Scott Hamilton & Co.

STATEMENT OF SIGNIFICANCE

The former Scott Hamilton and Company building, 126 Ryrie Street, Geelong, has significance a reasonably intact and distinctive example of the Federation Free style by the Geelong architects, Tombs and Durran. Built in 1911 for Scott Hamilton and Company, ironmongers and importers, the building is a legacy of commercial developments in the Federation period c.1895 - 1915 and appears to be in good condition when viewed from the street.

The former Scott Hamilton and Company building at 126 Ryrie Street is architecturally significant at a LOCAL level. Although altered on the ground floor, the building still demonstrates original design qualities of a Federation Free style. These qualities include the two bayed composition of central projecting bowed windows including the timber framed casements and highlights above, flanking segmentally arched timber framed windows with segmentally arched highlights and striped painted brick voussoirs now in appropriately over painted, and the crowning wavy double curved parapets that were typical design features of the by architects, Tombs and Durran. Other intact or appropriate qualities include the two storey height, face brick and rendered wall construction but not the over painting, three brick piers that define the three bayed composition, rendered vertical bands, stringcourses and wavy projecting cappings on the piers, gable roof form behind the parapet, galvanised corrugated iron roof cladding, rendered gable parapets adorned by segmentally arched pediments, stringcourses and large wall band under the projecting bowed bays, gabled and hipped roof forms clad in galvanised corrugated iron, rear first floor shallow arched timber framed window and the rear brick wall construction.

The former Scott Hamilton and Company building at 126 Ryrie Street is historically significant at a LOCAL level. It is associated with commercial developments in Geelong in the Federation period c.1895 - 1915. In particular, this building has associations with Scott Hamilton and Company, ironmongers and importers, who had it built in 1911. In particular, the building has associations with Robert Scott. He instigated the construction of the building and part from being a noted ironmonger and businessman, he was a member of the Board of Management of St. Georges Presbyterian Church and a member of the Commun Na Feine Society. The building has further associations with the Geelong architects, Tombs and Durran.

Overall, the former Scott Hamilton and Company building at 126 Ryrie Street is of LOCAL significance.

References

R. Aitken, 'Edwardian Geelong: An Architectural Introduction', Architecture Division, Deakin University, 1979, p.44.

Group

Commercial

Category

Office building