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Lombard Building
Lombard Building
	The building viewed from street level
General information
Location	15-17 Queen Street, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
Completed	1889-90;
Technical details
Floor count	7 floors (including basement level)
Floor area	total area for leased office space 2373sqm;
Lifts/elevators	2
Design and construction
Architect(s)	Reed, Henderson + Smart
Developer	H Lockington

The Lombard Building is a Victorian era, building built between 1889-90, within the Melbourne CBD in Victoria, Australia. It was designed by the architectural practice of Reed, Henderson & Smart (1883-1890), now known as Bates Smart. The building was built to house several office practices, which it still operates as today.

History

Built between 1889-90, the Lombard Building is a seven storey office building including a basement level designed by the architecture firm at the time Reed, Henderson & Smart (Joseph Reed, Anketell Henderson & Charles Smart). Constructed for Balfour, Elliott & Co. the building was built in the Victorian era with a free classical style and sits on a Melbourne city block in Queen Street, . During its lifetime the building has changed hands and has been renovated many times. In July 1957 the building was traded at a price tag of $204,000 and was renovated on the upper floors and the lower ground in 1981 and 1985. By July of 1987 the traded price had already risen to a value of $2.7mil, and was bought by Swiss Reinsurance Australia Ltd for $5mil in April 1990. During this time the entire building was renovated at a cost of $7mil which was the highest cost for the building so far. Eventually the building was sold to its current owners Domenico and Marianne of the Lombard House Pty Ltd for $9.3mil^[2]. The building is currently used to lease office space.

Architecture

Built during the Victorian era, the building reflects the late boom style design where elements of the classical are arranged in a more free excessive way, hence being called free classical. The building sits on 15-17 Queen Street, Melbourne CBD with a site area of 590sqm and has a frontage of 15.62m2^[2]. Built with 6 levels and a basement the building reflects the Victorian era of skyscraper and is among the first buildings in Melbourne to have lifts. The floors are centered around two lifts and a central staircase, giving each level an approx. floor area of 350sqm and a total approx. floor area of 2373sqm^[2]. The building is constructed of load bearing brick walls with internal structural iron and a stucco façade. The façade is complex as the building was designed to reflect the wealth of its owners at the time through the free classical style incorporating elements of arched openings, pediments, pilasters, a Hellenistic frieze and a large Diocletian window. The indication of new Queen Anne Revival style is evident in the picturesque roofline with a pedimented parapet and bold flanking chimney stacks. As with many buildings at the time, the basement is hidden behind iron balustrading at the ground floor level. In 1926 an electric lift was installed adjacent to the original hydraulic lift^[1].

Occupants

List of current occupants within the Lombard Building^[2]:

Lower Level 1 - Webber Design Structural Engineers
Ground Level - Prostate Cancer Foundation of Australia
Level 1 - Live Performance Australia & QMV Solutions
Level 2 - Godfrey Pembroke Financial Consultants Ltd, Portfolio and Wealth Management Pty Ltd & Johansson Solicitors
Level 3 - Peter J Woodford Pty Ltd & Uranex NL
Level 4 - Lion Selection Group (African and Asian Lion)
Level 5 - LGR Telecommunications
Level 6 - Great Vision Shipping & Tel Investment Trust

Gallery

The façade of the Lombard Building on Queen street, Melbourne.
Melbourne Lombard building basement from outside
View from level 5 of the Lombard building looking down the atrium to the basement.
View from basement looking up the atrium between offices.
Closer view from level 05 of the top of the atrium with skylight.
A basic floor plan of levels 1-5 in the Lombard building.
Perspective sketch of the Lombard Building from Queen Street Melbourne
Perspective sketch of the Lombard Building from Queen Street Melbourne

References

^ ^a ^b ^c Victorian Heritage Database, LOMBARD BUILDING, retrieved 13th April 2013
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e Melbourne Cityscope Collection, State Library of Victoria, 2012, Map 36. retrieved 17th April 2013

[Heritage-1] Victorian Heritage Database, LOMBARD BUILDING, retrieved 13th April 2013

[Cityscope-2] Melbourne Cityscope Collection, State Library of Victoria, 2012, Map 36. retrieved 17th April 2013

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