CHALLIS HOUSE, MARTIN PLACE, SYDNEY

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Conaervation PlanVolua. 1

Prepared by Sue RosenConsultant Historian

and

August 1990

David SheedyHeritage Architect

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DOCUMENTARY EVIDENCE

ChallisHouse was' constructed by'Sydney University in 1907 using

£unds £rom the Challis Bequest. The rental income generated by

Challis House was to be used to provide a permanent source o£

revenue to £und the educational programs o£ the University on a

long term basis. The site in Martin Place opposite the

magni£icent G.P.O., had been resumed £rom private ownership in

1889 as part o£ the process o£ establishing a suitable approach

to the G.P.O. and had been available since that time.' The area

promised to be a prestigious location and negotiations with the

Railways Department had secured a permanent and reliable tenant

£or a large portion o£ the building. Challis House was

subsequently constructed to suit the requirements o£ the

government lessees who were to take a 31 year lease £rom the day

o£ completion.

On construction Challis House assumed the £unction o£ a

commercial city building that was closely linked with tourism by

virtue o£ the occupation o£ the lower £loors by. the Railways

Ticketing O££ice and Governme~t Tourist Bureau. Documentary

evidence suggests there £ollowed 10 - 15 years o£ leasing with no

major complaints regarding maintenance or £acilities. By 1925,

however, the building was dated and remodelling was under

consideration. In 1930 the managing agents, Raine & Horne,

·recommended the sale o£ Challis House.

By 1935 the decision had been taken to reconstruct the building;

structural de£ects in the £looring demanded an almost total

rebuilding and the University Senate believed that the locati.on

in Martin Place would ensure an adequate return on the

investment.

On reconstruction the travel and tourism associated services

resumed their occupation o£ the lower £loors; health, insurance, ~

and ~egal pro£essionals occupied the upper £loors sharing the

space with the o££~ces o£ trading companies. What could be'

described as a 'honeymoon phase~ £ollowed; the building did not

become the subject o£ signi£icant complaints by tenants until the

1950~s when it was described as being ' ••• a· poor tired old

bUilding~. Maintenance subsequently became an on going concern

and the redevelopment o£ the site re-eaerged as an issue in the

late 1960~s. Whilst the bUilding was popular and £ully tenanted

many tenants were paying controlled rentals; the bUilding was not

pr~ducing the return that ita position could reasonably be ..

expected to realise. In 1973 the decision was taken to re£urbish

and install air conditioning so as to attract higher rentals and

to compete with modern o££ice accommodation available in the

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city.

The £unction o£ Challis House from the point o£ view o£ Sydney

University has been that it should serve as a source o£ revenue

to £und educational activities o£ the University. Accordingly,

Challis House has generally been refurbished when the physical

condition o£ the building and dated facilities have dictated an

upgrading as being necessary to obtain an adequate return. The

function o£ Challis House and the requirement that it generate

revenue and compete on the commercial rental market almost assure

that the refurbishment/redevelopment issue will periodically

re-emerge.

The prestigious location of Challis House in Martin Place, the

ceremonial heart of the city, adds a significance to the building

that has probably ensured its physical survival and its retention

in the hands o£ the University. The association of Challis House

with the ceremonial function of Martin Place due to its location

opposite the Cenotaph make Challis House a building with which'

many Australians can associate, further the operation o£ travel,

tourism and immigration offices from the buildiqg have enhanced

its identity as a land mark, and formerly, as a point o£

rendezvous.

2.2 The Site

Th~ location of Challis Houa~, opposite the G.P.O building in

Martin Place situates Challis House on ona of Australia's most

prominent public spaces and links the significance and

development of Challis House with that o£ Martin Place.

Challis House is essentially located on land resumed by the

Government in 1889 from W. H. Paling and the estates o£ Thomas

Perkins and Thomas Holt as part of the scheme to establish a

'noble' street to the nort~ o£ the G.P.0.1 Holt's land, to the

east o£ the Tank Stream, had originally been granted to John

Connell, a free settler in 1837. Connell had leased the land

prior to the grant. The lot had a frontage of 60 feet on the

weate~na~de of Pitt Street and an approKimate depth o£ 185 feet

to the Tank Stream' which formed its western boundary. CQPpell had

a row o£ weatherboard cottages on the site. For 50 years from

1799 Connell, who became a wealthy merchant, occupied one o£

th~se cottages and preSUMably leased the remainder. On Connell's

death in 1849, his grandson, John Connell Laycock became 'the

owner and in 1851 it was leased to Thomas Sutcliffe Mort, an

auctioneer. Buildings on the site at this time were sale and

store rooms., From c.1854 the A.M.P. Society leased two rooms in

~ort's bUilding. Laycock mortgaged the bUilding in 1860 and it

-------,1. Plan of the land to be sold in Daily Tele~ 16/7/1889 cited in S. ,Rowe, Martin Place 1864 - 1935,

unpublished dissertation for the baChelor of 1 ecture Degree, University Of, N.S.W., p.28.

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wa~ sold by auction to'Thomas Holt £or 8,325 Pounds when Laycockde£aulted on the mortgage. 'From 1875 Holt leased the premises toimporters and warehousemen. Most o£ the eastern hal£ o£ ChallisHouse stands on this site.~

Perkins~ and Paling~s land was located to the west o£ the TankStream. James Meehan~s map indicates that the major portion o£this area was under lease, in 1807, to William Jameson with theremainder vacant. By 1834 this area was owned by James Chisolmand Hugh Macdonald.~ By the 1870~s the land was owned by ThomasPerkins and in 1889 was under lease to Giles & Thompson, who hada large drapery on the site. 4 In 1883 William Paling had builtconcert rooms on George Street north o£ Giles and Thompson, anarea £ormerly occupied by Prince Ogg and Co., warehousemen.Further re£erence can be made to the maps and plans in Appendix 1which indicate the general development and layout o£ the site.

2.3 Martin Place

In 1966, during the debate on pedestrianisation, Donald Gazzarddescribed Martin Place as the 'ceremonial heart o£ Sydney~.~

Public ceremonies and celebrations have been a strong £eature o£Martin Place since its establishment as a substantial street inthe 1890~s and its status is also partly derived £rom itslocational and historical links with the present G.P.O. building.Because o£, and re£lecting, the high level o£ culturalsigni£icance o£ Martin Place, the style o£ the street has been asource o£ controversy £rOm its establishment ee a lane during the1860~s and periodically since then during various developmentphases.

In 1863 when the land was purchased £or the construction o£ theG.P.O. provision was made £or a 20 £oot wide lane and a 12 £ootcolonnade £rom George to Pitt Streets on the northern side o£ thebUilding. The purchase o£ additional land to the north o£ thelane, £rom a Mrs Hughes enabled 'the widening o£ this lane in the1870~s. From this time numerous schemes were put £orward toestablish a suitable public street £rom Pitt to George Streetsbetween Hunter and King Streets.

2. Henry E. Holt, An Energetic Colonist, The Hawthorn Press, Melbourne, 1972. pp.80 - 81.

3. F. J. CaJapbe11, 'The Valley of the Tank Strea', Journal of the Royal Australian Historical Society, Vol. X,p. 100.

4. Willia~ Lee, 'Martin Place, Sydney',Journal of the Royal Australian Historical Society, Vol. XIII, 1927, p.12.

5. Cited in N. Tesdorf, 'Martin Place, an historical perspective', Architecture In Australia, DeceMber 1970,P' 878.

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B. I'ru.-pCT (1<' MC"tTC.C, .rllllll'S Chi"hl.I"" with f(~,li·

tiouRI Ill",) on the south.D. Hugh )lac,Jouald.E, Rllmucl Tl'rry, gTllntl'C to

Ester Hugbl'>.F. the Post omc".G, ~Rry Rl'ihcy, with I.ro<lj·

~ional lan'] on th~ south.H. Wil!iam RenT;" Mo~re.

Vacant Ia.ndV I.CIUI t hUld

28. Capt.•·L r. Kemp, !cvokcd

211, William Hudlon ..

~~, JlllUl Blt~ri:, PUT~I'T, ;" G. H.Griffi th ..

22. Willillm J'lDleSOIl

Vacnnt lanu .....•

81. SnnlUd :::Skinner

~[AP Y.

J:<~ronting George-street, from Hunter-street to K.i~-g­street.

:t.\lAHlhold.eIll by MeehaL's Map Owners by Detail Map ofof 1807. 18301.

29. Captain Robcrt '~'urDLull,lJIariner .. A. (·.\I'l'utors of th,' Il\t·, Ell.

Hil"y.

Fronting King and Pitt strp<,ts. from King-street toHunter-street.

tI, Go\'(~rnml'lIl Ilrounu t (~ite of public

pump).Fronting King-street . .J.Bichard Brownlow.

