Art Deco Wollongong – Architecture – Buildings & Homes

This page is under construction September 2024. I will be adding buildings and photos as I can. Please let me know of any I have missed.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Wollongong is not a mecca for Architecture lovers but if you look around you will find quite a few Art Deco buildings and homes.

Many of them have been repurposed and some of them have been painted over, but others still retain their original splendour.

I have always loved Art Deco design, but until recently, I had not started looking for it in my home town architecture.  I searched around but could not find a list of Art Deco buildings in Wollongong, so I decided to make my own. Please let me know if I make any mistakes or miss any beauties.  I am starting in the city with large buildings and will move to the suburbs and residential areas next.  I will  use mostly my own current photos and provide references for older photos and history where I can.

If I sneak in a couple of Functionalist buildings, just forgive me and think of them as Streamlined Art Deco.

North Beach Precinct:

North Wollongong Surf Life Saving Club (SLSC) was built in 1936 (Designed J. Hugh Britten) (Interwar Functionalist style) and refurbished in 2022-23 to complement the neighbouring buildings and an extended terrace and seawall added.

The North Beach Bather’s Pavilion and Kiosk at 5 Cliff Rd North Wollongong were first opened in 1938 (Designer Harvey E. Gale).  The buildings are not strictly Art Deco, being a combination of Art & Crafts and nautical Functionalism (ref 3). A sympathetic restoration and beach level extensions to the Pavilion were completed in 2011-12. For an early photo of the Bathers Pavilion see https://thebluemile.com.au/Social/bather-s-pavilion.html

For North Beach Precinct History see https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/North_Beach_Precinct  Also mentions other Beach buildings in the Illawarra.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Normandie Inn & Function Centre at 30 Bourke St North Wollongong was built in 1946 as a private hotel in the Streamline Art Deco style. It is slated for redevelopment, but in it’s heyday, it was the place to be seen. For a picture of the Hotel Normandie in the 1940s see https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=10161623286257292&set=pcb.2747600598730337.

 

 

Wollongong City Buildings:

The Wollongong Art Gallery is located in a 1950’s built Art Deco style building at the corner of Kembla & Burelli Streets in the city. This building has been home to the Gallery since 1991 and was formerly the Council Administration Building. For an earlier photo of the building see  https://wollongongartgallery.au/about-us/history.

Opposite the Gallery is St Andrew’s Uniting Church bell tower built in 1937 (Architects Adam, Wright & Apperly). “The church is a adaptation of Italian Romanesque, with a robust, radical Art Deco bell tower” (ref 3 p71).

Wollongong City Hotels:

The Illawarra Hotel at 160 Keira St Wollongong was first opened in 1938 as the Hotel Illawarra (architects Copeman, Lemont & Keesing). It was the swankest hotel in town and had a female publican. The decorative brick façade has remained virtually unchanged since it opened and an early photo and  history of the pub can be found at https://www.theillawarra.com.au/the-pub

The Crown Hotel, corner of Crown & Station Streets Wollongong (309 Crown St) was built in 1927 (architect Sydney Warden) and has been painted light green. It is now part of a private hospital. For a photo of the hotel in 1927 see https://aej.com.au/the-crown-hotel/

The Grand Hotel, 234 Keira St (corner Burelli St) was built in 1937 to provide accommodation and facilities for the growing workforce at the Steel Works. It has quite a plain brick exterior and has undergone extensive renovations inside. For a photo of the hotel in the 1940s see https://www.flickr.com/photos/hwmobs/51912363146

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Wollongong City – Keira St:

Keira St Wollongong has already been mentioned for the Illawarra Hotel and the Grand Hotel, but there are other gems there too, including the Regent Cinema.

Above the unassuming shops fronts yo wl see some nice Art Deco brick work from 133-143 (pictured below).

Opposite the Illawarra Hotel at 163 Kiera St is a fabulous building with a cream tiled façade including a ‘tower’  that I have yet to get any history for. The street level is shops with apartments above and behind.

At 150 Kiera St you will see a (now painted) brick frontage with vertical detailing at the side and crenulations along the top. This building has been a night club on-and-off since the 1980s.

