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BALMAIN, NSW – Building Balmain…Again!

October 13, 2015 by Suzanne Fuchs 1 Comment

COFFEE @ Hungry Bull Co. – Balmain 2041.

The Hungry Bull Co is a short distance from the main shopping strip of Balmain, but in close proximity to the Balmain Fire Station and historic civic buildings. This separation contributes to its relaxed, laid-back atmosphere.


As soon as you enter the café, you immediately feel the friendly happy vibe of the staff. Inside, the high pressed metal ceilings, exposed brick walls, timber floors, homely mismatched furniture and crates of colourful fresh produce combine to create a café that is cozy and comfortable.

The tiny courtyard is super cute and the ‘outback dunny’ is the smallest I have ever seen (no big bottoms getting in there).

I felt like I could have stayed a lot longer at the Hungry Bull Co; drinking coffee and listening to music. After a stroll around the Balmain shops make sure you head over to the Hungry Bull Co for a coffee. You won’t regret this one.

NOW & THEN around Balmain, Sydney

Balmain was part of a 550 acre land grant made to surgeon Dr William Balmain in 1800. The area changed hands several times before it was rapidly sub-divided and developed in the 1840s.

c.1870 view looking east along Darling Street.
c.1870 view looking east along Darling Street at the Curtis Street intersection.
2015 view of Darling Street.
Current view of Darling Street.

Balmain became one of the leading industrial centres of Sydney with a metal foundry, shipbuilding, engineering and boiler making companies operating in the area.

c.1895 view of the Balmain Fire station.
c.1895 view of the Balmain Fire Station.
2015 view of the Balmain Fire station.
2015 view of the Balmain Fire Station.

Amid the increasing industrialisation of Balmain came a demand for cheap housing. Small blocks of land were subsequently sold to entrepreneurs who built cottages and rented them to workers. By the 1920s, Balmain had gained a reputation as a rough working-class area.

Elkington Park looking to Spectacle Island c.1888 SLNSW
c.1888 view of Elkington Park looking toward Spectacle Island.
2015 view of Elkington Park. The harbour is now hidden by the mature trees.
2015 view of Elkington Park. The harbour is now hidden by the mature trees.

A large influx of World War II European migrants boosted Balmain’s population as they found the area to be convenient and affordable. By the 1960s, industry began to decline and the gentrification of Balmain began; its waterfront location and proximity to Sydney’s CBD made the suburb very popular and today the houses command high prices.

A photographic record of my visit to Balmain

Much of Balmain is a heritage conservation area and creative design is required to adapt and modernise the mostly Victorian and Edwardian housing stock. The following images showcase how some architects have approached this opportunity.

32&34 Thames Street
Modern alts & adds to Federation style semi-detached dwellings in the Waterview Estate Heritage Conservation Area. Design by Benn Studio.
20 Ennis Street
Rooftop addition to a dwelling in the Valley Heritage Conservation Area.
95 Curtis Street
Modern alts & adds by Borg Architects. The corner dwelling is located in the Valley Heritage Conservation Area.
2 Gow Street
Modern rear addition to a c.1928 dwelling in the Iron Cove Heritage Conservation Area. Additions by Vaughan Architects.
55 Reoseberry Street
Modern rear addition to a c.1912 semi-detached cottage in the Valley Heritage Conservation Area. Alts & adds by Duncan Reed Architects.
63 Glassop Street
Street/front facade of a Victorian Colonial cottage in the Valley Heritage Conservation Area. Modern rear alts & adds (below) by TW Architects.
Carieville Street view of 63 Glassop Street
Rear/side view of a Victorian Colonial cottage with modern alts & adds by TW Architects.
19 Mullens Street
Modern rear additions to a timber cottage in the Valley Heritage Conservation Area. Alts & adds by Boddam Whetham Architects.
33 Duke Street - Clarenook House
Rear modern addition to the heritage listed c.1844 Clarenook
26 Mullens Street
Modern first floor addition and conversion to residential apartments.
26 Evans Street
Modern alts & adds to original stone cottage by THW Architects. Dwelling located in the Valley Heritage Conservation Area.
Nicholson Street Public School
Modern school building adjacent to the original c.1883 heritage listed stone Nicholson Street Public School building.

Infill Development

The following images showcase just some of the infill developments that have been constructed within Balmain heritage conservation areas.

White Street
This iconic Harry Seidler dwelling is located in the Iron Cove Heritage Conservation Area.
162 Beattie Street
Modern residential infill in the Valley Heritage Conservation Area.
140-148 Beattie Street
Modern residential infill development by Turner & Associates. The site is located in the Valley Heritage Conservation Area.
2 Gilchrist Place
Residential infill in the Balmain East Heritage Conservation Area. Design by De Manincor Russell Architecture Workshop.

Buildings with Structural Issues

The following three properties provide examples of projects that gained approval for work to significant building fabric however, due to structural issues only apparent after work had commenced, new development applications had to be submitted and the buildings had to be rebuilt.

13 & 15 Evans Street + 170 Beattie Street
This residential infill was originally approved with the retention and adaptive reuse of a former c.1900 masonry hall(right). After works commenced the hall was found to be unstable and was subsequently demolished and rebuilt. Design by X Squared Design.
21 Wortley Street
Alterations and rear additions to the original Victorian style dwelling were approved by council however original walls were removed without permission and a ‘Stop Work Order’ was placed on the property; the original DA was voided. A new approval was granted which required the replacement building to be constructed in the same style and with the same bulk. Design by Steele Associates.
2-4 Lookes Ave
A ‘Stop Work Order’ was placed on this heritage listed property as walls were removed without permission due to structural issues. A new DA was submitted and the approved works included the major reconstruction of the Victorian style dwelling(right).

Adaptive Reuse

In 1921 William Colgate established a branch of his American soap and candle business in King Street, Sydney. By 1923 Colgate-Palmolive had moved to Balmain where it acquired additional buildings over the coming years.

In the late 1900s, two of the Colgate-Palmolive buildings were converted into residential apartment buildings. The balconies and top two floors were added structures.

Colgate-Palmolive
The Colgate-Palmolive factory was converted into an apartment and townhouse complex in the 1990s. Bokor Architecture & Interiors. Image taken from Gilchrist Street.
Colgate-Palmolive
View of the converted Colgate-Palmolive factory as seen from Colgate Avenue.

Balmain falls within the local government area of Leichhardt Municipal Council. Information regarding the various heritage conservation areas can be found on the Leichhardt Municipal Council website.

References:
Leichhardt Council website, Dictionary of Sydney, Office of Environment & Heritage – State Heritage Inventory, Pictorial History Balmain To Glebe by Joan Lawrence & Catherine Warne. Historical images courtesy Flickr Commons & the State Library of New South Wales.

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Filed Under: AUSTRALIA, Inner West, NEW SOUTH WALES

Comments

  1. renee says

    October 13, 2015 at 7:32 pm

    Looks lovely and so laid back.Coffee looks great too.

    Reply

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