An architecture of business: Sydney's office buildings of the 1920s and 1930s

Abstract

This thesis examines the architecture of the tall office buildings erected in Sydney between the middle of the 1920s and the early 1940s. It is predicated on the assumption that these hitherto neglected buildings are of architectural merit and an important part of Sydney’s architectural history, and that their architects, whilst responding to mainly American precedent, were able to produce buildings of individual merit reflecting this local context. The American precedent is examined so that the basis of the precedent is clarified, including detailed analysis of several examples of American office buildings. A description of the historical background of interwar Sydney follows. A broad selection of the buildings erected in interwar Sydney is discussed. This is commenced by an evaluation of their architects, and then followed by a detailed analysis of the buildings. The analysis is divided into three parts, which discuss in turn the buildings’ exteriors, structure and technology and interiors. At the same time a comparison with the American precedent enables the substantiation of the basic premise.