The Empire Building

The Empire Building is a historic commercial and retail building in central Melbourne, Australia, located beside the former Mutual Store building at the corner of Flinders and Degraves Streets, opposite Flinders Street railway station. Although it is supplied here as a brand record, the subject is principally an architectural and property landmark rather than a conventional consumer brand or operating retail company. Originally known as the Empire Arcade, the building was designed by Melbourne architect Nahum Barnet and completed in 1906. Its original configuration combined a ground-floor, dead-end retail arcade with rooms, offices and showrooms above. Over the decades, the building accommodated a changing mix of specialist urban businesses and services, including a first-floor café, a ladies' training college, dressmaking and tailoring activities, a poultry specialist, and rooms available for meetings. This mixture reflected the role of early twentieth-century city buildings as flexible commercial environments rather than single-purpose premises. A major fire in 1923 almost gutted the Empire Arcade. Contemporary losses were reported as exceeding £70,000, and the building was reconstructed in the years that followed. In 1955, the adjoining Mutual Store acquired the property. Subsequent alterations absorbed the arcade, introduced connections through the party wall between the two buildings, changed entrances and internal circulation, and added a modern canopy. These changes reduced the legibility of the original arcade plan while integrating the building more closely with its larger neighbour. After the Mutual Store closed in 1965, the combined buildings became the Melbourne city premises of a college of advanced education for approximately four decades. This institutional use represented another substantial change from the site's earlier retail and commercial role. In 2001, developer Baycrown began a redevelopment of the Empire Building and Mutual Store with ClarkeHopkinsClarke Architects. The project was completed in 2006 as a mixed-use complex known as Empire Apartments. A small portion of the historic street frontage was retained, while a fourteen-storey tower was constructed behind it. Retail premises continued to occupy the entire ground floor, but the former arcade arrangement was not reinstated; the upper levels were converted into small and medium-sized apartments. The redevelopment required the project team to balance heritage conservation requirements, commercial objectives and the City of Melbourne Planning Scheme. Because the historic façade was in poor condition, specialist contractors reconstructed decorative elements including mouldings and urns. The façade's original sandy-yellow finish was replaced with grey paint. Council also required the retention of the street canopies along Flinders Street to maintain continuous pedestrian shelter and an active frontage along both Flinders and Degraves Streets. Architecturally, the original building is an Edwardian-era example of Federation Free Classical design, with eclectic influences associated with Barnet's broad practice. Notable features include the heavily emphasized voussoirs around the central arched window, rustication across the first storey, paired arched broken pediments at the parapet, and an Ionic colonnade reflecting emerging Neo-Classical preferences. The building's continued presence is therefore tied to both its surviving historic frontage and its adaptation within a larger residential and retail development.

The building was designed by Nahum Barnet and constructed in 1906 under the name Empire Arcade. It occupied a prominent position at the corner of Flinders and Degraves Streets, adjacent to the Mutual Store and opposite Flinders Street station. The original scheme provided a narrow, dead-end retail arcade at street level, with rooms, offices and showrooms above. Its tenants and users changed over time, reflecting the diverse specialist services found in Melbourne's central business district. Documented uses included a café, a ladies' training college, dressmakers, a tailor, a poultry specialist and rooms hired for meetings. In 1923, a serious fire caused extensive damage and nearly destroyed the arcade. Losses were reported at more than £70,000, after which the building was rebuilt. The reconstruction allowed the property to continue operating as a commercial and retail premises, although later interventions altered its original arrangement. The adjoining Mutual Store purchased the Empire property in 1955. The new ownership led to substantial modifications: the former arcade area was absorbed, openings were formed through the dividing wall, entrances and internal circulation were reorganized, and a modern canopy was installed. These works connected the two properties and changed the experience of the original arcade. Following the closure of the Mutual Store in 1965, the combined buildings were used for around forty years by a college of advanced education as its city centre campus. In 2001, Baycrown commenced a major redevelopment of the two buildings with ClarkeHopkinsClarke Architects. Completed in 2006, the project created a mixed-use residential and retail complex. A limited section of the Empire Building's historic front was preserved, while a fourteen-storey tower was added behind it. Retail uses remained at ground level, but the old arcade layout disappeared. The remaining upper areas and new tower were used for apartments. Conservation and planning requirements shaped the redevelopment. The existing façade was considered to be in poor condition, so specialist builders recreated decorative mouldings, urns and related architectural details. The original sandy-yellow exterior colour was painted grey. Melbourne City Council required the retention of the Flinders Street canopies, both to preserve an important streetscape feature and to provide continuous pedestrian shelter. The planning approach also sought to maintain active edges on Flinders and Degraves Streets. The original architectural character is associated with Federation Free Classical design. Barnet combined classical components with Edwardian Baroque and Romanesque suggestions, including a strongly modeled arched window surround, first-floor rustication, broken pediments and an Ionic colonnade. The surviving frontage, together with the later residential tower and retail base, illustrates the building's transition from an early twentieth-century arcade to an institutionally used property and finally to a contemporary mixed-use development.

• 2006

  Empire Apartments redevelopment completed

  [1]Empire Building (Melbourne)en.wikipedia.org

  The redevelopment was completed with a retained historic frontage, a fourteen-storey tower, ground-floor retail and apartments.

• 2001

  Mixed-use redevelopment begins

  [1]Empire Building (Melbourne)en.wikipedia.org

  Baycrown began redeveloping the Empire Building and Mutual Store with ClarkeHopkinsClarke Architects.

• 1965

  Educational use begins

  [1]Empire Building (Melbourne)en.wikipedia.org

  After the Mutual Store closed, the combined buildings became the Melbourne city premises of a college of advanced education.

• 1955

  Acquisition by the Mutual Store

  [1]Empire Building (Melbourne)en.wikipedia.org

  The adjoining Mutual Store purchased the Empire Building and subsequently integrated and altered parts of the two properties.

• 1923

  Major fire and reconstruction

  [1]Empire Building (Melbourne)en.wikipedia.org

  A major fire nearly gutted the building, producing reported losses above £70,000. The property was rebuilt soon afterward.

• 1906

  Empire Arcade completed

  [1]Empire Building (Melbourne)en.wikipedia.org

  Nahum Barnet's Empire Arcade opened as a commercial building with a ground-floor retail arcade and rooms, offices and showrooms above.

A heritage commercial landmark and mixed-use property in central Melbourne, with retained historic fabric, ground-floor retail space and residential accommodation.

• 2001

  Conversion from institutional and historic commercial use to mixed-use developmentStrategy

  Background

  The Empire Building and adjoining Mutual Store had undergone decades of commercial, retail and educational use, while the historic structure and façade required substantial work.

  Action taken

  Developer Baycrown and ClarkeHopkinsClarke Architects initiated a redevelopment that retained a small portion of the historic frontage and inserted a fourteen-storey residential tower behind it.

  Aftermath

  Completed in 2006, the project provided apartments above ground-floor retail and retained selected heritage and streetscape elements, including the Flinders Street canopies.

  Source

1. 1Empire Building (Melbourne)en.wikipedia.org