Johnson's Building is a heritage-listed former retail stores and now stock exchange offices, bar and restaurant located at 233–235 George Street in the inner city

Sydney Sydney is the capital city of the States and territories of Australia, state of New South Wales and the List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city in Australia. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Syd ...

suburb of The Rocks in the

City of Sydney The City of Sydney is the Local government in Australia, local government area covering the Sydney central business district and surrounding inner city suburbs of the Greater Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. Established by Act of Parliament ...

local government area of

New South Wales New South Wales (commonly abbreviated as NSW) is a States and territories of Australia, state on the Eastern states of Australia, east coast of :Australia. It borders Queensland to the north, Victoria (state), Victoria to the south, and South ...

, Australia. It was designed by

Walter Liberty Vernon Colonel (Australia), Colonel Walter Liberty Vernon (11 August 184617 January 1914) was an English people, English architect who migrated to Australia and pursued his career as an architect in Sydney, New South Wales. In his role as the New Sou ...

and built in 1912. It is also known as Chamber of Commerce Building and Johnson's Overalls Building (Johnsons). The property is owned by

Property NSW Property and Development NSW is a statutory body of the Government of New South Wales that manages the State's significant property portfolio and its places. Formed on 1 July 2016, Property NSW encompasses the entities of the former Government P ...

, an

agency Agency may refer to: Organizations * Institution, governmental or others ** Advertising agency or marketing agency, a service business dedicated to creating, planning and handling advertising for its clients ** Employment agency, a business that s ...

of the

Government of New South Wales The Government of New South Wales, also known as the NSW Government, is the executive state government of New South Wales, Australia. The government comprises 11 portfolios, led by a ministerial department and supported by several agencies. Th ...

. It was added to the

New South Wales State Heritage Register The New South Wales State Heritage Register, also known as NSW State Heritage Register, is a heritage list of places in the state of New South Wales, Australia, that are protected by New South Wales legislation, generally covered by the Heritag ...

on 10 May 2002.

History

The site occupied by 233–235 George Street was once part of the original Parade Ground of the Colony. By the 1820s this corner site was still owned by the

NSW Government The Government of New South Wales, also known as the NSW Government, is the executive state government of New South Wales, Australia. The government comprises 11 portfolios, led by a ministerial department and supported by several agencies. Th ...

. In the site was subdivided into four allotments. Of these, three fronted George Street and one

Grosvenor Street Grosvenor Street is a street in the central business district of Sydney in New South Wales, Australia. Grosvenor Street runs in an east to west direction, with traffic flowing in both directions. The eastern terminus is at George Street and ...

. A small lane which opened onto Grosvenor Street separated this latter from those with George Street frontages. The corner site at Grosvenor and George Streets was purchased from the Government in 1831 by Anthony Hordern and remained the property of the Hordern family until the NSW Government Rocks Resumption Act of 1901. The building erected by Hordern on this site, which appears in Fowles engraving of 1848, remained essentially unaltered until 1911/12 when demolition occurred for the widening of George Street, together with the 1845 building to the north owned by Alexander Douglas from 1831 until 1901. The site to the north of Douglas block was purchased from the Colonial Government in 1831 by John Richards. These four properties were demolished in 1911/12 and the new Chamber of Commerce Building was erected in 1912. James Johnson had a long association with the corner site and, for a lesser of time, with the Douglas property adjoining to the north. James Johnson, draper and clothier, was associated with this site since 1867, and the building is probably known as to many people for its association with Johnson's Overalls, and associated range of chef's and steward's clothing and equipment.SCRA, 1982: 10–12. From 1980 negotiations proceeded with the private sector on proposals for mixed development and recycling on the land bounded by George, Grosvenor, Harrington and Essex Streets, known as Sites D5, D6 and D11. The agreement for the

Grosvenor Place Grosvenor Place is a street in Belgravia, London, running from Hyde Park Corner down the west side of Buckingham Palace gardens, and joining lower Grosvenor Place where there are some cafes and restaurants. It joins Grosvenor Gardens to the ...

project was signed in June 1983 involving the renovation of Royal Naval House and four adjacent buildings, including the Johnson's Building. Work on Grosvenor Place commenced in 1984 and was completed in 1988. In 1987, work commenced on the $12.5 million reconstruction and renovation of Royal Naval House and Federation Hall in Grosvenor Street to enable the buildings to house the

Sydney Futures Exchange Australian Securities Exchange Ltd (ASX) is an Australian public company that operates Australia's primary securities exchange, the Australian Securities Exchange (sometimes referred to outside of Australia as, or confused within Australia as, ...