K, Hughes R.nd Hoskins (merchantll).L,Henr~' Mnl'!' (ch{'mi!lt und druggist).

tM, William \\"iIIinl1ls (upholsterer).N, Ambro~e Foss (chemist and general

Vacant lRnrl .. .. .. .. goods).0, Thos. Stcdman (~ingcrbeer manufac­

tory).( P,' Samuel Tcrry (m!'rchRnt). Part of) .83.83. WiIlinm Day .. .• Jt Q, JOSE'ph Inch (louging-housc). Part

'of Silo( R,' James EIJcr.) S, Fruucis J.II W(!'ss.

Vacllnt land ••••.•.• ) T, Abrnham tllld Hnul Lyons (tobaecon.\ i~ts) .

U,John Connell.( V, Hosettll. 'l\-fTY (.T. T. Hughes, T. \V.) M. \Vintll'f, nlld .Talllcs Norton-( in trust).

",V, Ro~{'ttl\ Terr~"

)32• .Rosella March .• 5x, Samut'1 T('rr~·.

30. Rev. Richard John- . ~ Y, J?h'n Hcnr~- Black.~on (revokecH) (Z, Rlch.ard .Tnn{'". grB.nted to Alex

) Bllev.Note.-The term, Vacant Ll!'Od. ~igniti('s ~Tnllnd hl'l!d unrler per­

mi~~or~' occupation ()nJ~' (lR07).

Fig. 1. A detailed aurvey o£ the Tank Stream and thecivil eatabliahments in 1834 compared to theleaseholders indicated by Meehan'a Map o£ 1807. Preparedby J. F. Campbell, 1927. (Source: J.F. Campbell, 'TheValley o£ the Tank Stream', Journal o£ the RoyalAustralian Historical Society, Vol.l0, 1925.>

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As the development o£ the General Post Office progressed thedemand for an impressive thoroughfare increased. In 1889 theGovernment under the General Post Office (Approaches Improvement)Act resumed land to the north o£ the G.P.O. This enabled thecreation o£ Post Office Street while the sale o£ the remainingland helped defray the cost o£ the resumption and the creation o£the street, later named Martin Place. The Act also provided forthe creation o£ a public lane, 20 feet wide, connecting ChisolmLane and Angel Place to provide rear access to the buildings tobe constructed on the resumed and sold land.& It was discoveredthat portion o£ the land was private property and the GeneralPost Office (Approaches Improvement) Act Amendment Act was passedin 1892 in order to create the public thoroughfare between Pittand George Streets.? This lane was initially known as MartinLane, then later as Angel Place.

By November 1890 the resumed land was being cleared to establisha street 100 feet wide. On 15 February 1892 the area not requiredfor Martin Place (then called Post office Street) was put up forauction in eleven lots.

Three o£ the lots were sold to the Mutual Li£e Insurance Companyo£ New York for a total o£ 126,000 Pounds. The depression o£ the1890s left the other blocks unsold until four blocks werepurchased by the Bank o£ Australasia in 1900 for 91,034 Pounds.The remaining four blocks through ·which ran the Tank Stream werenot sold until 1906 when purchased at auction by the University~J: c •• ..4 ... "", .. .& .... .".. c..'7 ('11"11''1 O,..,,,nnA a\""I~ W7'-11..IIiOii:iiT __.. _", .. __ •• __ =

G. Lee, op. cit., pp. 11 - 12.

7. Holt, op. cit., pp. 95 - 96.

8. ibid., pp. 97 - 98.

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KIN C STREET

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HUNTER '. <\~..

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Fig. 2. A Plan indicating the proposed street to beconstructed to the north of the G.P.O. and the layout,and use of land in the vicinity, c. 1884. <Source: TheN.S.W. State Archives, A.O. Map No. 2027.)

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2.4 John Henry Challis

John Henry Challis (1806 - 1880) an English born merchant and

philanthropist left a bequest of 276,000 Pounds to the University

of Sydney.9 Challis had arrived in Australia in 1829 as a

steerage passenger on the ~Pyramis'~o and lived in Sydney until

1855. Arriving as a poor man he became wealthy via a partnership

in the firm of Marsden and Flower, later known as Flower, Salting

and Co. He lived abroad until his death in 1880. The Challis

bequest to the University was that of an estate given over

entirely to the University along with absolute discretion as to

its use.~~ In 1885 the University Senate decided that the fund

was to be used to provide a permanent source of income for

educational purposes.~~ Seven professorships and five

lectureships were established due to the bequest. It allowed the

extension of the University's teaching system and raised the

public profile of the University, inspiring the Government to

SUbsequently increase the University's annual grant ,by 5,000

Pounds.~2 Distribution of the bequest began in 1890. The

organisation of the release of the English assets of Challis and

their SUbsequent investment was under the consideratidn of the

University Senate in 1904, there previously having been a

difficUlty with the English authorities who were claiming duties;

a notion that was vigorously fought by the Chancellor.~4 It was

not until March 1907 that the whole of the Challis bequ~st was in

the possession of the University, an amount of 274311:7:11

Pounds. ~::s

9. ibid., p. 98.

10. Australian Dictionary of Biography, Vol. 3, M.U.P., 1978.

11. Sydney Morning Herald, 2/11/1927.

12•.R.A. Dallent 'Chancellors of the University of Sydney', Journal of the Roval Australian Historical

SocIety, Vol. XIx, 1934, pp. 227 - 228.

13. Australian Encvclopaedia, Vol. 11, The 6rolier Society, Sydney, 1963.

14.' Senate Minutes, University Of Sydney, 1904.

15. Senate Minutes, University Of Sydney, March 4~ 1907.

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2.5 Chelli. House

Fig. 4. Martin Place, C. 1901. The site of Challis Houseis clearly visible in the right mid ground. The areapresented as a prime site amidst the impressivebuildings established in the vicinity. (Source: MitchellLibrary)

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The University Senate was concerned to invest part of the bequestin such a way that it would provide a source of revenue to' fundthe educational expansion of the University over a long period oftime. The expected release of the English Assets of the bequestmeant that additional funds would be available for investment.The site at Martin Place had been available for some years andpro~ised to ,be a prestigious location. Furthermore the GovernmentRailways desired suitable premises in the area to house a touristbureau, their previous office, on George Street, having beendemolished to make' way for the street, Martin Place. ChancellorMaGLaurin was particularly keen that the project be undertaken.~~

Negotiation~ with the Railways had 'been essentially completedwhen the Martin Place site was purchased, the decision topurchase the site was ·taken on the basis that a large portion ofthe bUilding was to be taken by tne Government on a long termlease. On December 4, 1905 it was resolved by the Senate to'authorize the purchase of Government land's still unsQld inMartin 'Place, having a frontage of i34ft~~2 7/8in., andextending through to Martin Lane,f at the same meeting it wasalso decided to authorize the erection of byiJ.d1.ngs on the 'siteand to conclude, the lease agreement with the Government.~7

The bUilding was 'to be constructed to suit the Governmentrequirements in accordance with a Memorandum from theUnder-Secretary of Public Works~e and the Government Architect,W. L. Ver.non was to approve th'e plaJ;ls and specifications. TheGovernment was required to tak~ a 31.year lease' from the day ofcompletion. The Senate expected, a net return o£ 4~ per annum onthe total outlay for the project, with an additional 1~ fordepreciation and a sinking tunQ.~~ Plans for the bUilding by theGovernment Architect, Vernon, ~nd alternative elevations preparedby Messers Robertson and Marks·were submitted to the Senate inMarch of 1906 and were -generally approved. Tenders were calledand in May 1906 a tender by Messers. McLeod Bros for 49,957Pounds with an alternative of 49,777 Pounds was accepted by theSenate on the recommendation of the Finance' Committee.~o OnDecember 3, 1906 the recommendation of the University FinanceCommittee to name the bUilding~under construction in Martin Place'The Challis House~ was adopted by the Senate.

Construction of Challis House commenced July 2, 1906 andcontinued through most of 1907, under the supervision of Messers.Robertson and Marks with W.L. Vernon, ~overnment Architect. The

16•.C.B. MackerrasL.:Sir Henry Norland Ma~aurin, 1835 - 1914', Journal of the Royal Australian HistoricalSocIety, Vol. 54, 1~. pp.26:) - 282. passu••

17. Senate Minutes, University Of Sydney, DeceMber 4, 1905.

18. ibid.

19. Senate Minutes, University Of Sydney, NoveMber 6, 1905.

20. Senate Minutes, University Of Sydney, May 25, 1906.

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brick and stone structure had a steel frame with ash concrete

floors. The £ootings extended to the sandstone bedrock, some 10

feet below the bricked Tank Stream sewer, which 'had to be

suspended, shored and strutted, and cased in with concrete~. The

facade 'to Martin Place was 135 feet high and the ground floor

facade was quarry-faced £reestone with a base o£ quarry-faced

trachyte Mhich had a polished and moulded base course. Frank

McLeod wrote in 1908 that the reinforced concrete floors were a

particularly interesting feature of the building; the main

girders were rolled steel beams, approximately 17 feet apart and

were supported by steel stanchions at intervals of about 14 feet.

