Walsh's Building formerly known as the Economic Store Building is a building in

Perth Perth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia. It is the fourth most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a population of 2.1 million (80% of the state) living in Greater Perth in 2020. Perth is ...

, Western Australia. It was designed by

Talbot Hobbs Lieutenant General Sir Joseph John Talbot Hobbs, (24 August 1864 – 21 April 1938) was an Australian architect and First World War general. Early life Hobbs was born in London, the son of Joseph and his wife Frances Ann Hobbs (née Wilson). E ...

Site

The building is located on the corner of Hay Street and William Street, Perth. It stands opposite the

Gledden Building The Gledden Building is an Art Deco office building in Perth, Western Australia. The building was constructed on land that had been bequested to the University of Western Australia by surveyor Robert Gledden. Site and brief The building is loca ...

and

Wesley Church Wesley Church may refer to: *Wesley Church, Melbourne, Australia, a Uniting Church *Wesley Church, Perth, Australia, a Uniting Church * Wesley Church, Albany, Australia, a Uniting Church * Wesley Church, Seremban, Malaysia *Wesley Church, Egmore, T ...

, two other heritage listed buildings on this corner. The current building replaced the previous Economic Store building that had been destroyed by fire in 1921.

Architecture

The building was designed in the Inter-war

Art Deco Art Deco, short for the French ''Arts Décoratifs'', and sometimes just called Deco, is a style of visual arts, architecture, and product design, that first appeared in France in the 1910s (just before World War I), and flourished in the Unite ...

style by

, an architect responsible for a number of buildings in the

Perth Central Business District Perth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia. It is the fourth most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a population of 2.1 million (80% of the state) living in Greater Perth in 2020. Perth is p ...

Construction

Construction on the site began in 1922 and was complete by early 1923. The lead contractor was C.W. Arnott. A renovation of the building was completed in late 2012.

Usage

The first major tenant in the building was the Economic Store, of which the Perth

Mayor In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilities of a mayor as well a ...

Sir

William Lathlain Sir William Lathlain (1862–1936) was the Mayor of the City of Perth in Western Australia from 1918 to 1923, and Lord Mayor from 1930 to 1932. Poems were written about him after his first mayoral role. He contested seats in state politics. He ...

was the proprietor. The building took on its current name when the Walsh's Menswear store opened on the ground level. The basement of the building was used as a food court until a 2007 fire caused extensive damage, forcing its closure. It was classified by the

National Trust of Western Australia The National Trust of Western Australia, officially the National Trust of Australia (W.A.), is a statutory authority that delivers heritage services, including conservation and interpretation, on behalf of the Western Australian government and co ...

in 1978.

References

{{reflist Landmarks in Perth, Western Australia Heritage places in Perth, Western Australia Art Deco architecture in Western Australia Hay Street, Perth William Street, Perth