Back to search results »

Back to search page »

Former IOOF Building

Location 380 Russell Street,, MELBOURNE VIC 3000 - Property No B7267 File Number B7267 Level State

[1/1] B7267 IOOF Building

Statement of Significance

What is significant? The former IOOF Building was constructed in 1962-3 as new offices for the Independent Order of Oddfellows, a friendly society. It was designed in 1959 by K F Knight of the important architectural practice of Oakley & Parkes. The building was the first stage of a complex that was also to include a twenty-storey office tower to the north of the existing building, on the corner of Victoria and Russell Streets. The building is of particular note for its banded facade at a time when curtain walls were dominant, for its floating cantilevered structure, its geometric plan form, based on triangles, which suited the triangular site, and particularly as an example of the influence of Frank Lloyd Wright.
The former IOOF Building is a five-storey building with a rooftop caretaker's residence. It is laid out on a triangular grid, reflecting its acute angle corner site, as well as Frank Lloyd Wright's distinctive 30-60 degree plan forms. Each floor is marked by distinctive horizontal bands, with recessed bands of glazing between. The external walls of the triangular service core at the east end of the building are of rubble stone, the sheer east wall forming a strong contrast to the horizontal banding on the other facades.
How is it significant? The former IOOF Building is significant for architectural reasons at a State level.
Why is it significant? The IOOF Building is architecturally significant as a notable example of the design influence of Frank Lloyd Wright in Victoria, reflected especially in its horizontal banded facade, its plan form derived from a triangular grid, and the rustic stone rubble finish of the east end. It is a rare example in Australia of a large central city Wright-inspired commercial building. It is a key post-war building of the architectural firm of Oakley & Parkes, whose practice was noted for its architectural innovation from the 1930s to the 1960s.
Classified: 08/09/2004