By steel cradling the bearings, spans were reduced to 15 feet,

producing the widest clear span attempted in Sydney at that time.

Messrs. Robertson and Marks had first used this method in the

south wing o£ Sydney Hospital. The method required extreme care

in centring the floor, a miscalcUlation could result in the floor

sagging and a weakening o£ the building.Q~ The elevators were

enclosed with brick'walls and the floors were laid with narrow

hard wood boards. Thw building was reported to have been

constructed .on the site o£ a 'number o£ venerable ramshackle

structures, which were removed to forma'noble·avenue~.QQ

Construction was completed by November, 1907. Q3

An article in the Sydney Morning Herald o£ April 26, 1906

described the proposed building as having:

••• towering gables ••• a green slate roof, in dressed

stone with a moulded string course and a base o£

polished trachyte. An arcade on the eastern half will be

supported by columns o£ this splendid Australian stone,

which will be employed in the large ground floor windows

in the western half ••• Internally, ••• The main

entrance will be lined and floored with New South Wales

marble, and will have swing doors and screens in cedar,

with repousse copper panels and bevelled plate glass.

The staircases - irrespective o£ two lifts which will

give access to all parts o£ the bUilding - will be in

marble, with wrought iron balusters. The basement will

be used as a central railways parcels office, the lower

ground floor as a central booking office, the upper

ground floor ~a a tourist bureau ~nd for agricultural

display, the first floor as a Lands information office

and intelligence department, and the western half and

other parts o£ the great building for general purposes.

21. F. McLeod, 'Systel1S in Building. No. 1. - TI£ BUILDING OF CHAUIS HOUSE, Martin Place, Sydney', Building.

1908, pp. 21 - 22.

22. 'The Architect', SepteMber 4, 1908, cited in F Scibberas, ~rtin PlaCe, Unpublished B. Arch thesis,

U. N. S. W., p.35.

23. Senate Minutes, University Of Sydney, DeceIlber 2, 1907.

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Fiq. 6. ChAllif\ HOuAe, near compl~tion, 1'307.(Source: McLeod Bro A , IJ).__~at,t:'at_lorlA __oL_ButldJ_nq~_, Sydney,

MitchelJ LibrAry)

)oilll ,11', /.. /'FN.\"O.\", (;v,'I, ,/,''/111(,1,

, Il'dlil(, 15 \ Xo!.' t,,!I' 1,)( >.\" 0' ,1/,/ N A'S,THE CHALLIS HOUSE,MARTIN PLACE.

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On December 2, 1907 it was resolved by the Senate to aake a newleasing agreement with the Government on the £ollowingconditions:

••• the Government shall lease £rom the 1st o£ Novemberthe £ollowing portions o£' the Eastern hal£ o£ ChallisHouse, £or a period o£ thirty-one years, viz., theSub-basement; the Basement; the Ground £loor; the First£loor, including the rooa over the entrance; the Fi£th£loor, including the room over the entrance; three roomson the Eighth £loor; at an annual rental, payablequarterly, o£ 2400 per annum, together with an annualsum o£ 100 per annum as a contribution towards the costo£ Insurance and general expenses o£ the building, theGovernment paying its own expenses £or cleaning thebasement and sub-basement and all cost o£ lighting £orall the rented premises as well as the cost o£ powerand maintenance o£ the two goods li£ts, the o££icecleaning o£ the rented premises, except the basement andSub-Basement, to be carried out by the University Sta££o£ cleaners ••• Q4

In 1912 an additional room was erected £or the car~taker at acost o£ 89.Q~ In 1916 Raine & Horne were appointed the managingagents. By 1925 Challis House was a dated building~ not up tomodern standards. Q • The Report o£ the Senate o£ the University o£Sydney £or the year ended 31st December, 1926 revealed that therental income £or the year £rom Challis House had been8,346;1;6. By 1927 the question o£ remodelling Challie House wasunder serious consideration. A report by Messers. Robertson andMarks (architects) concluded that:

It seems impossible to suggest any improvementsexcepting those which would be £ar too expensive to showthe University an adequate return on the outlay.Q7

24. ibid.

25. Senate MiTlutes, University Of Sydney, septeMber 2, 1912.

26. Sydney University Archives, General File - Challis House, Raine & Horne in a letter to the Vice~ancellor, 23/11/35" ,

27. Sydney University Archives, General File - Challis House. Cited by Raine & Horne in a letter to theRegistrar, 21/2/29.

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: 7G~2 SYDNEY: WILLIAM "PPLEGATE GULLICK. GOVERNMENT PRINTER-OCT•. 1911.

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for Visitors to. I

N[\V SOlJTII WI\LrS

1IJlllligration and Tourist

DAILY SUMMER PROGRAMME

TEL. CITY 2488.

Fig. 7. The cover o£ a 1911 publicity pa.phlet £ro. theGovern.ant Tourist Bureau. The activities o£ the varioustourist and travel organisations located in Challi.House, have .ade it a bUilding with which _anyAustralians have very positive associations. (Source:Hitchell Library.)

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Fig. 8. Martin Place, showing a £estooned Challis House,Allies Day, 19 Noveaber 1915. (A water colour sketch byG. McRae, Source: Mitchell Library)

Martin.Place was £requently the £ocus o£ National celebrations.It was expected that Challis House would be decorated inuni£oraity with other buildings in the area on public occasions.On the visit o£ the United States Fleet in 1908, the Senate votedto spend a sum not exceeding 50 Pounds on decorations to mark theevent. IOtA

28. Senate Minutes, University Of Sydney, July 6, 1908.

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Fig. 9. Challis House in the le£t mid ground, 1920.(Source: Mitchell Library)

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In 1929 the Senate called £or a report £rom their agents on the'question o£ realisation~ o£ Challis House. At this timeaccoaaodation in the City was in excess o£ deaand, with olderbuildings being increasingly di££icult to let. At this timeincreases in City, Water and ~ewerag~ rates were expected. In theopinion o£ Raine & Horne:

The present alevators are not adequate or su££iciently£ast to deal expeditiously with the tra££ic in thebuilding, and serious conaideration will require to begiven to this question at an early date in order to keepthe upper £loor space tenanted ••• The existing lease tothe Railways Commissioners having about 10 years to runat an inadequate rental £or the space occupied, is ade£inite disability.~~

Despite concluding that Challis House would not present as anattractive investment to purchasers, Raine & Horne recomMendedthat Challis House be put on the market £or sale. In 1930 TheUnimproved Capital Value placed on the prpperty by the CityCouncil was raised, as expected, £roR 100,679 Pounds to 134,240Pounds. A Notice o£ Objection succeeded in having the assessmentreduced to 120,600 Pounds.~o The Acting Registrar considered thisreduced assess~ent to be excessive and instructed Raine & H~rne

to lodge" a £urther appeal.~~

In July 1930 a petit~on was received £rom tenants in ChallisHouse £or a rent reduction due to the slump in business as aresult o£ the depression. The petitioners included Austral-MalayLtd; Millaquin Sugar Co. Ltd; Church o£ England Homes; Magnavox(Australia) Ltd; Australian National Airways; as well asindividuals in pro£essional practises. In a letter to Raine &Horne the petitioners noted that more up-to-date buildings in thearea had lower rentals and that a reduction 33 1/3~

retrospective £roa July 1 and £or the duration o£ the depressionwas required £or the building to remain tenanted.~~ An inquiryrevealed that the 38 tenants who signed the petition represented70~ o£ those in occupation and that 16 o££ices were vacant. Raine~ Horne recomMended a rent reduction, ' ••• any reasonableinducement to continue in occupation'.~~ A reduction o£ between

29. ibid.

30. Sydney University Archives, General File - Challis House. Raine & Horne in a letter to the Registrar,19/6/30. "

31. Sydney University Archives, General File - Challis House. Acting Registrar in a letter to Raine I Horne,717/:;0.

32. Sydney University Archives, General File - Challis House. Tenants petition and letter to Raine & Horne,WI7/3O.

33. Sydney University Archives, General File - Challis House. Raine & Horne in a letter to the Registrar,30/8/30.

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By 1932 the £igures were reduced to:

10~ - 20~ was authorised £or a period o£ 6 months.3~

14122: 10: 010017: 1: 34051: 8: 93 ""'

17756: 10: '010166: 15: 07589: 15: 03Z

ReceiptsDisbursementsNet Pro£it

ReceiptsDisbursementsNet Pro£it

34. Sydney University Archives, General File - Challis House. Vice ChanceHor in a letter to Raine & Horne,10/9/30.

35. Sydney University ArchiVes, General File - Challis House.

36. Sydney University ArchiVes, General File - Challis House, Estiuted Receipts and DisbursellEmts for theYear 1932. All figures expressed in Pounds.

