Former Hobart Hydro Electric Commission Buildings gets facelift

The landmark (former) Hydro Electric Commission getting a makeover

Last week work commenced on repainting the former Hydro Electric Commission Building (now the Hobart City Council). When I took a closer look the paint going up was white, I hoped that it was just the undercoat! Contacting the Council, I was informed that the entire exterior of the building is being repainted, in the same colour scheme that exists now. I have been told it may look a lighter because the exterior is quite dirty as I've been informed the last time it was painted was some 30 years ago.

This landmark Art Deco building was designed in the late 1930s by A&K Henderson & Partners, a Melbourne based firm. It ranks as one of the most impressive examples of commercial Art Deco in Hobart and Tasmania. Streamline Art Deco buildings always look stunning on a street corners and the former Hydro Electric Commission building is a real joy to view.The central column lights up a neon yellow at night, it must have been a real eye opener back in the 1930s when motorists and passers by would have witnessed a massive new building the power harnessed by the construction of dams around the state; this building symbolised a new era in Industry and employment and power usage in the 20th Century.

Post War Commonwealth Bank - Hobart

What a fine example of Modernist design is the Commonwealth Bank in the Hobart CBD. This building has always fascinated me, it's like a hybrid cross between art deco and post war design.

The curves are so art deco in style, yet the repetition that plays throughout the windows is familiar in many post war designs, as well as the sheer bulk of the building. I think all the concrete makes the building feel like a fortress, and I reckon it works brilliantly being on the street corner with its smooth transitional curve. Look more closely at the building and the concrete has been impregnated with a tinge of terracotta throughout.

Henty House - Launceston

Architect: Peter Partridge - 1982
"The space ship has landed" - This is one of Launceston's best examples of Brutalist period architecture. It certainly creates an impact with it's bulk and stylized concrete textures. This period of architecture does what Art Deco did the period before; that is modern design principles in the name of progress. Although heritage should be protected and valued, it could be argued that we live in a period now where the built environment is "over protected" which in turn stifles modern and exciting designs. Instead we get a pastiche in many new buildings that attempt to look old, but are not true to their old attempted style, neither inspirational. Buildings such as Henty House are an inspiration to modernist design principles.

A Photographic essay on Henty House can be viewed by click here

Elizabeth Town Church

This little deco building is all the more fascinating being that it was once a church and it's nowhere near an urban city, it's located in rural Northern Tasmania. It was recently on the market and although in good condition the grounds around it were heavy with blackberry and grass. They have recently been cut back again. Basic tin shed toilets still stand at the back of the building.

To view more photographs of Tasmanian Modernism, check out my blog that specialises in Tasmanian Modernist design here