Proposal to heritage list 9 modern apartment buildings

The Gateway building was designed by Douglas Forsyth Evans & Associates and built by Sydney Fischer between 1959–1960. It has historical, associative, aesthetic/technical and representative significance for its design and associations with Forsyth Evans, an important architect in the postwar period.

Gemini consists of twin 8-storey buildings designed by Harry Seidler & Associates for ‘people of average means’ and completed in 1962 and 1969, respectively. It’s an innovative example of medium-rise housing developed in the area during the 1950s and 1960s.

St Ursula is a 7 to 8-storey building designed by Hungarian architect Hugo Stossel and built by RH Andrews and Co between 1951–1953. This early example of Stossel’s work is a curved-plan form apartment building when few of that kind were built.

Oceana is a 10 to 13-storey residential building designed by Poland-trained architect Theodore Fry. It was developed by Polish entrepreneur and engineer Moses Eisner, and built by Arcos in 1961. At its time of construction, Oceana was one of the largest apartment buildings in Sydney. It represented a marked shift in the development of Elizabeth Bay towards higher densities.

Ithaca Gardens is a 10-storey building with 40 two-bedroom units designed by Harry Seidler & Associates and built by Civil and Civic Contractors (later LendLease) in 1960. The building demonstrates modernist architecture’s interest in compact multi-housing forms and is a key example of the introduction of Bauhaus-influenced design in Australia.

Bayview is a 12-storey building with 80 units arranged in a Y-formation. It was designed by Hugo Stossel and Associates and built by Parkes Development between 1966–1968. Its form and detailing are considered rare in the context of both the work of Hugo Stossel and Associates and postwar apartments in the area where few Y-plan tower developments were built.

Aquarius is a 10-storey apartment building designed by Harry Seidler & Associates and built by James Wallace in 1965. It’s one of few examples of Seidler’s experiments with split-level planning. This is a standout demonstration of his innovative work from the 1960s. His forward-thinking planning and construction make it a significant representation of late 1950s–1960s modernist apartment design.

Roslyn Gardens is a 9-storey cream brick and reinforced concrete building designed by Douglas Snelling and built in 1964. Snelling was a significant modernist architect who made a notable contribution in developing Sydney’s cultural environment through modernist furniture design, interiors and houses in the eastern suburbs. It’s one of only 2 apartment projects designed by Snelling.