37. Sydney University Arl:bives, General File - Chall is House, letter of 2717/32.. .

38. 'Challis House, Sydney, Reconstruction and Re.oo~lling', Building. February 24, 1938, p. 23.

39. Sydney University ArchiVes, General File - Challis House.

In 1935 the deciaion was taken to reconstruct Challis House.Structural de£ects in the £looring and an inadequate rentalreturn precipitated the decision. It was £ound that therein£orced expanding metal in the concrete £loors was carryingthe concrete, rather than assisting the concrete to take up thetensile stress. To add to the proble~ it wa~ £ound thatsulphurous acid in the ash concrete was corroding the metallathing. It was decided to virtually rebuild Challis House. 3AHennessy end Hennessy were appointed as architects and Raine &Horne were terminated as agents ~n July 1936.3~ In August 1936the annual rental income received £rom .the ~ail.ways Department

In July 1932 the Registrar was able to convey to Messers Gregg,Robinson & Co., Estate Agents, that the ' ••• Finance COMmittee iswilling to consider any o££er £or the purchase o£ Challis House••• ~.37 The City rate assessment o£ the Uni~proved Capital Valuehad been reduced £rom 82,177 Pounds to 80,550 Pounds re£lectingthe depressed econo.ic circumstances. Despite the poor return,the building re.ained in the hands o£ the University, with its£uture £requently under review. It would appear that noreasonable o££er was received; by this time the building requiredsubstantial remodelling, involving major structural changes toenable it to compete in the City rental market. It is likely thatde£ects in the concrete £looring would have become known. Themajor asset o£ Challis House would appear to have been itsposition on Martin Place.

The ~stirnated Receipts and Disbursements £or the Year 1931 were:

£or the,Lower Ground Floor was 3,000 Pounds; the SuperannuationBoard paid 1,200 Pounds £or the First Floor; and the TouristBureau rented a portion o£ the Ground Floor and a portion o£ theFi£th Floor £or 880 Pounds. The capital value o£ the property wasestimated to be 295,000 Pounds; an estimated net return o£ 25,703Pounds was expected, based on'a rental o£ 8/- per square £oot £orthe remodelled building by the buildings new agent C. Rorke. 40The upper portions o£ the building (to the 6th '£loor on MartinPlace and the 7th £loor level on Angel Place) were removed. Theheight o£ the building was increased to one hundred and £i£ty£eet, providing an additional'£our £loors. This required thestrengthening o£ the £ootings and walls. The entire structural£ramework o£ the old building was reMoved and replaced withstructural steel columns, beams and rein£orced concrete £loors.The new steel columns were anchored to the old walls'with steelbolts. The original external stone walls were le£t carrying onlythere own weight to the sixth £loor at the £ront and the seventhat the rear. All ex~ernal walls above this height were carried bythe steel columns as were the internal walls and the newstructural £loor.4~

The central oriel window on the elevation to Martin Place wasremoved to provide additional light to the new o££ices and manyo£ the moulded string courses were removed. The.lo~er walls werere£acied with sandstone to bring out the building l~ne. A redgranite base course £inished the £ootpath level. The originalprominent trachyte columns were'encased with concrete andrein£orced with steel to provide support £or the superstructureabove .........

In the new bUilding the basement contained the electrical andmechanical services £or the building; the lower ground £loor wasoccupied by the Railway Booking O££icQ; the ground £loor housedvarious tourist organisations; the eleven £loors above ground£loor level were devoted to o££icea. The lower ground and ground£loors could be accessed via Martin Place and Angel Place. Theo££ice suites were paved with Tasaanian oak and t~e corridorswere laid with Dunlop Perdriau Rubber. Two high-speed gearlesstraction, Way-good Otis, elevators serviced the building. The~our extre £loors provided over 20,000 square £eet o£ ,additionalrental space. 43 Th~ cost associated w'i th this reconst.ructi.o.n wa~

approxiaately 90,000 Pounds ......4

40. Sydney University Archives, General File - Challis House, C. Rorke in a letter to the Vice Chancellor,25/8/36.

41. 'Challis House, Sydney, Reconstruction and RetIOdelling', loc. cit.

42. ibid., pp. 23 - 24.

43. ibid., p. 24.

44. Sydney City Council Plan ROOM, Building Application.

22

r --

..!

••••••c,~c.···.i 15-'

•./ ...•.".-.....

".

Fig. 13. The remodelled Challis House, c. 1938. (Source:A.G. Wilson'Reconstruction and Remodelling o£ ChallisHouse, Remodelled', Cq~struc~onal Review, c. 1938,pamphlet in Stanton Library)

25

Because of' its association with the tourism industry, ChallisHouse was a building that was well known and widely used, notonly by the population o£ Sydney, by country people and overseasvisitors. In the late 1930s it was described as a 'rendezvous fortravellers from all parts o£ the world.~~~ During the SecondWorld War the General File on' Challis House indicates that areinforced brick air raid shelter capable o£ accomModating 430persons was to be built on the fifth floor. The Universityreceived a demand from the City Building Surveyor that work becompleted before the October 31, 1942. It is not known i£ thiswork was done or where the shelter was eventually located. TheAir Raid Precautions also required that plate glass protection beprovided, particularly at the rear o£ the building. This wasprovided and removed after the War.~~

In 1949 Challis House was to be insured for 270,000 Pounds~7 andin 1950 Raine & Horne were reinstated as managing agents. At thistime there were many applications for rental space in ChallisHouse and the building was fully tenanted.

YEAR NET RENTAL BOOK VALUE ~ RETURN

1942 15,142:5:4 272,220 5.5621949 14,852:18:3 ?-72,220 5.4561950 17,230:10:3 272,220 6.3291951 17,550;1:3 272,220 6.447~a

The annual rental incoae froa.Challis House in 1952 was43,558:15:11 Pounds, tenants included the N.S.W. GovernmentRailways; the Tasaanian Government Tourist Bureau; the N.S.W.Government Tourist Bureau; Australian National Airways; the StateSuperannuation Board; the Australian Blue Metal Company; PioneerTourist Coaches; Fidelity Insurance and Ready Mixed Concrete.~g

In 1953 the £estooning o£ Challis House for Coronation Week, inaccordance with City reqUirements, was undertaken. The decorationand illumination o£ the building was to consist of the erectiono£ nine temporary flagstaffs from the window sills 'on the firstlevel flying 3 yar~ national £lagao£ the &ritish Commonwealth ata cost o£ 67:10:00 Pounds; and red, white and blue electric

!i5. A.G. Wilson, 'Reconstruction And ReModelling Of Challis House', Constructional Review,'c.1938, a paMphletin the architecture file of Stanton Library.

46. Sydney University Archives, General File - Challis House, 1942.

47. Sydney University Archives, General File - Challis House, C. Rorke (Agent) in a letter to the UniversityAccountant, J.C. Bongers, 19/1149.

48. Sydney University Archives, General File - Challis House.

49. Sydney University ArchiVes, General File - Challis House, 1952.

26

laMps spaced at 18 inch intervals over the saMe area at a cost o£12:10:00 Pounds.~o By this time Martin Place had a strong civicand cereMonial tradition regularly rein£orced by the Anzac Dayma~ches and services, public cereaonies associated with royal'visits and the celebrations at the end o£ both world wars.~1 InJuly 1953 the unimproved capital value o£ the property wasassessed to be 134,250 Pounds; the improved capital value,400,000 Pounds; and the assessed annual value 20,000 pounds.Complaints £rom tenants regarding the plumbing and the inadequacyo£ the li£t service were received in 1953 and it began to appearthat the bUilding was in need o£ aaintenance.~Q In July 1954 theUniversity agreed to reimburse Tena~ts £or the cost o£ materialsused in the renovation of the o££ices. By July 1955 the rubber£looring was in bad repair, tenants were to pay hal£ the cost o£repairs.~3 The Department o£ the N.S.W. Valuer General assessedan unimproved capital value on Challis House o£ 248,367 Pounds;an improved value o£ 600,000 Pounds; and an annual value o£30,000 Pounds. On appeal the valuations were reduced to' 234,500Pounds; 585,000 Pounds; and 29,000 Pounds respectively. Raine &Horne had assessed the value o£ Challis House in March, 1956 asbeing 470,000 Pounds.~4

The Statement o£ Income and Expenditure £or vear ended 31/12/1961revealed an income o£ 65,595:8:7 Pounds; expenditure o£37,998:3:2 Pounds; leaving a net income o£ 27,597:5: Pounds. By1962 complaints £roM tenants regarding the condition o£ thebuilding had intensi£ied, in August a Dr. Bastian re£erred to thewalls as being £ilthy and requiring painting and describedChallis House as ' ••• a poor tired old bUilding.~ A Dapartmsnt o£Labour and Industry Report on the li£ts indicated thatmaintenance and repairs were required. A report by Raine & Horneon the condition o£ the bUilding revealed that windows werea££ected by dry rot, needed painting and that the sills andlintels were £retting;, in the toilets the washbasins were crackedand unhygienic, the £loors and wood work needed renewing andpainting was required; the corridors, landings and stairs neededgeneral renovation and painting; the vestibule entrance wasshabby and needed cleaning; the li£t cages needed renovation andthe exterior was cracked in places, the western 'wall was leakingand previously painted sur£aces needed repainting. Tenders werecalled £or repairs. Net. income rose in 1962 to 35,633-:15:3Pounds.== In January o£ 1963 Dr. Bastian expressed his concern to

,50. Sydney'University Archives, General File - Challis House, 1953., .

