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Former Colonial Bank

Other Names Former E.S. & A. Bank ,  A.N.Z. Bank Location 9 Lydiard Street, BALLARAT CENTRAL VIC 3350 - Property No B3112 File Number B3112 Level State

[1/2] B3112 ES & A Bank [2/2] B3112 ES & A Bank Ballarat

Statement of Significance

An interesting if somewhat cluttered design by Leonard Terry, dating from 1860, with Renaissance Ionic capitals of the upper levels of an unusually diminutive size.
Classified 31/08/1972
Part of Group Classification. Group Statement of Significance: All four buildings were erected in the 1860s to designs by Architect Leonard Terry, thus following on from his Melbourne Club design of 1858. As diocesan architect for the Church of England he designed many ecclesiastical buildings, but of his secular works, this group of four banks form a significent sample at a time when Ballarat was one of the largest and most important cities in Australia.
Their construction came at a time when Ballarat was establishing its permanent landmarks; and yet at that time, a gold mine was still active on the south west corner of the same intersection and an outdoor share market was being conducted on the south east corner.
The design of the four buildings, although all calssical revival in concept, are not particularly compatible. Their facades and scales differ and the skyline is disjointed. Nonetheless individually all of them have been considered worthy of Classification. In keeping with architectural philosophies of the period, the rear and exposed side elevations do not continue the classical details of the street facades, but, because of the corner situation, the effect of the group is one of three-disensional cohesion of design. Group Classified 21/10/1976