Lucas Stapleton Johnson in Sydney, Australia | Architectural designer

Lucas Stapleton Johnson

Locality: Sydney, Australia

Phone: +61 2 9357 4811

Address: The Trust Building, Suite 303, 155 King Street 2000 Sydney, NSW, Australia

Website: http://www.lsjarchitects.com

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25.01.2022 Covid 19 wanderings in the Southern Highlands: The Central Hotel is located in heart of the original town of Moss Vale, on the corner of Lackey and Argyle Streets, adjacent to the rail bridge. Originally known as the Tattersalls Hotel, it was built by a Thomas Cosgrove in c.1879. The name changed to the Central Hotel in 1891 and was renovated in 1906 with the addition of decorative timber balustrades, posts and brackets. The building underwent major renovations in 1928 whe...n the upper verandah and corner entry were removed and a parapeted façade was added in the style of the time. The hotel closed in 2013 and is currently vacant. Photo 1: Moss Vales second rail bridge going up with the Tattersalls Hotel in the background, c.1885. Photo: BDH&FHS. Photo 2: The Central Hotel in the 1920s as seen from under the rail bridge. Photo: BDH&FHS Photo 3: The Central Hotel today from under the rail bridge.

24.01.2022 Closed string newel stair in a 1890s house on Johnston Street Annandale. See how nice old buildings can be!

24.01.2022 Pictured is a normal late 19th century rim lock (no. 60) by Kenrick, West Bromwich. This firm has featured before on these pages with a variety of thumb latches. The company Kenrick and Sons of Birmingham, originally from West Bromwich, Staffordshire, started in the 1700s making buckles and soon went on to manufacture a range of door hardware. The company continues to exist and operate today.

24.01.2022 Today we would like to share some beautiful photos of The Entrance Surf Club, unearthed during a recent site visit. Built in 1936, the Spanish Mission style pavilion was comprised of a hall and arcade. Unfortunately the arcade was demolished in the 1970s and replaced with the extension pictured in the aerial shot below.

23.01.2022 While visiting the Victoria & Albert Museum in London, we photographed the often replicated Glastonbury Chair designed by the prolific English architect, Augustus Welby Northmore Pugin. Pugin is of particular interest to us for his role in the dissemination of Gothic Revival architecture to Australia. He was commissioned by the first catholic bishop of Australia, John Bede Polding, to design, in absentia, a series of churches for the colonies. One of the best examples of a Pugin design in Australia is the St Francis Xavier Catholic Church in Berrima, NSW, picture below.

23.01.2022 In 1867, a villa named Manar was constructed on the Macleay estate, Potts Point for Walter Lamb Esq to designs by architect John Frederick Hilly (1810-1883). Hilly was once described as NSWs leading architect. In 1919, the firm Ernest A. Scott and Green converted the villa into residential flats and built a second block of flats to the north of the house (see Figure 1). In 1926, the same firm added another block of flats to the east of the house. In 2017, whilst undertakin...g refurbishment works to one of the flats in the original villa, LSJ found a segment of an old magazine under floorboards (see Figure 2). The segment showed an ad for a department store on Oxford Street knowns as Winns. Winns first started life in Newcastle in the 1870s and the family opened stores in Sydney in the 1890s, including the store on Oxford Street, Darlinghurst in the early 20th century. A portion of the Oxford Street store survives on Liverpool Street, Darlinghurst (see Figure 3). Text of the newspaper was fed into Trove (the National Library of Australia) and the date of the 1919 conversion work was confirmed. #welovetrove Figure 1: Scott and Green flat building at Manar. Building Magazine, Vol. 41 No. 254, October 12, 1928, p. 12 Figure 2: Photograph by LSJ Architects, 2017 Figure 3: Detail from 1940s photograph by Frank Hurley looking east over Hyde Park showing the Winns Department Store building fronting Liverpool Street, Darlinghurst. NLA, PIC FH/213 LOC Cold store PIC HURL 16/29