. The work involved the reinstatement of the original verandah and courtyard in a new location, and the restoration of the street facades. The reconstruction and renovation of the three remaining historic buildings on the site, including the Johnson's Building, was carried out in 1989 for use as bars and restaurant. From 1980 negotiations proceeded with the private sector on proposals for mixed development and recycling on the land bounded by George, Grosvenor, Harrington and Essex Streets, known as Sites D5, D6 and D11. In 1983 an agreement was signed for the Grosvenor Place project involving the $12.5 million reconstruction and renovation of Royal Naval House and Federation Hall in Grosvenor Street to enable the buildings to house the Sydney Futures Exchange. Grosvenor Place was constructed in 1984–1988. In 1987 work commenced on Royal Naval House and Federation Hall in Grosvenor Street being completed in 1989. The reconstruction and renovation of the three remaining historic buildings on the site, including the Johnson's Building, was carried out in 1989 for use as bars and restaurant.SCRA, ''Annual Reports'', 1980–1989.

Description

Johnson's Building is a six-storey Edwardian brick-clad building in the Federation Free Style, notable for its vertical emphasis provided by the narrow

pilasters In architecture, a pilaster is both a load-bearing section of thickened wall or column integrated into a wall, and a purely decorative element in classical architecture which gives the appearance of a supporting column and articulates an ext ...

which divide the façade between high narrow windows. The George Street

façade A façade or facade (; ) is generally the front part or exterior of a building. It is a loanword from the French language, French (), which means "frontage" or "face". In architecture, the façade of a building is often the most important asp ...

is adorned with two storey

bay window A bay window is a window space projecting outward from the main walls of a building and forming a bay in a room. A bow window is a form of bay with a curve rather than angular facets; an oriel window is a bay window that does not touch the g ...

s under 5th floor semi-circular windows symmetrically placed about a central

bay A bay is a recessed, coastal body of water that directly connects to a larger main body of water, such as an ocean, a lake, or another bay. A large bay is usually called a ''gulf'', ''sea'', ''sound'', or ''bight''. A ''cove'' is a small, ci ...

which has a three arch

arcade Arcade most often refers to: * Arcade game, a coin-operated video, pinball, electro-mechanical, redemption, etc., game ** Arcade video game, a coin-operated video game ** Arcade cabinet, housing which holds an arcade video game's hardware ** Arcad ...

to the fifth floor. On either side of this above the bay windows at roof level is a simple pediment. The splayed corner carries a curved

balcony A balcony (from , "scaffold") is a platform projecting from the wall of a building, supported by columns or console brackets, and enclosed with a balustrade, usually above the ground floor. They are commonly found on multi-level houses, apartme ...

providing access to a flag pole. The Grosvenor Street façade is less decorative with the exception of the large arched entrance incorporating a board of chequered terracotta and

sandstone Sandstone is a Clastic rock#Sedimentary clastic rocks, clastic sedimentary rock composed mainly of grain size, sand-sized (0.0625 to 2 mm) silicate mineral, silicate grains, Cementation (geology), cemented together by another mineral. Sand ...