Further along Kiera St at 197 is the  Regent Cinema, designed in the Art Deco style but not built until the mid-1950s. It has recently been repainted the original olive green and is currently being renovated/restored. The ground floor lobby and upstairs lounge area were amazing. For more on the this building try https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Regent_Theatre,_Wollongong or https://illawarramuseum.wordpress.com/category/civic-theatre/

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Wollongong City Shop Fronts:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Spotlight Store at 281 Crown St Wollongong built in 1921, was Markus Clark’s, then Walton’s, then Spotlight and is now slated for redevelopment with the historic façade and clocktower to be retained.

Upper Crown St, upper levels shop front façades at 328 ‘Aspley House’, 326, 316, 355 ‘Browns Corner’, 302 brick façade, 282 ‘Caldwell’s Building’ now pink painted brick, 281 ‘Spotlight Store’ (described above), 309 ‘Crown Hotel’ (described above), 303-307 brick façades, 293-297 corner with brick façade, 242 ‘Excelsior Hall” built in 1927 and recently restored.

Crown St Mall, upper levels shop front façades at 30o-302, …  187-189 Total Exp, 135-137, 127 ‘Vinnies?’, #?? ‘Bank Chambers’, 129, 130? ‘Medusa Hair?’, 101 ‘Lang’s Corner‘ built in 1933 and recently redeveloped with retained historic façade,

Lower Crown St, upper levels shop front façades at 50 ‘Thai Carnation?’

Kawarra Chambers, Crown St Wollongong 1937…

Illawarra Migrant Resource Centre on the corner of Kembla & Market streets Wollongong. Built in 1937 (Architect J. Anderson & Sons) was originally the Christian Science Church… ??

St Therese’s Catholic Church, Princes Highway, West Wollongong built in 1938 (Architect Clement Clancy) has Art Deco features.

 

 

Wollongong Apartment Blocks:

• The cream corner building at 163 Keira St Wollongong has shop fronts and residential apartments (pictured above).
• The Art Deco apartment block at 10 Crown St Wollongong has had the balconies glazed in and penthouse apartments added on the roof. I am sure it used to have a name but I cannot find it ?
• The ‘California’ building 7-9 Burelli St Wollongong was built in 1935 and appears to be in original condition. It is almost obscured by the trees now, so I have used an older photo.
• ‘Marlborough Court’ at 4 Market Place Wollongong ??
• ‘Braemar’ apartments at 29 Smith St Wollongong.
• 44 Smith St Wollongong
• 72 Market St Wollongong (modest)
• 90 Corrimal St Wollongong, modest
  

  10 Crown St

  

  California at 7-9 Burelli St

  

  ‘Braemar’ 29 Smith St

  

  44 Smith St

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Homes (Wollongong and Inner Suburbs):

• ‘Trelley’ in Kembla St Wollongong built in 1938 in the Functionalist style…
• 31 Burling Ave Mount Ousley, 18 Strone Ave Mount Ousley,
• ?? Houses in Abercrombie St West Wollongong
• 1/42 Greenacre Rd, Wollongong

Mangerton has many homes built in the Art Deco period. I have only listed some of the more significant homes here:

• 34 Woodlawn Ave Mangerton
• 41 Eastern Ave Mangerton. Sadly, this house is largely obscured by trees.
• 47 Mangerton Rd, Mangerton,’Hightrees’ was built in 1936 (Architect and original owner Hugh Britten) in the Functionalist style. Sadly, this house cannot be seen from the street due to the trees and slope of the block.
• 18-20 Norman St Mangerton, built in 1952 ‘Orana’, Functionalist, P&O style, between the wars, streamline modern?? Sadly, this house cannot be seen from the street due to the trees and slope of the block. Real estate listings show that it still retains some of it’s original details like curved glass and balcony railings.
• 56 St Johns Ave Mangerton, built in 1948. Sadly, this house is largely obscured by trees now. Real estate listings show that it still retains some of it’s interior detail like the stairwell and a bathroom.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Wollongong Industrial Buildings:

• The Illawarra Lighthouse Church at 11 Railway Station Square used to be a clothing?? factory.
• The Salvation Army Building fronting Ellen St used to be a clothing?? factory too.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Art Deco in the Southern Suburbs:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

