Today’s black and white photo is the rear of The Australian Steamship Navigation Company building (ASNC) which is located on the corner of Hickson Road and George Street at The Rocks in Sydney. It is a magnificent building, but here I wanted to concentrate on the fire escape as I love photos of steps.
This warehouse and office building was designed by William Wardell in the Federation Anglo-Dutch style and completed in 1884.
These warehouses were known as Bond Stores, where goods remained in the storage until importers paid the custom duty on them.
It was later used as Government Ordnance Stores and in 1906 the Department of Defence moved in. It was converted to office space and from 1950 was occupied by the Australian Commonwealth Offices for the Department of Works and Housing. It was acquired by the Sydney Cove Redevelopment Authority in 1989, who restored it in 1991-92 to its original appearance. It now has galleries, retail space and restaurants at street level on Hickson Road and Circular Quay West and commercial offices on the upper floors
Great shot Babs, I just love the architecture around the rocks. I really enjoy visiting there. Thank you for the history lesson too, I find it very interesting.
My hunch is they weren't concerned with fire escapes when it was first built - just jump. Love to see the front. One gets an idea of the architecture by the feature at the bottom right.
@gigiflower I agree I love going to The Rocks. We stayed a couple of nights at a hotel there once which had previously been the nurses accommodation for the first hospital in The Rocks on Harrington Street.
@onewing Love it Babs, right up my alley, as it were. The detail in this shot is impressive and the commentary is very interesting indeed. I see that the building includes a sign at the rear as well as (presumably) the front. Is the warehouse/storage in this part of the building?
@golftragic Thanks Marnie. There are some wonderful buildings around The Rocks. This is the front of the building http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_YGN3l86nWKw/TGi0dVyIkaI/AAAAAAAAE5s/bPXsiZeBxs8/s1600
There are pulleys at the front of the building presumably for lifting supplies. the ASNC is now used as a gallery, restaurants and shops etc. Nothing stays the same. @dgrynn Thanks Deb. I love walking around The Rocks although it does have a dark past as a lot of the buildings were built by convicts.
@onewing I've not spent much time in Sydney, but do find The Rocks a very interesting place to spend time and wander around. Speaking of dark pasts, wasn't much of the then slum population wiped out by some kind of plague in the late C19/early C20?
The Rocks is one of the oldest areas in Sydney and is steeped in history. Fantastic photo opportunities there, but you have to go in winter to avoid the tourists.
There are pulleys at the front of the building presumably for lifting supplies. the ASNC is now used as a gallery, restaurants and shops etc. Nothing stays the same. @dgrynn Thanks Deb. I love walking around The Rocks although it does have a dark past as a lot of the buildings were built by convicts.
It may have been a slum once, but it costs an arm and a leg to live there now!