51. Gazzard and Partners, Civic Design StUdy Of Martin Place, June 1984, p.17.

52. Sydney 'University Archives, General File -'Challis House, 1953.

53. ibid., 1953 and 1954.

54. ibid., 1956.

55•. ibid., 1962.

27

~------==

the Vice Chancellor about the deterioration o£ the building;uncooperative agents; the likelihood o£ panes £alling £romwindows and the £act that the li£t drivers did not wear uni£orms.At the end o£ May a tender o£ 4,171 Pounds was accepted to e££ectthe necessary repairs. It would appear that Maintenance hadbecome an on-going probl••• In 1966 complaints £rom tenantsregarding the condition o£ the toilets and the li£t serviceresumed.~-

By the late 1960s redevelopMent o£ the site was once again underserious consideration. In July 1967 a Development Application wasapproved £or the construction o£ a bUilding 179 £eet high on thesite, however the proposal was not proceeded with, presuMablybecause o£ uncertainty regarding developments in Martin Plase andthe o££er, in November 1967, by the Colonial Mutual Li£eAssurance Society o£ S2,000,000 £or Challis House. An o££er wasalso received £rom the Hooker corporation who proposed thedemolition o£ Challis House and the construction o£ a shoppingmall similar to Australia Square. The University called £or areport on Challis House £rom Raine & Horne to ascertain the moatbene£icial options £or the £uture o£ the site. The options underconsideration were whether to retain Challis House or sell andreinvest in real estate, whether to grant a ground lease on thesite or whether to join a consortiuM to develop the site. Thereport £rom Raine & Horne recommended the retention o£ ChallisHouse by the University on the b~sis that it was a structurallysound building in one o£ the best locations in the city andthere£ore a good inv~stment. Net inCOMe in 1968 was approximatelyS150,000, however many tenants were paying controlled rentslzbetween Sl.60 and Sl.83 per square £oot per annUM. The currentmarket rental'was up to $4.50 per square £oot p~r annum. Anapplication to the Minister o£ Justice to have a 'number o£tenants declared 'wealthy# was likely to improve rental income.The building waa popular, £ully tenanted and had an estimatedeconoMic li£e o£ between 25 years and 30 years. Reinvestments o£proceeds £roM the sale o£ Challis House were unlikely to bring asgood a return as the Martin Place location.~7

56. ibid., 1963 - 1966.

57. Sydney University Archives, Group 3, Series 185, File 12/254, letter froll Raine & Horne to the AssistantPrincipal.

28

I f

..

.-I -

I•;-_If'

J

III

YEAR INCOME EXPENDITURE SURPLUS

1963 $185,000 $63,000 $102,0001964 $198,000 $86,000 $112,0001965 $210,000 $83,000 $118,0001966 $216,000 $84,000 $122,0001967 $228,000 $99,000 $129,0001968 $246,000 $95,000 $151,0001969 $286,000 $100,000 $186,0001970 $322,000 $105,000 $21'7,000

Fig. 15. In April 1969 the Univeraity accountantrecommended, on the basis o£ the above £igures, that theUniversity accept the o££er o£ the Colonial Mutual Li£eAssurance Society Limited o£ $2,000,000 £or ChallisHouse.:5'"

The closure o£ Martin Place to tra££ic was considered to be athreat to the commercial value o£ the property, particularly i£it inhibited redevelopment options and access. In May 1970 theDeputy Principal o£ Sydney University wrote to the Minister £orLands to object strongly to the proposal.:5~ In 1973, a£terseveral years o£ considering various proposals, a major .redevelopment o£ Challis House undar the supervision o£Emund-Dykes, Coward and Chaplin 'was commissioned by theUniversity. The building was internally gutted except £or theelevators and £ire stairs. Air conditioning was installed and ashopping arcade established in the £oraer railway ticket o££ices£ronting the plaza with a restaurant below the arcade. QO Buildingapplications £rom this period suggest a £igure o£ approximately$360,000 as the cost o£ the re£urbish.ent.Q~

Many Australians have had an association with Challis Houseeither in its capacity as a travel centre or as a witness to themany ceremonies and celebration. that have occurred in MartinPlace. Challis House has undergone major structural changes sinceconstruction in 1907, consequently the cultural and historicalsigni£icance o£ Challis House is reliant on its position inMartin Place, dire~tly opposite the G.p.a., and its longassociation with the travel and tourist industries~

58. Sydney University Archives, Group 3, Series 185, File 12/254, University accountant to the DeputyPrincipal, 9/4/69.

59. Sydney University Archives, Group 3, Series 185, File 12/253.

60'. Scibberas, op. cit., pp. 98 - 99.

61. Sydney City Council Plan ROOI.

30

I

•l""~"" _

I •

, -...~

~.6 Bibliography

Australian Dictionary o£ Biography, Vol. 3., M.U.P., Melbourne,1978.

Australian Encyclopaedia, Vol. 11, The Grolier Society, Sydney,1963.

Campbell, J.F., 'The Valley o£ the Tank Stream', Journal o£ theRoyal Australian Historical Society, Vol. 10, 1925, pp. 63 - 103.

'Challis House, Sydney, Reconstruction and ReModelling',Building, February 24, 1938, pp. 22 - 27.

R.A. Dallen, 'Chancellors o£ the University o£ Sydney', Journalo£ the Royal Australian Historical Society, Vol.XIX, 1934, pp.209 - 238.

Gazzard and Partners, Civic Design Study O£ Martin Place, June1984.

H.Holt, An Energetic Colonist, The Hawthorn Press, Melbourne,1972.

M. Kally and R. Crocker, Sydney Takes Shape, Doak Press inassociation with the Macleay Museua, The University o£ Sydney,1978.

W. Lee, 'Martin Place, Sydney', Journal o£ the Royal AustralianHistorical Society, Vol. XIII, 1927, pp. 1 - 20.

C.B. Mackerras, 'Sir Henry Nor.and MacLaurin, 1835 - 1914',Journal o£ the Royal Australian Historical Society, Vol.54,1968,pp. 265 - 282.

F. McLeod, 'Systems in Building. No. 1.- THE BUILDING OF CHALLISHOUSE, Martin Place, Sydney', Building, 1908, pp. 20 - 22 •

McLeQd BrQ~, Illustrations o£ Buildings, Syd.ney, .n.d., MitchellLibrary

G. Rowe, Martin Place 1864 - 1935, unpublished dissertation £orthe bachelor o£ Architecture Degree, University o£ N.S.W.

Scibberas, F., Martin Place, Unpublished B.Arch thesis, U.N.S.W.

Senate Minutes, University O£ Sydney, 1904.

Senate Minutes, University O£ Sydney, 1905.

Senate Minutes, University O£ Sydney, 1906.

31

Senate Minutes, University O£ Sydney, 1907 •.

Senate Minutes, University O£ Sydney, 1908.

Senate Minutes, University O£ Sydney, 1912.

Sydney City Council Plan Room, Bu~lding Application File.

Sydney University Archives, General File - Challis House.

Sydney University Archives, Group 3, Series 185, File 12/253.

Sydney University Archives, Group 3, Series 185, File 12/254.

Sydney Morning Herald, 26/4/06.

Sydney Morning Herald, 2/11/1927.

Tesdor£, N., 'Martin Place, an historical perspective~,

Architecture ~n Australia, Dec~Mber 1970, pp. 874 - 878.

A.G. Wilson, 'Reconstruction And Remodelling O£ Challis House~,

Constructional Review, c.1938. A paaphlet in the architecture£ile o£ Stanton Library.

Maps and Plans

Hennessy & Hennessy, Architectual drawings £or Challis House,1936. Source: Sydney City Council Plan Room.

Hunt and Stevens, Map o£ the City o£ Sydney, 1868. Source:Mitchell Library.

