Shop

STATEMENT OF SIGNIFICANCE

The shop at 34 Ryrie Street, Geelong, has significance as a moderately intact example of a Victorian commercial style. Built in 1866-67 for Smith and Aitchison who operated a plumbing, painting, glazing, paperhanging and decorating business, the building is a legacy of commercial developments in Geelong during the second half of the 19th century.

The shop at 34 Ryrie Street is architecturally significant at a LOCAL level. Although altered, it still demonstrates original design qualities of a Victorian commercial style. These qualities include the chamfered corner that accentuates its corner location, hipped roof forms clad in slate with galvanised iron flashings, rendered brick chimney and the narrow eaves. Other intact or appropriate qualities include the two storey height, rendered brick wall construction, two bayed compositions of the first floor facades with single openings having timber framed double hung windows and rendered brick sills, similar first floor window opening in the chamfered corner, rendered stringcourse, single doorways on the Ryrie and Fenwick Street facades with timber framed transom windows, segmentally arched double door opening at the corner with the timber framed transom window above and the crowning label moulds punctuated by the keystone, and the ground floor window opening on the Fenwick Street facade.

The shop at 34 Ryrie Street is historically significant at a LOCAL level. It is associated with commercial developments in Geelong during the second half of the 19th century. In particular, this shop has associations with Smith and Aitchison, original owners and operators of a plumbing, painting, glazing, paperhanging and decorating business. They instigated the construction of the building in 1866. It was later owned by William Purnell and Sons, builders and linked to the neighbouring Purnell building built in 1911.

Overall, the shop at 34 Ryrie Street is of LOCAL significance.

References

Reports and Drainage Plans, Barwon Water profis system, 1923, 1932, 1939, 1994.

Voters Roll, Kardinia Ward, 1992, Geelong Historical Records Centre.

Sands & McDougalls Directory of Geelong, 1972, Geelong Historical Records Centre.

Sands & McDougalls "Invicta" Geelong Directory, 1968, Geelong Historical Records Centre.

Geelong City Council Rate Books (Kardinia Ward), 1863 -1960, Geelong Historical Records Centre.

Town Plan of Geelong 1881, Geelong Historical Records Centre.

Vlassopoulos, Jerry, Smith and Aitchison Building - Conservation Analysis Report, 1989, Geelong Historical Records Centre.

Huddle, L., Ryrie Street, Geelong, Various photographs and Street Survey Map, Authentic Heritage Services.

Removed from the City East Heritage Area

Group

Retail and Wholesale

Category

Shopping/retail complex