23.01.2022 The team here at LSJ are proud to have been acknowledged in the 2019 National Trust Awards. Revive The Regent led by Simone Sheridan and the local Mudgee community, with assistance from LSJ and John Broadley Heritage, took home the award for advocacy for their campaign to save the Regent Theatre, Mudgee, NSW. We are grateful to have been acknowledged in the award and were more than happy to have been consulted on such a worthwhile project. Credit both photos: ABC Central West, Melissa Pearce, 2015 #lsjarchitects #architecture #conservation #Mudgee #NSW #NationalTrust #australianarchitecture

22.01.2022 Covid 19 wanderings through Tempe: Nelson Lodge is a stone, Georgian style bungalow, constructed c.1858 for William Well, former convict (transported for highway robbery), publican and owner of the Lord Nelson Hotel, Millers Point, the oldest continuously licensed hotel in Sydney. When Well built Nelson Lodge, it is possible that he was considering retiring as a country gentleman, as the suburb of Tempe (or Cooks River) was, in the 1860s, a rural outpost centred around Al...exander Brodie Sparks Tempe House, one of Sydneys showpiece estates at the time. Nelson Lodge was also the home for other persons of note including Edward Grant Ward, former Registrar General and Rev. Arthur Aspinall, the first principal of Scots College, Bellevue Hill. A permanent conservation order was placed over the property in 1978 and in 1999 the place was included on the State Heritage Register. (SHR listing 00518)

22.01.2022 LSJ have been delighted to have the opportunity to return to Catherine Hill Bay, a stunning part of the coastline, to undertake further heritage work. The former mining village of Catherine Hill Bay (est. 1888) is located on the site of the earlier mining town of Cowper (est. 1875), and was established in association with the Wallarah Coal Company who opened a colliery to the south of the village on Hales Bluff. Catherine Hill Bay and its sister village Middle Camp and surrounding landscape are located within a State heritage listed cultural precinct, comprising picturesque and distinctive historic townscapes forming the oldest group of buildings in Lake Macquarie, set in land/seascapes of exceptional aesthetic and technical significance, both visually and as an archaeological resource for industrial heritage. (SHR no. 01828)

21.01.2022 This weeks post highlights an important conservation practice principal. The Burra Charter (Australia ICOMOS, first. adopted 1979, current version 2013) outlines principles for conserving significant buildings. The Illustrated Burra Charter (2004) provides illustrated, real-life examples. This post is an extract from the IBC. Article 33: Removed Fabric... Where possible and culturally appropriate, removed significant fabric including contents, fixtures and objects should be kept at the place... Real life example 190: Fabric Removed to Assist Interpretation: Former Macaroni Factory, Hepburn Springs, VICTORIA. The macaronic factory was commenced in 1859 by brothers Giacomo and Pietro Lucini from northern Italy. It functioned as a macaroni factory until the 1930s when it was sold and converted into holiday apartments. A descendant of the brothers retained ownership of the building, [] [conserving] its remarkable hand painted murals, executed by Giacomo Lucini in 1862-64. The paintings are of high significance not only for their early date but also because they are completely of Italian design and construction. [] Soon after the completion of the paintings the ceiling started to sag, and timber posts and beams were installed to support it. [] Following reports and works by a conservator, and strengthening of the ceiling, application was made to Heritage Victoria for the removal of the timber [posts and] beams, on the basis that whilst they were significant as part of the story of the building, the interpretation of the room was of greater value. The position of the removed supports can be seen in the ceiling and floor. The posts are stored in a shed at the back of the building and the stumps remain visible in the floor of the room. Source for text and images: M. Walker & P. Marquis-Kyle, The Illustrated Burra Charter: Good Practice for Heritage Places Australia ICOMOS, 2004, Victoria. P. 97 #lsjarchitects #architecture #conservation #Victoria #australianarchitecture #italiandesign #fresco