Map o£ the City o£ Sydney New South Wales, 1856. Source: NewSouth Wales State Archives, A.O. Map No. 36.

Plan o£ the Town o£ Sydney, c.1825. Source: The N.S.W. State.Archives, A.• O. Map N.o. 6243.

Plan o£ the proposed site o£ Post O££ice Street (untitled).Source: The N.S.W. State Archives, A.O. Map No. 2027.

Plan o£ the site o£ Post O££ice Street, (untitled) c.1884.Source: New South Wales State Archives, A.O. Map No. 2028.

Plan o£ the City o£ Sydney, 1888. Source: New South Wales StateArchives, A.O. Map No. 1073.

Vernon, W.L., Architectual drawings o£ Challis House, 1906 ­1907. Source: Department o£ Public Works Plan Room.

32

~ .~ __ --:-:::..---:-_--------~=========~--iOiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiilJ

33

3.1 Site location

Allotment 33.2.1

The history o£ the occupation o£ this area in the 19th century isdrawn largely £rom detailed surveys drawn in 1834, 1856, 1865 and1880 and also upon Joseph Fowles' illustrations o£ Sydney in1848. Copies o£ these surveys and illustrations are provided inAppendix 2 and should be used £or re£erence throughout the£ollowing text. The site o£ Challis House is also marked on theseplans.

3.2 Site Occupation - Pre Challis House

3.0 ARCHAEOLOGICAL ASSESSMENT

The site occupied by Challis House, on the north side o£ thepresent Martin Place, comprises parts o£ allotments 3, 4, 20 and21 o£ the original subdivision o£ this city block, Sydney Section37, land grants £or which were issued in the 1830s.-~ A£terresuMption by the Government £or the £ormation o£ an open area tothe north o£ the General Post O££ice, that part o£ the land whichwas not required £or the £orMation o£ Martin Place was £urthersubdivided into. sale lots, o£ which Challis House occupies Lots4, 5, 6,7, and 8~-~

Allotment 3, a large blo~k comprising la 2r 31p, on the GeorgeStreet £rontage o£ Section 37, was granted to James Chisholm in1835, by which time there was an extensive range o£ buildings onthe site. Robert Russell's survey carried out in 1834 £or thepurposes o£ issuing grants £or this section o£ Sydney includesnot only the boundaries o£ the grants but also the outlines o£the main buildings erected on the land, providing the £irstdetailed building survey £or the area.-4 Like all o£ the grantsin this part o£ the block, the Tank StreaM £ormed one o£ itsboundaries. According to Russell's survey there was a bUildingwith a verandah on. the southern part o£ this allotment, set bacK£rom the George Street £rontage, but no bUildings behind near theeastern boundary o£ the allotment £orMed py the Tank Stream. By1848 much o£ ChisholM'S holding appears to have been redeveloped

. with a range o£ comaercial premises. Two £our-storey cOMbinedshops and dwellings, one occupied by T. Peate and called Salopian

62. New South Wales GovernMent Gazette 17 ileceIIber 1834 pp 882-884. .63. Land Titles Office, Certificate of Title Vol. 1853 Fol. 215

64. Lands Departllent, Sydney Section 37 Surveyor Robert Russell 23 July 1834 <Transparency held in Map Salessection of the Lands Departllent

34

Allot~ent 4, an area of lr lp, with a frontage to George Street,

is noted aa supposed to have been granted to Hugh MacDonald in

18197Q _ but the grant was re-issued to Stephen ThoMas MacDonald

in the 1830s. 73 In 1834 the site was occupied by a building with

a frontage to George Street, but set back slightly frOM the

building line, with a range of outbUildings running at right

FOl'Iles

Allnt:.J!I,ent 4

66. Archives Office of Nl¥ South Wales Map Nos. 5717 - 5719 Sydney Section D, 1856

67. Archives Office of New South Wales Trigonolletric Survey of Sydney 1865 SeciionD2

68. Sands' Sydney Directories for 1857 and 1858-1859

69. H. Percy Dove CoIIercial and INrf Directory of Sydney (1880)

70. Sands' Sydney Directories

71. H. Percy Dove e<.ercial and Imrf Direct~ of Sy~ (1880) and Mitchell Library Map Z~ 811.1723 I

1002 I 1 Hardie & BOffin sale Plan of the Chi 01. EstateUfor sale on It Decelber 1002

'72. Lands Depart.ent, Certificate of Title Vol. 1853 Fol. 215

73. New South Wales Gover1llellt Gazette 17 Decetlber lSM pp 882-884

House, are' ~hown in Fowles~ illustration of this part o£George

Street in 1848.~~ Detailed surveys of the buildings in this city

section in 1856~~ and 1865~7 indicate that these shops and

dwellings were built of brick with a smaller range o£ brick

bUilding~ behind at right angles to the Main shops, along the

southern boundary of the allot~ent and a stone bUilding at the

back, on the banks of the Tank Stream. There would also appear to

be a wooden structure built across the Tank Strea~. The brick

outbuildings along the southern boundary of the site appear to

have been enlarged between 1856 and 1865. By the later 1850s

these preMiaes were occupied by the firm of Prince, Bray & Ogg

and in 1858 were numbered 372 - 374 George Street.~Q The space

between these buildings and the next preMises to the north

provided access between George Street and Pitt Street and was

known as Mort~s Passage. It would appear that it was these shops

and dwellings, as illustrated in 1848, and their associated out

bUildings which continued in use on the site, until the area was

resumed by the Government in 1889.~~ That part of the allotment

which forms a part of the Challis House site was occupied by the

stone building constructed along the side of the Tank Stream,

part of the wooden structure over the Tank StreaM and part of

'the brick outbUildings behind the Main shops. Prince, Bray & Ogg,

later Prince, 099 & Company, were in continuous occupation of the

bUildings from the 1850s to the 1880s. 70 Their business was as

warehousemen and importers and they also had premises in the '

allotments behind their George Street shops in Pitt Street, the

various establishments being connected via Mort~s Passage. 7i

I '

35

angles to the main building along the southern boundary o£ theproperty and with another bUilding parallel to the £ront, builtalong the edge o£ the Tank Stream. 74 Fowles' illustration in 1848shows a handsome two storey building with a single storeyprojecting shop £rontage with columns and large displaywindows.7~ It is possible that this was a new building, replacingthat shown by Russell in 1834. Plans o£ the site in 1856 and 1865show the main shop as o£ brick with a brick outbuilding on thenorthern boundary o£ the allotment and two stone outbuildings,one along the Tank Stream and the other at the south-easterncorner o£ the site. Some additional in-£illing o£ the siteappears to have taken place between 1856 and 1865 including theconstruction o£ wooden'structures across the Tank Stream, likethat on Allotment 3. Occupants o£ the premises in 1848 were the£irm o£ Lark & Bennett,7~ later Young, Lark & Bennett,warehousemen. They were £ollowed as occupants by the drapery £irmo£ Giles, Francis & Company, later Thompson & Giles, drapers.Like their neighbours, Prince Ogg & Company, Thompson & Gilescontinued in occupation o£ the premises until resumption by theGovernment in 1889 and also occupied buildings behind their ownin Pitt Street with access £rom their George Street preaises. Thearea o£ the allotMent later occupied by Challis House comprisespart o£ the stone building built beside the Tank Stream,andincludes the wooden buildings across the Stream.

Allotment .20, an axes o£ 36p, with a £rontage to Pitt Street onthe east and bounded by the Tank Stream on the west, was grantedto Samuel Lyons, the. auctioneer in 1839. Like many othergrantees, however, Lyons had been in occupation o£ the site £orsome time be£ore the legal £orMalities were £inalised. A buildingon Pitt Street and a more suhatantial building behind it on thenorthern boundary o£ the allotaent are shown by Russell in1834. 77 The building on the Pitt Street £rontage was replaced in18357 & by a handsome three storey brick structure with acarriageway entrance through the building to the area behind. Acomparison o£ the various survey plans available suggests thatthe large brick bUilding behind the preMises on the street£rontage, as shown,in 1834, was~etained when the new bUildingwas constructed in 1835 and continued in use until the land wasresumed. 7w By 1856 additional brick buildings had been

74. Lands Departlllftt, Sydney Section 37 by Robert Russell (1834)

75. SYdney in 1848 by Joseph Fowles .<1962) PI. 22(A) 3

76. Sydney in 1848 by Joseph Fowles (1962) p 92 Annotations to the plates

TI. Lands Departllent, Sydney Section 37 (1834)

78. Sydney in 1848 OH. By Joseph Fowles (1962) PI.4O(B) 4 & p 94

79.~ Map Nos. 5717-5719 Sydney Section D (1856) and AlJQI Trigonolietric Survey of Sydney 1865, Section D2

Allotment 203.2.3

constructed by the Tank Stream and by 1865 wooden structures overthe Tank Stea. had been built linking this area to Allotment 4 onthe George Street side. The main building on Pitt Street appearsto have been used largely as o££ices by a variety o£ tenants. Thepremises at the back by the Ta~k Streaa boundary were in use inthe 1880s by Thompson & Giles, the drapers in George Street andwere accessible £ro~ their George Street premises. That part o£the site which is included in the land occupied by Challis Housecomprises part o£ the large building behind the premises on thePitt Street £rontage and other outbuildings near the Tank Stream.