. Sandstone trimmings frame most openings and the high pitched roof of slate is visible behind the

pediment Pediments are a form of gable in classical architecture, usually of a triangular shape. Pediments are placed above the horizontal structure of the cornice (an elaborated lintel), or entablature if supported by columns.Summerson, 130 In an ...

s.National Trust listing 1980

Modifications and dates

In the late 1980s, major work was undertaken to the group of buildings to enable their reuse. The street facade, including

awning An awning or overhang is a secondary covering attached to the exterior wall of a building. It is typically composed of canvas woven of Acrylic fiber, acrylic, cotton or polyester yarn, or vinyl laminated to polyester fabric that is stretched tight ...

and shopfront were conserved.

Heritage listing

As at 30 March 2011, Johnson's Building and site are of State heritage significance for their historical and scientific cultural values. The site and building are also of State heritage significance for their contribution to The Rocks area which is of State Heritage significance in its own right. As a group, the buildings (Federation Hall, Royal Naval House, Johnson's Building, 231 George Street and Brooklyn Hotel) have considerable significance. All facades contribute to the overall richness of the group, with Royal Naval House the focal point and the Johnson's Building leading nicely around the corner to a "coda" of two small but heavily textured facades which seem to be a logical end to the whole. The trees, which are deciduous, give an added quality to the richness of the facades and have considerable significance. The facades as a group have important landmark qualities with their location on the north-west corner of a major intersection, providing an entry point to The Rocks and, in the context of Grosvenor Street, contrasting with the open space of Lang Park on the southern side of the street. Johnson's Building is an outstanding Edwardian commercial building with its simple detailing to its imposing facades is a most significant element in the George Street townscape and provides a foil to the extravagant Baroque façade of Royal Naval House. The return along Milson Lane has a variety of openings, with a cat-head system for heavy loads. The shopfront with its awning, and its deeply recessed entries, is typical of the period, and one of the few remaining in original form in Sydney. The building is significant for its long and fascinating association with the Johnson organisation. The whole of the ground floor shop is significant, particularly for its openness and considerable ceiling height, and the spacious qualities of the upper floors, with their bay windows and verandahs, are also of note.SCRA, 1982: 99–100, 104–105. Johnson's Building was listed on the

on 10 May 2002 having satisfied the following criteria. The place is important in demonstrating aesthetic characteristics and/or a high degree of creative or technical achievement in New South Wales. Johnson's Building and site are of State heritage significance for their historical and scientific cultural values. The site and building are also of State heritage significance for their contribution to The Rocks area which is of State Heritage significance in its own right. As a group, the buildings (Federation Hall, Royal Naval House, Johnson's Building, 231 George Street and Brooklyn Hotel) have considerable significance. All facades contribute to the overall richness of the group, with Royal Naval House the focal point and the Johnson's Building leading nicely around the corner to a "coda" of two small but heavily textured facades which seem to be a logical end to the whole. The trees, which are deciduous, give an added quality to the richness of the facades and have considerable significance. The facades as a group have important landmark qualities with their location on the north-west corner of a major intersection, providing an entry point to The Rocks and, in the context of Grosvenor Street, contrasting with the open space of Lang Park on the southern side of the street. Johnson's Building: This outstanding Edwardian commercial building with its simple detailing to its imposing facades is a most significant element in the George Street townscape and provides a foil to the extravagant Baroque façade of Royal Naval House. The return along Milson Lane has a variety of openings, with a cat-head system for heavy loads. The shopfront with its awning, and its deeply recessed entries, is typical of the period, and one of the few remaining in original form in Sydney. The building is significant for its long and fascinating association with the Johnson organisation. The whole of the ground floor shop is significant, particularly for its openness and considerable ceiling height, and the spacious qualities of the upper floors, with their bay windows and verandahs, are also of note.

References

Bibliography

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Attribution

External links

* * {{The Rocks historical attractions, state=collapsed New South Wales State Heritage Register The Rocks, New South Wales Restaurants in Sydney Pubs in Sydney Office buildings in Sydney Retail buildings in New South Wales Federation Free Style architecture in New South Wales Stock exchanges in Australia Articles incorporating text from the New South Wales State Heritage Register 1912 establishments in Australia Commercial buildings completed in 1912 Walter Liberty Vernon buildings in Sydney New South Wales places listed on the defunct Register of the National Estate