Harry Norris
Encyclopedia
Harry Norris was an Australia
n architect
whose works are spread across Melbourne
. He was well known for his strong Art Deco
Style combining America
n and Australian architecture. He was one of the most prolific commercial architects between 1920 and 1930. Most of his works were inspired by his regular overseas trips to observe current architectural trends, mainly to the United States, which became annual from 1928 to 1941. As a consequence, his style developed and transformed continually. In 1929, Harry’s client, George James Coles sent him to Europe
and America to study trends in designing chain store
s. Soon after he came back, he finished the design of the new Coles store (now David Jones) in Bourke Street, Melbourne
. He visited the principal cities (of the world?) from August 1944 to October 1945 before being elected an associate of RVIA 21 February 1946. Harry Norris retired on his 76th birthday in June 1966 and died 6 months later.
Address: 27-41 Swanston Street
Date of construction: 1925-26, 1939-40 (extension)
Client: Alfred Nicholas, G.J. Coles (extension)
The Nicholas Building is the most distinctive commercial palazzo
in Melbourne. The building has many classical
and Greek revival
elements such as large columns, balconies, wide cornice, marble stairs and tiled corridors. The facade is clad with terracotta faience
. The cathedral arcade is located on the ground floor and its glazed leadlight
barrel vault
ed ceiling is a main feature of the building. The Nicholas Building was originally used as offices and currently accommodates many art studios.
BLOCK COURT
Address: 288-292 Collins Street
Date of construction:1929
Client: Benjamin Fink
Harry Norris' Block Court was a remodelling project where the shopping arcade was introduced to the ground floor to connect Collins Street
with the block arcade. The building was originally the Athenaeum Club
built in 1890. Block Court is significantly Art Deco displaying characteristic features like zigzag copper shop window frames, stained glass
, terrazzo flooring and elaborate ceiling decoration with stepped geometric shapes and floral motifs. Block Court was a significant contribution to the emerging trend of shopping arcades in Melbourne.
G. J. COLES BUILDING
Address: 298-304 Bourke Street
Date of construction: 1928, 1938-40 (extension), [1984 Bates Smart McCutcheon (conversion to David Jones)]
Client: G.J. Coles
Builder: Clements Langford Pty. Ltd.
Engineer: Mr. Clive S.Steele
The building is noted for its extensive use of colorful jazz moderne detailing in its mauve terracotta facade which is represented in a commercial gothic moderne style. It was the first major Chicago
-inspired Commercial Gothic building in Victoria and is one of the more colorful interwar buildings in Melbourne.
MITCHELL HOUSE
Address: 325-362 Lonsdale Street, Melbourne
Date of construction: 1936
Mitchel house is located at the junction of Elizabeth Street
and Lonsdale Street. The building distinctively reflects the architecture language of a European modern architecture of the 1920s and 30s with its clean horizontal glass and plain wall surfaces, broken by a contrasting vertical stairwell element.
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
n architect
Architect
An architect is a person trained in the planning, design and oversight of the construction of buildings. To practice architecture means to offer or render services in connection with the design and construction of a building, or group of buildings and the space within the site surrounding the...
whose works are spread across Melbourne
Melbourne
Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...
. He was well known for his strong Art Deco
Art Deco
Art deco , or deco, is an eclectic artistic and design style that began in Paris in the 1920s and flourished internationally throughout the 1930s, into the World War II era. The style influenced all areas of design, including architecture and interior design, industrial design, fashion and...
Style combining America
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
n and Australian architecture. He was one of the most prolific commercial architects between 1920 and 1930. Most of his works were inspired by his regular overseas trips to observe current architectural trends, mainly to the United States, which became annual from 1928 to 1941. As a consequence, his style developed and transformed continually. In 1929, Harry’s client, George James Coles sent him to Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
and America to study trends in designing chain store
Chain store
Chain stores are retail outlets that share a brand and central management, and usually have standardized business methods and practices. These characteristics also apply to chain restaurants and some service-oriented chain businesses. In retail, dining and many service categories, chain businesses...
s. Soon after he came back, he finished the design of the new Coles store (now David Jones) in Bourke Street, Melbourne
Bourke Street, Melbourne
Bourke Street is one of Melbourne's best known streets. Historically been regarded as Melbourne's "second street", with the main street being Collins Street and "busier than Bourke Street" is a popular catchphrase. Bourke Street has traditionally been Melbourne's entertainment hub...
. He visited the principal cities (of the world?) from August 1944 to October 1945 before being elected an associate of RVIA 21 February 1946. Harry Norris retired on his 76th birthday in June 1966 and died 6 months later.
NOTABLE BUILDINGS
NICHOLAS BUILDINGAddress: 27-41 Swanston Street
Swanston Street, Melbourne
Swanston Street is a major thoroughfare in the centre of Melbourne, Australia. It is historically one of the main streets of central Melbourne, laid out in 1837 as part of the Hoddle Grid, the layout of major streets that makes up the central business district...