Allotment 21

The area in this survey with the longest'known history o£occupation is Allotment 21. This was leased to John Connell in1823QO and was o££icially granted to hia in 1837, but Connell~s

occupation o£ the site was o£ much longer duration. According tohis own evidence it had begun in about 1802.a~ Writing in 1837 here£erred to his lease on the west side o£ Pitt Street as the onewhere there ~is the house I live in these thirty-£ive years~. By1848, when Fowles illustrated Mr. Connell~s cottage,aQ hisoccupation was even more remarkable, £or he had lived there £oralmost £i£ty years and was known as John ~Old~ Connell. Fowles~

illustration shows a si~ple, single-storey cottage with twodoors, similar to others in this part o£ Pitt Street and inmarked contrast to the newer buildings rising around them.Russell~s 1834 plan showa a building behind the cottages on thePitt Street £rontage and this ,may be the 'cottage and preMise6~

re£erred to in a lease in 1848.a~ At this time the premises onPitt Street were nu~bered 282, 284 and 286 and three tenants arelisted, with another tenant in the cottage behind. 64 Johnqonnell~s ownership ended in 1849 and passed to his grandson JohnConnellLaycock.a~ In Septeaber 1851 Thomas Sutcli££e Mort tookout a lease on the property £or 14 years. The lease was not £orthe use o£ John Connell~s cottage but £or premises which were tobe built on the site and o£ which Mort would have the use oncompletion. The builder was John Carney and the architect J. F.Hilly.a- Although not owned by Mort, this building was known asMort~s Chambers or Mort~s Buildings and Mort~a Passage beside it

80. Land Titles Office Prillary Application No. 18

81. ADNSW Col. sec. rei Land 2 I 7830 (Reel 1112) MeMorial of John Connell dated 19 June 1837

82. Sydney in IM8...... by Josellh Fowles (1962) PI. !to(B) It & P 94

83. Land Titles Office Book 15 No. 6ltlt

84. Land Titles Office Book 15 No. 664

85. Land Titles Office, Prillary Application Search Papers, Application No. 18

86. Land Titles Office Book 21 No. 941

36

gave access £rom Pitt Street to George Street. The new buildingwas o£ brick and occupied the whole o£ the allotment up to thewestern boundary at the Tank StreaM. A variety o£ tenantsoccupied this bUilding including, £rom 1875, Prince, Ogg &Company extending their busines~ premises £ro. George Street topitt Street. Q7 The majority o£ that part o£ Challis House east o£the Tank Stream occupies land once a part o£ the back o£ Mort'sBuildings.

3~3 The Tank Stream

A signi£icant natural £eature which dominated the earlysettlement o£ Sydney was the stream o£ water which ran £rom aswampy area to the west o£ the area later designated.Hyde Park(near the present Market Street) north-west and north to draininto Sydney Cove. It was this stream which provided Sydney's£irst water supply and was an important £actor in the choice o£Sydney Cove as the site o£ the £irst settlement. As atopographical £eature it in£luenced the map o£ Sydney £rom theearliest settle.ent and throughout much o£ the 19th century andits line can still be detected in the layout o£ certain streetsto the present time. In Sydney Section 37, the block bounded byHunter, Pitt, King and George streets, as in other city blocksthrough which the streaM ran, the 'stream o£ the tanks' (so namedbecause o£ the tanks excavated near Hunter Street) de£ined theboundaries o£ many o£ the city allotments. Aa the settlement grewthe water in the streaa became polluted by its use £or washingand the discharge £roM privies, drains and noxious trades. By the1830s the stream served as an open sewer rather than as a sourceo£ pure water, although it seems likely that many residents .continued to use it £or SOMe dOMestic. purpose., particularly i£the stream ran through their back yards. It was not however untilthe 1850a that work began in earnest to improve Sydney'ssanitation and not until the 1860. that the Tank Stream opensewer was covered over. In 1866 that portion o£ the Tank Streambetween Hunter Street and King Street was covered in, with somelater works in 1878. Plans £or the 1866 systeM, drawn by EdwardBell the City Engineer, show the line o£ the drain, whicho££icLa.lly be~alRe a sewer, and the £orll o£ the work. In that parto£ the line in the,area now occupied by Challi~ House an ov~£orm

brick drain was constructed, excavated into the naturalsandstone. The'drain was 4£t 5in in height and 3£t wide with agrade o£ about 1 in 60 to the north o£ the present Martin Place.In the construction o£ the brick sewer the level o£ the bottolR o£the drain was cut below the level o£ the bottom o£ the previouslyeXisting natural stream. QQ It is recorded that a part o£ this

87. land Titles Office Certificate of Title Vol. 1 Fol. 60 lease to Henry Prince datid 24 Novetlber 1875,surrendered 19 July 1888. lease to Sir Ill. Anderson Ogg dated 20 July 1888

Ba. Water Board Old Council Plan 114 <U1661 and~ Plan No. 2149 (18661

37

38

Work to cover over the Tank Stream in the 1860s and later wase££e6ted not only as a measure to improve the sanitation o£Sydney but also to allow valuable areas o£ the city to be builtover. From the mid-20th century onwards the amalgamation o£ cityblocka to consolidate land holdings £or the construction o£high-rise buildings has removed many o£ the £eatures o£ the

. original topography o£ Sydney which could be recognised inearlier street alignaents and allotment boundaries, including thecourse o£ the Tank Stream. The considerable excavation needed £orthe £oundations o£ contemporary structures has also involved thediver.ion o£ parts of the Tank Streaa and the destruction o£ mucho£ the 19th century drainage system designed ·to cover in theTank Stream sewer •. Only a £ew sections o£ this work o£ 19thcentury drainage engineering now survive. O£ these the earliestare a large stone channel about 5£t by 10£t built in 1860, o£which a length o£ about 39m survives in Tank Stream Way (£ormerlyHamilton Street) between Hunter Street and Curtin Place, and a

89. J. F. CDpbell I The Valley of the Tank Streill' in the Journal of. the Royal Australian Historical SocietyVol. ,10 (1925) P 97

90. Public Works Departlent Plans Nos. 2815 and 2820

91. Infortlition froll the Water Board Sepiration Branch, Old Council Plan 114 and~ Plan No. 2153 [ndl

Surviving Sections o£ the Tank Streaa3.3.1

work ~etween Hunter and King streets reMained uncovered £or sometime until the construction o£ the General Post O££ice and otherimprovements necessitated that it be covered.Q~ The area re£erredto includes that later occupied by Challis House and MartinPlace. It is not clear i£ that this meant that the sewer was notoriginally built through this part o£ the city, as shown in thei866 plan, or whether the top o£ the sewer was not £ullyback£illed but was visible at the sur£ace. The latter seems themore likely. The 1866 plans show about 4£t o£ £ill over the topo£ the new sewer which would not have been su££icient to raisethe ground to the level o£ the surrounding occupied allotments.When Challis House was constructed in 1906 arrangements were madeto support and shore the line o£ the Tank Stream sewer as thearea around it was excavated £or the deep piers needed £or thenew structure. The position and line o£ the Tank Stream are shownin the original plans £or the building.~o The Tank Stream sewerwas boxed in with concrete within the basement o£ the bUilding.It is not clear i£ there was access to the line o£ the drainwithin Challis House as originally designed. There is no knownaccess to this £eature £rom within the bUilding at present.The £ull separation o£ stormwate~ and sewer lines in this part o£the city was not e££ected until 1937 and was completed in 1940.The sewer connection to the Bondi out£all system runs on the westside o£ the Tank Stream through Challis House. 91 The Tank Streamnow operates as a stormwater drain.

­:~~~r:~

~-•-1'1

, ;',.r-'a.bM.J..~, I .' ,

III,~~- ,~-. .

length o£ about lOOm o£ the brick ovi£orm sewer, 4£t by 2£t 8in,built in 1866 running £rom Martin Place to the rear o£ CommercialUnion House in Pitt Street. Brick ovi£orm drains constructed in1878 su~vive £~om south o£ Empire Lane to Hunter Street (a lengtho£ about 37m), near Bridge Street (a length o£ about 10m) and£rom Bridge Street to Crane Place, a deviation £rom the originalline o£ the Tank Stream, about 172m long. The original tanks arelocated near Hunter Street.~Q The top o£ the ovi£orm drain hasbeen removed in that section which runs across Martin Place toapprOXimately the building line o£ Challis House where, it isassumed, the brick ovi£orm drain retains its original £ormalthough encased in concrete.~3 The original archaeologicalcontext o£ the Tank Stream was probably removed when the levelwas lowered and the streaa channelled in 1866. The archaeologicalcontext o£ the 1866 work was also probably largely removed inexcavating around the £eature £or the building £oundations o£Challis House.