• Port Kembla

• • Wentworth St, Port Kembla has a large number of Art Deco looking shop fronts/tops from Collegians Club at #4 all the way to #163 at the top of the next hill. I counted 34 shop fronts and I am not sure if I got them all (#28, #38, #33-39, #53-67, #71-73, #83, #101, #115-123, #82-84, #110-112, #116, #122,  #161-163) 
  • Dimosons R/E Bldg at 31-33 Wentworth St is particularly grand because it was formerly the Commonwealth Bank. My favourite is it’s left side neighbour with the ‘eyebrow’ over the upper windows (pictured above).
  • Port Kembla Baths opened in 1937 to great fanfare. It’s Interwar Art Deco design has changed a little over the years. For pictures in the 1940s see https://www.facebook.com/photo?fbid=3241999902478274&set=pcb.1603535439803531 .
    

    Port Kembla Baths, Olympic Blvd, Port Kembla

    

    Breakwater Battery Military Museum. Port Kembla

     

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

• • Breakwater Battery Military Museum, 2 Gloucester Blvd, Port Kembla. It was built in 1939 but is currently closed. The Heritage Park is open and is worth a look.
  • Homes: 17 Wentworth St Port Kembla (brick with curved frontage),
  • Apartments: 66 Darcy Rd Port Kembla.

Art Deco in the Northern Suburbs:

• Woonona/Bulli Old Fire Station?, Princes Hwy
• Bulli Antique Store, Princes Hwy
• Thirroul Surf Club
• Anita’s Theatre 264-270 Lawrence Hargrave Dr, Thirroul opened as King’s Theatre in 1925. It has changed a lot over the years, but was extensively renovated/restored in 2007 and now operates as a live music venue. The interiors are stunning. For photos of how it used to look go to  https://www.anitastheatre.com.au/venue-history.

 

 

 

 

 

 

• Austinmer Veterinary Hospital on the corner of Grove & Moore Streets was built in 1935 in the Functionalist style (Ocean Liner Style). Started as Argue’s Bakery –> Post Office –> Sheltered Workshop –> Veterinary Hospital

Industry:

• Lysaght’s Works Laboratory Block was built in 1939-40 (Architect R.J.Magoffin) in the Functionalist Art Deco style.
• The Bluescope CRM admin building formerly ‘JLA Springhill’ on Old Port Rd, Port Kembla was built in 1938 (Architect H.S. Conrow) has “Classical and Art Deco elements.” (ref 3 p72)

 

For information on the earlier history of Wollongong see https://www.wollongong.nsw.gov.au/about/history-heritage

For more information, photos and links to ‘old’ Wollongong see https://lostwollongong.com/wollongong/

 

Lost Art Deco buildings:

• 113-115 Keira St – Hughes Whetton and Reilly Vauxhall Dealers and service station –> Market –> original Art Gallery site –> now Youth Centre
• 93 Kembla St – Civic Theatre (façade) –> Wollongong Town Hall

What is Art Deco Architecture:

“Art Deco buildings have a sleek, linear appearance with stylized, often geometric ornamentation. The primary façade of Art Deco buildings often feature a series of set backs that create a stepped outline. Low-relief decorative panels can be found at entrances, around windows, along roof edges or as string courses. Art Deco buildings feature distinctive smooth finish building materials such as stucco, concrete block, glazed brick or mosaic tile. Decorative details can incorporate various artistic or exotic motifs to suit the building’s function or the architect’s whim. Chevrons, zigzags, and other geometrical motifs are common forms of ornament on Art Deco style buildings.” (ref 1)

“Art Deco and Functionalism were parallel phenomena that both expressed the modern style. Art deco was the modern style, but also contained retrospective elements. It was a synthesis of the past and futurism, of ancient history and technological utopias.” (ref 2)

References:

Ref 1 – http://www.phmc.state.pa.us/portal/communities/architecture/styles/art-deco.html

Ref 2 – https://www.bi.edu/research/business-review/articles/2015/09/art-deco-the-era-that-lingers-in-spirit

Ref 3 – Robert Irving., “Twentieth Century Architecture in Wollongong”, 2001, University of Wollongong press, ISBN. 1875891102. Fabulous book for anyone who loves Wollongong or Architecture.

Ref 4 – Wollongong City Centre Heritage Study see https://our.wollongong.nsw.gov.au/wollongong-city-centre-heritage-planning-proposal

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