Date of construction: 1925-26, 1939-40 (extension)
Client: Alfred Nicholas, G.J. Coles (extension)
The Nicholas Building is the most distinctive commercial palazzo
Palazzo
Palazzo, an Italian word meaning a large building , may refer to:-Buildings:*Palazzo, an Italian type of building**Palazzo style architecture, imitative of Italian palazzi...
in Melbourne. The building has many classical
Classical architecture
Classical architecture is a mode of architecture employing vocabulary derived in part from the Greek and Roman architecture of classical antiquity, enriched by classicizing architectural practice in Europe since the Renaissance...
and Greek revival
Greek Revival architecture
The Greek Revival was an architectural movement of the late 18th and early 19th centuries, predominantly in Northern Europe and the United States. A product of Hellenism, it may be looked upon as the last phase in the development of Neoclassical architecture...
elements such as large columns, balconies, wide cornice, marble stairs and tiled corridors. The facade is clad with terracotta faience
Faience
Faience or faïence is the conventional name in English for fine tin-glazed pottery on a delicate pale buff earthenware body, originally associated with Faenza in northern Italy. The invention of a white pottery glaze suitable for painted decoration, by the addition of an oxide of tin to the slip...
. The cathedral arcade is located on the ground floor and its glazed leadlight
Leadlight
Leadlights or leaded lights are decorative windows made of small sections of glass supported in lead cames. The technique of creating windows using glass and lead came is discussed at lead came and copper foil glasswork...
barrel vault
Barrel vault
A barrel vault, also known as a tunnel vault or a wagon vault, is an architectural element formed by the extrusion of a single curve along a given distance. The curves are typically circular in shape, lending a semi-cylindrical appearance to the total design...
ed ceiling is a main feature of the building. The Nicholas Building was originally used as offices and currently accommodates many art studios.
BLOCK COURT
Address: 288-292 Collins Street
Date of construction:1929
Client: Benjamin Fink
Harry Norris' Block Court was a remodelling project where the shopping arcade was introduced to the ground floor to connect Collins Street
Collins Street, Melbourne
Collins Street is a major street in the Melbourne central business district and runs approximately east to west.It is notable as Melbourne's traditional main street and best known street, is often regarded as Australia's premier street, with some of the country's finest Victorian era buildings.The...
with the block arcade. The building was originally the Athenaeum Club
Athenaeum Club, Melbourne
The Athenaeum Club is a private gentlemen's club situated in Melbourne, Australia.The club has been in operation since 1868.- External links :*...
built in 1890. Block Court is significantly Art Deco displaying characteristic features like zigzag copper shop window frames, stained glass
Stained glass
The term stained glass can refer to coloured glass as a material or to works produced from it. Throughout its thousand-year history, the term has been applied almost exclusively to the windows of churches and other significant buildings...
, terrazzo flooring and elaborate ceiling decoration with stepped geometric shapes and floral motifs. Block Court was a significant contribution to the emerging trend of shopping arcades in Melbourne.
G. J. COLES BUILDING
Address: 298-304 Bourke Street
Date of construction: 1928, 1938-40 (extension), [1984 Bates Smart McCutcheon (conversion to David Jones)]
Client: G.J. Coles
Builder: Clements Langford Pty. Ltd.
Engineer: Mr. Clive S.Steele
Clive Steele
Major General Sir Clive Selwyn Steele KBE, DSO, MC, VD was an engineer and a senior officer of the Australian Army who served in both World War I and World War II...
The building is noted for its extensive use of colorful jazz moderne detailing in its mauve terracotta facade which is represented in a commercial gothic moderne style. It was the first major Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
-inspired Commercial Gothic building in Victoria and is one of the more colorful interwar buildings in Melbourne.
MITCHELL HOUSE
Address: 325-362 Lonsdale Street, Melbourne
Lonsdale Street, Melbourne
Lonsdale Street is located in the centre of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, part of the Hoddle Grid, it runs roughly east-west. Lonsdale Street's eastern end intersects with Spring Street while its western end intersects with Spencer Street. It is home to multiple office buildings, courts,...
Date of construction: 1936
Mitchel house is located at the junction of Elizabeth Street
Elizabeth Street, Melbourne
Elizabeth Street is one of the main north-south streets in the central business district of Melbourne, Australia, part of the Hoddle Grid laid out in 1837.- Geography :...
and Lonsdale Street. The building distinctively reflects the architecture language of a European modern architecture of the 1920s and 30s with its clean horizontal glass and plain wall surfaces, broken by a contrasting vertical stairwell element.
SELECTED LIST OF COMPLETED WORKS
List of Architecture by Architect Harry A. Norris- Deva House, 327 Bourke Street, Melbourne, 1924
- Nicholas Building, 27-41 Swanston Street, Melbourne, 1927
- G.J.Coles Stores, 299-307 Bourke Steet, Melbourne, 1928 – 1930
- Majorca Building, 258-260 Flinders Lane, 1928-1930
- Kellow Houses, 379 St.Kilda Road, South Yarra, 1929
- Block Court, 288 – 292 Collins Street, 1929
- Burnham Beeches, Sherbrooke Road, Sassafras, 1934
- Mitchell House, 352 – 362 Lonsdale Street, Melbourne, 1936
- Melford Motors Showroom, 615 Elizabeth Street, North Melbourne, 1937
- Mission to seamen, 1 Beach Road, Port Melbourne, 1937
- Former Capitol Bakeries, 625 Chapel Street, 1937
- Coles Store, Ivanhoe, 115-117 Upper Heidelberg Road, Ivanhoe, 1940
- Nicholas Hall, 148 Lonsdale Street, Melbourne, 1940
- Ivanhoe Grammer School, The Ridgeway, Ivanhoe, 1954
- Fowlers Vacola Manufacturing Factory, Power Street, NE Burwood, Hawthorn, 1955
- Australian and New Zealand Bank, 224-236 Queen Street, Melbourne, 1958
- Ensign Dry Cleaning (former), 24 Leinster Grove, Northcote, 1959
- Northcote Town Hall and Lobby, 197 – 201 High Street, Northcote, 1930