adelaide more interesting and colourful for us and our visitors. But the winds of change are blowing in Adelaide streets, and older buildings are struggling to stand up to the gale.

With the state government struggling to keep our economy moving, they are prepared to do things to appease developers and property groups that a self respecting sex worker might hesitate to consider.

Recently Planning Minister Rau has signalled his intention to oppose Local Heritage listing for 46 out of 77 properties recommended for protection by Adelaide City Council. This is despite the fact that the recommendation only applies to the building facades in many cases.



It's highly likely that many others that were previously recommended for conservation have been demolished already, like the City Steam Biscuit Factory (later the Jade Monkey venue ) which was bulldozed by Hines Property to use as a vehicle park. And if the Minister continues to oppose adaptive re-use of heritage buildings you can expect to see many more vacant spaces in Adelaide real estate.

Heritage in Australia needs more support from governments and individuals if we are not to be surrounded by sterile soaring structures of concrete..

Take a look at the map of The Adelaide Walk of The Condemned to see the locations of buildings which are about to become at risk.



[SECTION]How It Happened[/SECTION]



Way back in 2008 Adelaide City Council (ACC) decided it was time to update the heritage assessment of properties in the City of Adelaide.

They engaged a team of historians and architects from respected independent Adelaide consultants Donovan and Associates to review unlisted buildings against the local heritage criteria specified in the Development Act 1993.

This wasn't the first time that such a review had been done - there were three earlier studies commenced in 1980, 1990, and 1992. But it was important to ensure that all properties had been properly assessed against current principles in the Act.

The Donovan study was completed in 2009, and a report provided to Council recommending Local Heritage protection for 273 properties. By mid 2009 Council had consulted relevant government agencies and the community.



During 2010 and 2011 the Planning Minister decided to consider only 77 of the recommended properties initially. He then ponderously pontificated whether they should be approved as Local Heritage places, and by March 2012 he had started conferring with the ACC about his decision.

Finally in March 2013 Planning Minister Rau wrote to the Council stating his intent to remove 42 properties about Adelaide city from the list for a variety of reasons.

This article is about those 42 properties that Planning Minister Rau feels do not deserve even Local Heritage protection. If confirmed, all of those buildings will be able to be modified or demolished without restriction.



You can see all of the properties that the Minister intends to put at risk displayed on a map here .

Although it would require an energetic walk for the best part of a day to see them all, I have chosen a representative few of the rejected properties for you to see here. If you're looking for what to do in Adelaide, it's a fascinating walk.

For a more in depth description of the history of this saga, look here .

A complete list of all the 77 properties and the recommendations, together with information about their history and architectural design can be found here .

[SECTION]Buildings in Gawler Place Rejected for Protection[/SECTION]



Gawler Place is a very busy location where it intersects with the Mall, and so it was in times gone by.

The south east corner was occupied by Walsh's Oriental Hotel (no relation) from 1917 until it closed in 1966.

While the interior has changed significantly (unlike the exquisite interiors seen in many of these buildings ) the grand exterior of the building remains largely intact and much the same as when photographed in 1926.



The State Library's Wine Literature of the World collection includes the Oriental Hotel's 1950 wine list here .



The Allans Building at 58-60 Gawler Place would have strong associations for many older South Australians. I went here every payday in my youth to buy an LP album - from memory they cost around $7-10 each then.

The building was originally a warehouse for Harris Scarfe, and built around 1886. One of its original tenants was Sir Henry Ayers.

In 1964 it was acquired by Allans, and it became a second home to crowds of music fans for the next 40 years.

[SECTION]Buildings in Currie St[/SECTION]



This building was constructed in 1929 for a firm of electrical engineers, and was purchased in 1978 by credit rating company Dun & Bradstreet.

Dun & Bradstreet has now moved offices to King William St, but the building is believed to still be in use for offices.



While 104 Currie St started life around 1882 as the Town & Country Bank, from 1910 until 1953 it housed the Hassell Press. Hassell's were well considered and performed work for noteworthy organisations such as the University of Adelaide and Wakefield Press.

The building is in very original form, and is considered to be a good example of its architectural style.



The building at 96 Currie St dates from 1877 although the ground floor has been significantly transformed and the bluestone exterior walls have been rendered.

The Adelaide Cordial Factory used the cellar of the building for the manufacture of a vast array of cordials, vinegars and liqueurs including: vinegar, Australian stomach bitters, orange bitters, Canadian or gingerbeer bitters, bonekamp, the Doctor and Wermuth bitters and quinine wine cordials, raspberry vinegar, raspberry balm, lemon syrup, peppermint, limejuice, cordial, pineapple cordial, the eye-opener, cherry brandy, ginger brandy, sarsaparilla, ginger wine, rum punch, cloves, and kummel.

Donovan & Associates report:
Packing and labelling were carried out on the ground floor, with different cases holding one or two dozen bottles. At the time of opening, the first floor was not used, but it was intended to use it for the 'preparation of baking, washing, and other powders'. Bottle-washing was carried out at the rear of the building where 'loose boxes' for accommodating five horses used in the business had been constructed.

In 1888 The Australasian Federal Directory noted that the building was occupied by Beaumont E & W. cordial mfrs.
[SECTION]Some Other Rejected Buildings[/SECTION]



The former Maughan Church on Franklin St is something of a landmark in the Central Market area, and many people would have heard its services broadcast live on neighbouring Radio 5KA. The style of the steel framed octagonal church has been described as Contemporary Gothic.

It was designed by Adelaide architects Brown & Davies with Sir Eric Von Schramek as a consultant and construction was completed in 1965 for the then Methodist Church. The Church also owned Radio 5KA from 1943, although curiously the station was forced to shut down during the war because it was suspected of supplying information to the enemy in code.



The quaint Marrakesh Hotel was a favourite of mine when I worked in the city. It has a very unusual layout for a pub and is easily missed, as it just looks like a bottle shop at ground level.

If you haven't been there yet to experience its atmosphere, then don't wait too long. Although it is unlikely to suffer from spontaneous combustion like some other heritage buildings, it may not have a long term future.



Around fifteen classic Adelaide worker's cottages that were recommended for protection were also rejected by Planning Minister John Rau. Many of these are near Hutt St and were built in the late 19th century, although there are also some on Oakley St.

The cottage pictured above was built on land that was originally granted to the South Australian Company on 23 December 1837.



The houses pictured above are still attractive today, and clearly well looked after. While not in the same league as a mansion like Carramar , to my mind they add a pleasing variety and character to our streets.

It is actually quite remarkable that there are houses about Adelaide city that are over 130 years old and are still in largely original form.

Clearly the Minister does not think that this situation should be allowed to continue. Feel free to let us know your views in the comments section.

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163005 - 2023-06-14 21:32:14

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