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Former John Sharp & Sons, Timber Merchants

Other Names General Motors Ltd ,  International Harvester Company Location 171 City Road,, SOUTHBANK VIC 3006 - Property No B6086 File Number B6086 Level State

[1/1] B6086 171 City Road

Statement of Significance

A large relatively plain two-storey brick and stucco building first constructed for John Sharp and sons, timber merchants, in 1912 and subsequently occupied by General Motors Limited (1927-1936) and by the International Harvester Company (1940 -1974+) for showrooms and offices.
The large corrugated iron workshops at the rear were first constructed for General Motors in 1927. Despite replacement of windows and alterations of the line of the parapet along City Road the building retains its original form and general appearance; it makes a significant contribution to the streetscape, and was associated with the first large timber yard established in South Melbourne, with a motor vehicle assembler which was of crucial importance in Australia's post war industrial development, and with a major supplier of agricultural machinery.
Classified: 24/07/1989
Revised: October 1989