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25 York St

Other Name Marchants Aerated Waters & Cordials Pty Ltd. Location 25 YORK STREET, RICHMOND VIC 3121 - Property No 296605 File Number Y2011:892 Level Rec for HO area indiv sig

[1/1] RICHMOND YORK STREET 25.jpg

Statement of Significance

What is significant?
In York St, the former Marchants building is a major and distinctive design with pylon-like facade elements reminiscent of the nostalgic Egyptian architectural influences of the time (i.e. Temple of Karnak). The RJ Turnbull Hardware manufactory shares the austere red brick character of this building. Marchants Aerated Waters & Cordials Pty Ltd. had been in the area since the late 19th century and were still at this site in the 1950s when they boasted `hop beer, aerated water at all grocers'. Their stables were in an Edwardian-era building backing on to the site in Garfield St. They were a major national company based in Sydney as Marchants Ltd with branches in Melbourne and Brisbane. The firm gave evidence at an enquiry into the factories Act in 1901, stating that their business in Melbourne cost more to distribute than in Sydney because of the relatively compact layout of the latter.

How is it significant?
The building is aesthetically and historically significant (National Estate Register Criteria E1, A4) to Richmond and the City of Yarra.

Why is it significant?
The building is significant:
- as a large well-preserved and distinctive industrial building in the Neo-Egyptian style;
- symbolic of the nationally prominent company Marchants Ltd;
- with the Garfield St building, representative of the transition from horse drawn to motor transport distribution of their products; and
- for its good representation of a key period in Richmond's and the City's industrial history.