21.01.2022 LSJ are taking a moment to appreciate a now rare feature of the well-appointed home: the billiard room. A manly pursuit, the game of billiards rose in popularity in Australia in the 1860s reaching its peak in the first decades of the 20th century. Contained either within the main body of the house or as a separate, purpose built, structure, the billiard room needed to comply with strict measurements. According to a 1919 article in Building : the magazine for the architec...t, builder, property owner and merchant (Vol. 25, No. 146, 11 Oct., 1919) the billiard room needed to accommodate a table of 12ft x 6ft with a further 6ft around for playing space, seating and lounges were not to encroach into the playing space and were to be raised 18 inches allowing a clear view of the table top and lighting was best achieved by the means of a clerestory. Other necessary features included the rack, the scoreboard and an adjoining lavatory. In the early 1900s, design competitions for billiard rooms were held yearly by Building magazine for architects to display their drawing and perspective skills. Photo 1: Billiard Room, Scone (SLNSW, At Work and Play 03818) Photo 2: Billiard Room at Carleton, Summer Hill (SLNSW, At Work and Play 01254) Photo 3: Billiard Room at the old Union Club, Sydney (undated, Union Club, Sydney) Photo 4: Floor plan of a winning entry in the Billiard Room competition in 1911 by architect S.H. Hodgetts (Building magazine, Vol 4 No. 47, 12 July 1911)

21.01.2022 We were honoured to receive an award at the recent 2019 Waverley Heritage and Design Awards for our work on the verandah restoration of La Vincompte, St Catherines School, Waverley. Special thanks to our clients: St Catherine's School Sydney and to Waverley Council and all consultants and contractors involved. Photo Credits : LSJ & Partners and St Catherines School, Waverley.... #lsjarchitects #architecture #conservation #NSW #Waverley #australianarchitecture #WaverlyCouncil

20.01.2022 The term sham window encompasses all types of illusory false doors and windows on a buildings façade, to maintain a sense of symmetry and rhythm. Different approaches to creating sham windows vary in refinement. Simpler techniques include carving window shaped impressions into the façade or painting on delusive window frames. More sophisticated methods include installing frames, glazing and (in extreme cases) blinds into a recess. At Glenfield in Casula, we restored a sh...am window and door on the façade of the stables. Pictured below you can see that the left most door and window are painted on, mimicking their original state. We have also included and image of the highly detailed sham windows adorning the New Norfolk hospital in Tasmania. Image credit for Glenfield: Nick Watt 2018 Image credit for New Norfolk Hospital: Clive Lucas 2018

20.01.2022 Hyde Park Barracks: Lift Installation The Main Barracks Building originally had 2 staircases located opposite each other. The staircase on the south side of the building was removed in c1887 to allow for extra rooms for the courts to be inserted at all levels. These rooms were removed as part of the restoration project in the 1990s and a Ghost Stair was inserted: a thin steel frame following the configuration of the original stair. This in turn has now been removed to make ...way for a new passenger lift which will allow all visitors to experience all three levels of the Barracks museum. Archival photographs by Evolving Picture on behalf of Sydney Living Museums #lsjarchitects #HydeParkBarracks #architecture #conservation #heritagearchitecture #australianarchitecture #sydneylivingmuseums #EvolvingPicture

19.01.2022 With Vivid Light and Ideas Festival on in Sydney, we here at LSJ have been paying extra attention to various lighting solutions. Traditional light fittings in heritage buildings had to be functional, but were often used as an additional opportunity for ornamentation. The examples below from Lahnydrock and Knightshayes in the UK present unique and memorable solutions. Photo Credit: Ian Stapleton #architecture #heritage #lsjarchitects #vivid #knightshayes #lahnydrock #uk

18.01.2022 Fanlights, a common element in Victorian era buildings, were born out of a necessity to ventilate rooms due to the use of gas lighting. They had the added benefit of adding natural light to a building's entrance space. As well as their counterparts, sidelights, they were used liberally up until the 1920s when they went out of vogue. Similarly, skylights provide daylight and ventilation for attic spaces and were used in colonial builds before the popularity of dormers. Skylights remain a significant architectural element in contemporary buildings.

