Grosvenor Chambers facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Grosvenor Chambers |
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Grosvenor Chambers on the right, with tower of One Collins Street rising behind
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| General information | |
| Status | Complete |
| Location | 9 Collins Street, Melbourne |
| Coordinates | 37°48′49″S 144°58′25″E / 37.81361°S 144.97352°E |
Grosvenor Chambers, located at 9 Collins Street, Melbourne, was a very special building. It was the first place in Australia built specifically for artists to have their studios! Imagine a whole building designed just for painters and sculptors to create their amazing art.
Contents
Building a Home for Artists
The Vision of Charles Paterson
The idea for Grosvenor Chambers came from Charles Stewart Paterson. He was born in Edinburgh, Scotland. Charles owned a fancy decorating business in Melbourne. His company designed beautiful interiors for important places. These included Government House and the Melbourne Town Hall.
Charles was very interested in art and design. He was even one of the first members of the Working Men's College. This college helped people learn practical skills. Because of his love for art, Charles decided to build a place just for artists. His brother, John Ford Paterson, was also a painter. He sometimes showed his art with the famous Heidelberg School artists.
Designing and Constructing Grosvenor Chambers
The building was designed by architects Oakden, Addison and Kemp. They created a three-storey building in a classic style. This style is called neoclassical. It featured three large arched windows on the first floor. Above them were five smaller windows for the artist studios. These windows had special details like prominent keystones.
The outside of the building was covered in cement. It had horizontal lines and a decorative top. Large windows were placed next to the entrance. These were originally arched. They were used for shops or businesses on the ground floor.
The building was finished by contractor W. Davidson. It officially opened on April 21, 1888. The opening was a big party for the Melbourne art community.
Inside Grosvenor Chambers
Studios for Creative Minds
The top floor of Grosvenor Chambers was designed for artists. It had five bright studios. Each studio had extra rooms. They also had special skylights on the roof. These skylights faced south. This gave the artists a soft, even light. It was like the "north light" famous in art studios in the Northern Hemisphere.
The design was inspired by famous artists like Sir Joshua Reynolds. The first artists who moved in even helped plan the lighting. These artists included Tom Roberts, James C. Waite, Louis Abrahams, and George Walton.
Other Businesses in the Building
The middle floor had space for other businesses. One of the first was a society costumier. This person designed fancy clothes. Later, a corset and skirt shop moved in.
The ground floor was home to the Patersons' own decorating business. Doctors also had consulting rooms at the back.
The Sculptor's Space
The basement had a special workshop for sculptors. It was first used by Percival Ball. This space was built cleverly. Because the ground sloped, the basement floor was higher than the nearby lane. This gave the room a high ceiling, about 7 meters (23 feet) tall. This height was perfect for creating large sculptures.
There was also a wide doorway and window. The top part of the doorway could be removed. This made a huge opening. It was over 2 meters (6.5 feet) wide. This allowed large sculptures to be moved in and out. For example, Percival Ball created a huge 7-foot-tall statue of William Wallace there. It was for the Ballarat Gardens.
Artistic Details
The staircase in Grosvenor Chambers had beautiful stained-glass windows. They showed figures representing Sculpture, Painting, and Heraldic Work. These windows were made by Brooks, Robinson, and Co. This company also created windows for the Princess Theatre.
Famous Artists at Grosvenor Chambers
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Grosvenor Chambers became a hub for Australian art. Many famous artists worked there. Tom Roberts was a key figure in the Heidelberg School. This group of artists helped create a unique Australian art style. Roberts lived in Grosvenor Chambers. He also camped in Heidelberg on weekends to paint.
He painted his famous "9 by 5 Impressions" there. He also created portraits of important people in Melbourne. Two of his most famous paintings of Australian life, Shearing the Rams and The Breakaway, were painted in his studio.
Open Studio Days
Tom Roberts and other Heidelberg School artists held "Studio Wednesdays." They opened their studios to the public. People could see their art as it was being made. This was a new and exciting idea. One newspaper described a visit in April 1888. Many people climbed the stairs to see Mr. Roberts's studio. They enjoyed afternoon tea.
The article mentioned three of Roberts's paintings. It also talked about works by Arthur Streeton and Frederick McCubbin. Streeton showed a striking bush scene. McCubbin displayed two Australian bush scenes. The writer praised McCubbin's ability to capture the "open-air feeling."
A Place for Discussion and Art
The success of Grosvenor Chambers inspired other artists. C. Douglas Richardson, Charles Conder, and Arthur Streeton opened their own studios nearby. Roberts also hosted special gatherings called conversaziones. Artists would bring their newest art magazines. They would enjoy coffee, music, and discussions. These events were very popular. In 1889, two hundred guests attended one. This included the Acting-Governor.
Roberts left his studio in 1892. Arthur Streeton then took his place. Other artists, like E. P. Fox, continued the tradition of open studio days. Fox showed his portraits there.
A Long List of Talented Artists
Many other famous artists rented studios in the building. This continued even after it was sold in 1939. The list includes:
- Louis Abrahams
- Percival Ball
- Ola Cohn
- Tennyson Cole
- Charles Conder
- E. Phillips Fox
- George Lambert
- John Longstaff
- John Mather
- Frederick McCubbin
- Louis McCubbin
- Max Meldrum
- Mirka Mora
- Girolamo Nerli
- John Ford Paterson
- Jane Price
- Clara Southern
- Arthur Streeton
- Charles Francis Summers
- Jane Sutherland
- Albert Tucker
- Tudor St George Tucker
- James Clarke Waite
- Rose Walker
- George Walton
- Dora Wilson
Other artists, like Florence Fuller and David Davies, used Grosvenor Chambers for private art showings. Even after World War II, famous photographer Wolfgang Sievers had rooms there.
Protecting a Historic Building
A Special Place in History
Grosvenor Chambers is considered very important for its history. In 1981, the National Trust classified it as a heritage building. They described its unique architectural style. It's seen as a link between older classical styles and the "Boom Style" of the 1880s.
The building is part of a special group of buildings on Collins Street. They frame a view of the beautiful Old Treasury Building. This area is important to Melbourne's history. The Trust noted that Grosvenor Chambers is especially valuable. It was built specifically as artists' studios. No other building in Victoria is so closely linked to the Heidelberg School.
Saving Grosvenor Chambers
In the 1970s, there were plans to replace Grosvenor Chambers with an office tower. Artists were still renting studios there. The National Trust and others protested. They wanted to save this historic part of Melbourne.
Eventually, a Singaporean developer named Jack Chia bought the site. He proposed a compromise. The plan was to keep the front part of Grosvenor Chambers. This included the artists' studios and their special skylights. A new tower would rise behind it. The National Trust and the government approved this plan. The government even helped by waiving land tax for ten years.
The new tower, now called 1 Collins Street, was finished in 1984. It was one of the city's first postmodern buildings. It kept some traditional features. The building won several awards for its design. This showed how old and new architecture could work together. Grosvenor Chambers remains a testament to Melbourne's rich artistic past.