3.4 Features Related to the Formation o£ Martin Place

The new allotments created in the resumption o£ land on the northside o£ the General Post O££ice between George Street and PittStreet were £irst put up £or sale in February 1892, withsubsequent sales in 1899, 1900 and 1906.~4 The sale poster £or 15February 1892 shows details o£ a £eature now incorporated intothe Challis House property but which predates it. This is the#cellar# area underneath the £ootpath o£ Martin Place (as itexisted be£ore Martin Place was paved £or pedestrian access onlyand the £ootpath covered over). The sale poster draws attentionto this #vaulting#, or area o£ cellars which extended £roM GeorgeStreet to Pitt Street beneath the pavement. A cross section isshown o£ a cellar area which extended 9£t 6in to the south o£ thebUilding line with a smaller area 2£t 3in wide with a brickvaulted top #Reserved £or pipes, wires etc.# on the south side,supported by a large #Existing retaining wall#.~~ The date o£this £eature is not known but it is presuaably associated withthe clearance and £orMation o£ Martin Place. The cross ~ection iswell illustrated in the original architectural plans £or ChallisHouse.~~ The use o£ this area is noted in the title deeds ·£orthe property but i~cludes only the space up to a depth o£ 9£t6in£rom the building line and not there£ore (according to themeasureMents given on the 1892 sale plan) the space reserved £or

·92. The Tank StreaJI Water Board Leaflet [ndl

93. InforEtion froll the water Board Separation Branch

94. Land Titles Office 6275 [l] , DP 978696

95. Mitchell Library Subdivision Boxes Sydney 811.1724

96. Public Works Plan No. 2817

39

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: ;, i

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,-

III,. ii

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, I, f:.;.'.:.'.

'pipes, wires etc.'.~7

3.5 The Construction and Re-Construction o£ Challis House

As originally constructed in' 1906 Challis House had a lowerground £loor, used by tenants, in the eastern hal£ o£ thebUilding (below pavement level) with a sub-basement below. Thewest side o£ the building did not have tenanted space belowpavement level, but only a basement area. This division o£ thelower part o£ the building coincides with the line o£ the TankStream sewer which runs immediately to the west o£ the easternlower ground £loor level (as shown in 1906) between the piers o£the bUilding.~a When Challis House was rebuilt in 1936,redesigned and increased in height, the struc~ural £ramework o£the bUilding was completely re~oved and replaced and theappearance o£ the building totally altered. Electrical andmechanical services were then located in the basement. The deptho£ excavation £or the lower ground £loor and sub-basement areasin the original Challis.House was about 25£t below pavementlevel" with excavation to a £urther depth o£ about 15£t £0J; thesupporting piers o£ the bUilding. ·The top o£ the Tank Stream isabout 15£t below ground level.

3.6 Archaeological Potential

Archaeological excavations within the city o£ Sydney in recentyears have shown the potential £or the aurvival o£ archaeologicalremains on a number o£ di££erent types o£ sites on which therehas been little deep excavation £or eXisting structures and on­these sites archaeological deposits have been located close tothe eXisting ground sur£ace. Chal~ia House was however an earlyexample o£ the type o£ 20th century construction which involvesdeep excavation and the creation o£ a substantial area o£ usablespace below ground level. Excavation on this site appears £romthe plans available to have extended to a depth o£ at least 25£toverall and to a depth o£ 40£t £or structural piers. In thesecircuMstances it is Most likely that the construction o£ theexisting building will have removed completely any archaeologicalremains o£ previous occupation on the site and that itsarchaeological potential is there£ore exhausted. The survival o£wells, which are o£ten the only surviving archaeological £eatureson a site because o£ their depth, is also unlikely as the sitehas been excavated to a depth considerably below the bottom o£the original Tank Stream which would presumably have been asu££icient depth at which to reach the water table. The onlyknown surviving £eature' o£ archaeological signi£icance within the----,----

·97. Land Titles Office Certificate of Title Vol. 1853 Fol. 215

98. Public Works Plans Nos. 2815 and 2820

40

site is the Tank Stream, now a stormwater drain. Evidencesuggests that the p~rt o£ the Tank Stream which is containedwithin the building may be the original 1866 brick ovi£orm drain.Surviving examples o£ such drainage works are £ew.

The original Tank Stream and its associated works are signi£icantin a number o£ ways:

1. The Tank Stream has a symbolic signi£icance as it was a majorreason why the site o£ Sydney Cove was chosen £or the £irstEuropean settlement in Australia

. 2. The stream was a major topographical £eature whichin£luenced the £orm o£ the early settlement o£ Sydney andwhich together with its associated works, continued toin£luence the £orm o£ the city in the 19th century

3. The stream was Sydney~s £irst water supply

4. The subsequent pollution o£ the stream was indicative o£ thee££ects o£ settlement on the natural resources o£ the area,the di~inution o£ which had to be countered by substantialworks o£ engineering

5. The drains built in the city in the 1860s and 1870s weresome o£ the £irst substantial drainage engineering worksdesigned to improve the health o£ the inhabitants o£ thecity and their construction re£lects concerns about pUblichealth and the causes o£ 'disease which were current at thetime

6. The continuing use o£ drainage systeas which were built inthe aid 19th century re£lects the quality o£ the originalworks.

7. The capacity o£ these drainage works, adopted £roa exaMpleso£ conteaporary large-scale systems built in Englishindustrial cities, has allowed the continuing developmentand increasing density o£ occupation in Sydney- to thepresent day

8. Exaaples o£ 19th century drainage engineering in Sydney arerare and.are under constant threat £roa large-scaleredevelopMents which need completely new drainage systems

41

l

//

. ~._-Vanous \offices .

\Martin Place

Various

offices

General Post Office

I Prince, Ogg & Co. II II ~

Redrawn from Mitchell Library Map ZM4 811.1723/1882/1;Hardie & Gorman Sale Plan of the Chisholm Estate for sale 4 / 12 / 1882

Railway JBooking Oflir

N

I

t----r--_II

-.-.- '-. -'-.Thompson & Giles

Drapers

Allotment 21

Stone lSS3Wood CS]., .

Brick rzzj

. D (1856)Section57;1.9 Sydney. ONSW Map No.Redrawn from A .

N

11· HouseSite of Cha IS

Allotment 3

-

Svdnev in 1848 ..... , bv Joseph Fowles (1962)George Street Plate 22 (A) 3 Pitt Street Plate 40(B) 4

N

S

Allotment 5

--- -I S~I.""AC."TI "~'t .. &. ...

Allotment 4

Pitt StreetI

Lark & Bennett

George Street

Allotment 21

John Connell's house

Allotment 3

MQrt's Passage

Allotment 20

N

Samuel Lyon's Building

S

\

\

I .

N

"IYft/3 ,',:~I- Allotment 3 '/''----------------.

IW;~ J. Chisholm ,;.' ~i~ //~I , SIte of Challis House I ;/:

-/J/'//// " 1// / //,(/i,':~/,- //. ~\ ~/>~i . ~Allotment 21'\--- i ~: ~i' ~~I -, - - - -. - - - - - - ~ ..:3./1 / J1

-l.L.1 I :/ /~~'~--===----::---~-"_7'_-j\\ John Connell / ~i;/;' Allotment 4 '/ -- \ 'V/ . '- /

! /i "I;/;' ! /' -_/,_. _i., /': -'-, - . ...;,. ·-,- . .l./L,//!' '//L/. / /; S.T.:YlacDonald j ,"7 ' '7 ',~/' / - , ,- -7,-/./' r' ~A1lotm;nt 20> '/ \

-%-,...:.....-/--'o~ ,/ / / 7/7' ,/):~~; :/ / ///: ////'/ / / /

_' Samuel Lyons /'/ I' le -,,,:_:_.'.:.: ;,//~///f ~;,]Llotment 5 \~/;'\1 i~l, /7/: ~la~n Place

'. ' , u. yar/IS i' . //~"",\\\ - '/ ' ~/ /

,.-"- .. - I - // 0/ ;=;/~'. ';'~:.! :// //;1' /// - \,.'1 ,/.

.''\ ': ,/ / I \.'•. ,.~. I Post Offi(. : I. ! (~~I \

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Sydney Section 37 Redrawn from Robert Russell's survey of 1834( Lands Department)