17.01.2022 Vale, the Egyptian style late-1980s lobby of the Old MLC building in Martin Place, Sydney which is being demolished today. Whilst a lot of work has been done recently on assessing Brutalist style buildings, little has been done in Australia yet to identify good examples of Post Modern style works like this. Image: MLC Lift lobby after 1980s redesign by Lucas Stapleton Johnson, Architects. Photographer: Adrian Body

17.01.2022 Did you know that until the late 1860s when the Victoria Bridge was constructed over the Nepean River, connecting Penrith and Emu Plains, travellers relied on the Emu Ferry or punt. A ferry was in use over the river from at least the early 1820s and by 1823 references to a Punt House on the Emu Plains side of the river can be found. The Punt House was located on or very close to the site of where the old Police Station and Residence is now located on Punt Road, opposite Emu Hall, on the western bank of the river. In 1828, the toll to cross the river was 6 cents for each foot passenger, 60 cents for a chaise with two horses, and for every score [20] head of cattle the cost was 180 cents. ( Sydney Gazette and NSW Advertiser: Government and General Orders, Colonial Secretarys Office, 7th May 1823)

16.01.2022 Now known as The Old School, pictured is the Darlington Public School not long after its completion in 1877 and as it exists today. The school was designed by G. A. Mansfield, who was architect to the Council of Education from 1867 to 1880. During the 13 years in this role, Mansfield designed over 90 public schools throughout New South Wales, ranging from small country schools to large city schools. Mansfields school buildings present a distinctive and consistent image o...f primary schools in New South Wales. While adhering to the Gothic Revival style and a typology of five model plans,' each building was unique in their detailing and adapted to suit their surroundings and the Australian climate. Darlington School has a distinctive octagonal tower. By 1891, the suburb of Darlington had the highest population density in Sydney but fell into decline in the mid-20th century. It was subsequently rezoned by the State Government in 1958 and redeveloped by the University of Sydney, who erected a large number of university buildings in the area. LSJ was responsible for restoration works undertaken at the School in 2005, which involved repairs to the roof, stonework, and joinery, as well as providing new accessible facilities to the building.

16.01.2022 Here's to a safe, relaxing and happy holiday season for all. Our office will be closed from Wednesday 23rd December and will reopen Monday 11th January 2021. Here is photo of the heritage listed pedestrian suspension bridge over Parsley Bay, built in 1910 by (then) Vaucluse Municipal Council. Designed by E.S Sautelle, Town Clerk and Council Engineer , it is the only example of its type in Sydney and was built to provide access to the Parsley Bay ferry wharf.

15.01.2022 LSJ have just received the exciting news that the Regent Theatre Mudgee has been gazetted on the NSW State Heritage Register. LSJ assisted with writing objection letters against an unsympathetic development proposal for the place and were joint winners of the 2019 Advocacy Award at the NSW National Trust Heritage Awards; but the real congratulations goes to the local community of Mudgee and the Revive The Regent organisation. Well done to all. Image: Mudgee Guardian (Rochelle McDonald), 21st January 2020

14.01.2022 We are delighted to share with you one of our current projects Brinsley’s Joinery Works. The interwar warehouse styled workshop was rebuilt in 1930 after the original building was destroyed by fire. It remained mostly intact, including some early 1900s machinery, and was continuously used as a joinery workshop by ALLWAYS WOOD JOINERY. They produce custom made high-quality traditional joinery. So come and have a look if that’s your cup of tea. ALLWAYS WOOD JOINERY: http://www.gcwaller.com.au/projects?project_id=5

13.01.2022 Pictured here is a traditional see-saw clothesline, now a rather uncommon iteration of a garden staple. It works by pivoting the lines down to the user's height and securing the crossbar with a chord tied around a cleat on the post. This example was taken from one of our partners' own backyards.

