Burley Griffin and his incinerator fetish

The Willoughby Incinerator was dedicated in September 1934 based upon a design by Griffin and his business partner, Eric Milton Nicholls. It now stands in Bicentennial Park, Willoughby [close to the leisure center], with the local council spending squillions to restore it to heritage standard as an art space. I will focus upon this building this week. Today I show you the roofline of the incinerator, and the lift to take folk like myself down to the exhibition space avoiding the rather steep, but safe enough, steps. Why do I say 'fetish'? There is another municipal incinerator designed by WBG over in Glebe. When I google, I find that they designed and built 18 incinerators, 12 of them in Sydney, two of which are still standing. This one looks a bit like a crematorium, which figures. Show you tomorrow. What do you think of Richard Goodwin's 2011 "Exoskeleton Lift"? Complements the incinerator - but the Art Space was open on ANZAC Day, whilst the lift was locked.

Heritage lift - take your mobile

A little while back, I expressed my delight in being a luddite, and showed you the entrance to No.2 Martin Place, now occupied by Pasapaley Pearls. This building started life as the banking chamber for The Australasian Bank, which has now circuitously morphed into the ANZ Bank.

If, instead of nipping into the George Street entrance, one enters via the Martin Place entrance shown in my final photograph today, one discovers this most delightful old lift, on which a most discrete sign says: 'Heritage lift - please ensure you have a mobile'. The building was constructed during 1902 - 1904, and the lift is original.

This land, on the east side of George Street opposite the original Barracks Square, had been built upon from the early days of the colony. Originally the Bank of Australasia’s site was on two distinct titles. The two titles were converted to a single title at the beginning of 1904. The building was designed by Edward E Raht, an architect from New York (but born in Austria) who arrived in Australia in July 1891.

The street facades are constructed of "Bowral trachyte" from Mount Gibraltar microsyenite quarry in the southern highlands of NSW. The work was carried out by Loveridge and Hudson who were important masonry contractors with skilled banker masons as well as their own trachyte quarries. The two large basement levels extend 5 metres under Martin Place and are lit by deep wells on all three facades, with pavement lights.

I am indebted to the NSW Office of Environment & Heritage for many of these details.