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I have created a Twitter account so I can add topical points of interest related to Art Deco & Modernism as news happens. Likewise you can pass on events/points of interest related to Modernism in Tasmania and beyond.   Feel free to follow and pass on to anyone who you think may be interested.  Look for @20centurymodern for my new twitter page.

Spaceship Inspired designed Petrol Station Demolished

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These twin oval shaped designs that formed part of this petrol station in Launceston have been demolished.  Buildings most at risk are those in our recent past - looking back at all periods of history, each style at some stage was at risk. It's only with hindsight that people say things like "what were they thinking do demolish all those wonderful buildings"  This very thing happens today with many 20th Century buildings being altered or demolished.  Sadly it takes the process of time for our recent past to be acknowledged as important to our social and cultural fabric.

Historic Hobart Princes Wharf No 2 Demolished

Princes Wharf No 2 (right) has been demolished, this photograph was taken just week prior to it's demolition.


Several 20th Century wharf buildings dot Hobart’s waterfront precinct and are interesting examples of 20th Century Industrial design.  Several still remain intact, but this week Princes Wharf No 2 was demolished to make way for a new project to house scientific marine research. I plan to highlight the other wharf buildings that dot the area, so stay tuned for future posts.

Telstra Building - One of Launceston's tallest 20th Century Landmarks

Move over, the big boys are moving in.....The Telstra Building is one of Launceston's tallest buildings and was built in the early 1970s.  I say "one of" the tallest buildings because the Myer Building would compete with it in terms of height. The views from the top floors over the city must be amazing.

A street view showing the height of the Telstra Building.  This day there as a brooding storm approaching which helped to emphasise the red bricks of the Telstra Building.  In the far right corner, Myer can be seen.

The Telstra Building dominates the skyline and towers over the early 20th Century Post Office clock tower.  The main facade of the Telstra building has interesting use of concrete columns that span horizontally and recessed  into the concrete are windows.  These elements make the building take on a fortress like impression, which is fitting seeing as it's holding all the telephone/Internet equipment that needs to be protected!  

The ground level has aluminium windows that highlight an interesting staircase.  Part of the front facade is adorned in white pebble concrete, and so is the rear of the building, take a look on a sunny day and the pebble/concrete mix shimmers in the sunlight creating interesting effects. 

The interesting use of pebble/concrete applied to the facade of the Telstra Building.  Mid 20th Century buildings used such material as a feature.

1950s retro York Park Entrance Gates - Launceston

York Park in Launceston has undergone many changes and upgrades in recent times, and thankfully the main entrance gates from the late 1950s still remain amongst the vast expansions of the sporting ground.

The post war period in architecture is fascinating, as the use of steel was becoming more popular in architecture design.  The use tubular steel here in the York Park entrance gates create a strikingly light and airy design with a semi-transparent arched roof and brick detailing. Sadly, another sticking Modernist design, a large Brutalist grandstand was demolished in recent times.

Coles Shopping Centre Launceston - Demolished

Now you see it....

My most recent blogs on Tasmanian Modernism have sadly been about the demolition of 20th century design and architecture around the State. This post adds to the "R.I.P" demolition list, as another building, this time the former Coles Supermarket in the suburb of Mowbray was demolished in September 2011 to make way for a new Coles complex.

Now you don't....

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, and I would guess that there wouldn't have been many fans of this building, but I reckon there are far more important issues to look at here, rather than just viewing the buildings taste factor (get it?!) The building I imagine would have been built sometime in the 1970s, this means that its shelf life would have been 30-35 years. In an era when we are being sold the messages of being sustainable and lowering our carbon footprint, many buildings that are so young are being demolished.

The demolition of building that are only a few decades old is like a metaphor for consumerism; buy a mobile phone and before you even have time to take it out of the box, it's out of date, time to throw it away and get a new one. If Government and businesses who constantly inform (annoy?) us that we need to be sustainable citizens in the 21st century, then adaptive reuse of buildings should always be taken into account . Sure not all buildings can can be adaptively reused, but if effective and thorough thought is put into urban planning and architecture design, surely then we can begin to move towards a truly sustainable society rather then just tokenisitc gestures of being sustainable.

There were several interesting features of the building both in terms of design and historical context. Historically, the building reflects the changes during the 1960/70s of the major supermarket chains opening large stores around Australia. They can be considered as early examples of what's known as the big box development. The layout and design of this supermarket was typical of many of the stores of the period; large glass pane windows and lots of brick, creating a warehouse effect.

The use of this style of iron work was typical in 20th Century design

This Supermarket used a textured dark brown colour brick, and the most interesting design element was in the front corner of the building. Here there was what I assume was a security door, and at the top of the window, there was a small window. This window had some stunning iron work that was popular in mid 20th Century design.