12.01.2022 And I somehow rather fancy that I'd like to change with Clancy, Like to take a turn at droving where the seasons come and go, While he faced the round eternal of the cash-book and the journal But I doubt he'd suit the office, Clancy, of "The Overflow". (Clancy of the Overflow, A.B. Banjo Paterson)... The new acquisition of Narriearra Station by National Parks has set the office a buzz, with the future conservation of natural heritage, Aboriginal heritage and European heritage, as well as part of an important water system: the Bulloo Overflow. Below is a detail from Tracing shewing the route of the Victorian Exploration Expedition from Bilbarka to the Depot on Coopers Creek by William J. Wills, 1860 (SLNSW) of two Burke & Wills campsites, Camp 48 at the Tongowoko waterhole and Camp 49 at Caryapundy Swamp, now located within Narriearra.

11.01.2022 Victorian architect Benjamin Backhouse (1829-1904), migrated to Victoria in 1852 where he practised as a builder and then as an architect at Geelong and, with a partner, at Ballarat. In 1860, he went to Brisbane where he prospered as an architect, finally relocating to Sydney in 1868. Backhouse soon developed a large architectural practice with branches at Newcastle and Bathurst. He was secretary of the Institute of Architects of New South Wales in 1871-73 and he joined the ...City of Sydney Improvement Board in 1879 and was its chairman in 1880-92. He helped found the Sanitary Reform League in 1880, investigated sanitation whenever he could and worked tirelessly for a better urban sewerage system; he joined the Metropolitan Board of Water Supply and Sewerage in 1895. Backhouse was an earnest social reformer, strongly influenced by his reading of Carlyle, Ruskin and William Morris and was appointed to the Legislative Council in 1895. Notable surviving architectural work by Backhouse includes Duntryleague, Orange; All Saints College, Bathurst; Government House (Fernberg), Brisbane; Ipswich Grammar School, Brisbane; and Minimbah House (formerly Dulcamah), Whittingham near Singleton (pictured). CREDITS Text paraphrased from: K. J. Cable, 'Backhouse, Benjamin (18291904)', Australian Dictionary of Biography, 1979 List of works: Mark Stiles, design professional, Sydney Image: Bible Training Institute (Minimbah), Singleton, NSW (undated), Australian Indigenous Ministries pictorial material, State Library of NSW PXA 773 / Box 2

11.01.2022 Hou Wang Temple - Flashback from the archives of our Senior Associate Architect, Michael Gunn. Completed in 1903 to serve a growing Chinese community at Cedar Camp near Atherton (FNQ), the temple complex was dedicated to the god Hou Wang. Constructed of local cedar, black bean and clad in corrugated iron, it formed a social and spiritual centre for more than a thousand people. Along with the actual Temple, the complex contained a Feasting Hall, Kitchen & Store, Caretakers Qua...rters and Accommodation for regional visitors. It is the only surviving timber and iron temple in Australasia and is one of only two temples outside of China, dedicated to the Chinese god Hou Wang. Towards the end of WWI, the QLD government revoked all agricultural leases including those held by the Chinese community at Cedar Camp, reallocating them to returning servicemen. Most Chinese were forced to move away, and many buildings were sold or relocated in the 1920s, leaving Temple complex and three associated buildings. Several Chinese families bought the land occupied by the Temple to secure its future, eventually donating it to the National Trust of Qld in 1979. Minor repair work was carried out by the National Trust of Australia Queensland Architects office in the 1980s & 90s. In 1999 the Queensland Heritage Trails Projects funded a substantial conservation and interpretation project on the site including adaptation of a nearby post office as an Interpretation Centre. The temple complex was meticulously upgraded with hidden strengthening to resist high wind events and has successfully survived several high category cyclones since, including Larry & Yasi. Our senior associate architect Michael Gunn was conservation architect for the Hou Wang Temple Complex QHTP works 1999-2002 (as Principal, MGA Brisbane) co-ordinating a team of specialist engineers, a painting conservator (John Hook) and builder Bob Pope (RM Pope Pty Ltd). Project manager was Gordon Grimwade & Associates (Heritage Consultants, Yungaburra, FNQ). Today the place is managed by the National Trust of Qld for heritage tourism and education purposes and open to visitors Source of images: Michael Gunn Architects, 2002 Text source & image of Cedar Camp in 1903: Time & Place Newsletter, Queensland Heritage Council, Issue no 5 Cultural Diversity, Brisbane, 2003. (Editor K. Stewart-Stafford) #lsjarchitects #architecture #conservation #fnq #queensland #athertontableland #queenslandarchitecture #australianarchitecture #houwangtemple #chinesetemple #nationaltrust

