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Australian Museum

Cnr 6-8 College and William Streets, Sydney
1846-54 Mortimer Lewis (CA)
1864-68 James Barnet (CA)
1897-10 Walter Liberty Vernon (NSWGA)
1959-63 Joseph van der Steen (Design Architect NSWGA)
1987-88 Colin Still (Design Architect NSWPWD)

The present complex comprises two visually contrasting architectures - that of James Barnet (his first major work after appointment as Government Architect) and Joseph van der Steen (b.1913), designer of the major modernist addition to William Street. The original, and perhaps unfairly criticised, Mortimer Lewis building (which faced William Street) is discreetly cocooned by the later Barnet-designed wing near the corner of William and College Streets. Although Barnet, at an early stage, planned that the main entrance should be on William Street, the building, as built, faces College Street. The grandly scaled 1864 temple porch was a major public building statement, incorporating an imposing stylobate, 14-metre high Corinthian columns, and column capitals, all carved by the artist Walter McGill.

In absolute contrast, the powerful, yet totally unrelieved William Street extension (1959-1963), by English migrant architect Joseph van der Steen (working in the Government Architect special projects design team under Harry Rembert), was, for its day, an unusual and ground breaking modernist statement. By employing a palette of materials which matched the existing building, an entirely contrasting style was able to sit comfortably side by side with the existing work. The projecting roof-top awning covered a cafe with extensive views to the harbour. A general upgrading of the museum was later undertaken (1989) by the Government Architect (designer Colin Still), providing environmentally controlled collection storage, travelling exhibition space, curatorial workspace, education centre and staff facilities.

Information appearing in this section is reproduced from Sydney Architecture, with the kind permission of the author, Graham Jahn, a well-known Sydney architect and former City of Sydney Councillor. Sydney Architecture, rrp $35.00, is available from all good book stores or from the publisher, Watermark Press, Telephone: 02 9818 5677.

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Last Updated: Wednesday 12 December, 2007

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