11.01.2022 The use of lime mortar has a long and storied history, dating back millennia to when the Ancient Egyptians plastered it over pyramids. Lime mortar is naturally soft and porous thus giving it certain advantages, especially when dealing with building materials such as soft bricks, natural stone and terracotta. It is usually sturdy enough for most applications and its porosity helps it wick moisture to the surface of the wall where it can evaporate. Unfortunately, with the introduction of hard Portland cement in the 19th century, the use of traditional lime mortar declined. Using concrete and cement to repair old buildings can cause unexpected problems and generally should be avoided. Photo taken from Historic England's "Practical Building Conservation: Earth Brick & Terracotta", Ashgate Publishing, London, 2015

09.01.2022 A touch of Rome in Sydney: Cupolas were traditionally used to provide extra light or ventilation for roof spaces but have evolved into a decorative element. The cupolas on the pictured Trust building are ornamental as well as functional; housing the building's sprinkler system.

09.01.2022 LSJ is happy to announce that the development application to refurbish and restore Duntryleague Mansion, Orange, has been submitted! With fundraising commenced we are hopeful for the future of this historic house. The Orange Golf Club took over the ownership and running of the guest house in 1935. Image below of golfer Bobby Locke, sporting some rather dashing plus fours, in front of the Duntryleague Mansion was taken in 1955. Photo courtesy of the Orange & District Historical Society.

09.01.2022 LSJ is proud to announce that we have been shortlisted for this years National Trust Awards. Our project Roseneath in Parramatta has been nominated under the category of 'Conservation Built Heritage'. We would like to take this opportunity to thank our clients at Our Lady of Mercy College for the opportunity to work on this beautiful and significant building.

09.01.2022 Here at LSJ we are always on the lookout for heritage items and places of significance to visit on our Covid19 wanderings. A recent afternoon walk through the suburb of Watsons Bay took in the lovely St. Peters Anglican Church located on the cliffs looking over Sydney Harbour. It was built in 1864 to designs by Edmund Thomas Blacket, who was the Colonial Architect of NSW from 1849 to 1854 and famous for his churches. The small church in the English Gothic style remains virtually unchanged since its construction and contains a Robert and William Grey organ of 1796 once in the possession of Napoleon Bonaparte. Photo: 1870s photograph by Charles Bayliss of St. Peters Anglican Church from Old South Head Road with Watsons Bay in the distance. Holtermann archive, National Library of Australia

07.01.2022 How to do alts and adds? Sometimes a contrasting modern addition is not the best solution. Widely admired as the finest Neo-classical church in Australia, the Pitt Street Uniting Church was extended 7.5 metres to the north in 1867 by the architect George Allen Mansfield. Here is John Bibb’s original Greek Revival design and here is the extended version we see today. If you think that is cleverly done, wait till you see the interior.

06.01.2022 Truro Cathedral in Cornwall, UK, was designed by J. L. Pearson in the Gothic Revival style in 1880. Construction was completed 30 years later in 1910 by Pearson's son F. L. Pearson. The plan of the cathedral is unusual in that it rotates by 2 degrees at the transept, aligning the choir and altar with an earlier chapel (you can see the tilt in the second photo below). The relevance of Truro Cathedral to Australian heritage architecture is that the father and son team of J. L. and F. L. Pearson were the architects of St. John's Cathedral in Brisbane. Photography Credit: Ian Stapleton #lsjarchitects #Architecture #heritage #Truro #Cornwall #Cathedral #Gothic

06.01.2022 For this weeks post we would like to take a closer look at the Australian architect, Thomas Rowe. Colonel Rowe was an expatriate from Cornwall who sailed to Sydney with his wife in 1848. He set up his business on Pitt St in 1853 and it was said that by 1895 one could walk Pitt Street and always be opposite one of his buildings. Rowe's practice specialised in churches and large residential projects. Some of his more significant projects include: the Jewish Synagogue in Elizabe...th Street, Sydney (1874), Sydney Hospital in Macquarie Street (1879, Newington College, Stanmore (1878), and the Sydney Arcade and Vickery's Building, Pitt Street, Sydney (1874). He was the favoured architect for the Methodist Church and designed dozens of churches for them around NSW. We have been involved with one such church in Chatswood: helping Willoughby Council find a suitable new use for the disused Chatswood South Uniting Church. He wasnt averse to working for other religions. One of his finest works is the Sydneys Great Synagogue in Elizabeth Street, a commission he won in a limited architectural competition. Because a lot of his work has been demolished we tend to overlook just how prolific and influential he was in his day. He was a founder of the Australian Institute of Architects and was the Institutes president for many years. Text adapted from: J. M. Freeland, 'Rowe, Thomas (18291899)', Australian Dictionary of Biography, National Centre of Biography, Australian National University, accessed online 24 April 2019.

05.01.2022 Following from our previous post, pictured is an elaborate late 1880s thumb latch made by the company Kenrick and Sons, an ironmongery firm which still exists and operates today. Still located in West Bromwich, Staffordshire, Kenrick and Sons started in the late 1700s making buckles and soon after expanded to include cast iron cookware. By 1840, the firm were making door furniture. In 1886, Kenricks paid the passage for Mr J.K. Merritt to travel to Australia, where he became the principal sales representative for the company until his retirement in 1931. Merrit worked as a commercial traveller and eventually became chairman of several companies. He was a member of Kew City Council from 1901 to 1915 and served as mayor from 1904 to 1905. In 1913 he was also elected to the Victorian Legislative Council for East Yarra Province.

05.01.2022 We are very pleased to announce that the firm has relocated to The Trust Building, Suite 303, 155 King Street, Sydney. The Trust Building was designed by Robertson and Marks Architects in the Edwardian Baroque Revival style for The Daily Telegraph (constructed 1914 to 1916) and renovated in the Art Deco style in the 1930s to designs by Samuel Lipson. We are relishing the stonework, chrome detailing and marble finishes of our new office.

04.01.2022 LSJ are very sad to hear the terrible news about the fire at the Notre Dame Cathedral.

03.01.2022 Our firm has recently had the opportunity to do some 1920s style gates for a property in Woollahra. The original house was constructed in the late 19 century and reworked by Professor Leslie Wilkinson in the mid 20th century. We think the new fence and gate compliment the strong historic character of the house and garden.

03.01.2022 With Sydney Open coming up in November we thought it would be topical to share some of the historic buildings LSJ have worked on. We recommend exploring the foyer of the old MLC Building (north west corner of Martin Place and Castlereagh St), Woolloomooloo Wharf, and the Sydney GPO courtyard (pictured below) and bank chamber (corner of Martin Place and Pitt St). All of these are partially accessible to the public all year round.

02.01.2022 Botany Town Hall auditorium Botany Town Hall was opened in 1899 to serve the newly proclaimed Municipality of Botany. The Victorian Italianate building underwent its first major extension in 1934 with a new council chamber at the rear and an enlarged auditorium (dance hall) on the first floor. The auditorium survives with its 1930s make-over including a distinctive proscenium with its Art Deco inspired geometric patterning and the council initials. LSJ is currently writing ...the conservation management plan for this landmark building. Photograph dated 1938 from J. Jervis, A Jubilee History of the Municipality of Botany, Sydney, (1939) #lsjarchitects #architecture #conservation #NSW #Botany #townhall #australianarchitecture #ArtDeco

02.01.2022 Thumb latch, Norfolk latch, Suffolk latch all mean pretty much the same type of door hardware in Australia. They were used on boarded doors to more minor rooms in houses, sheds and privys. Here is a very elaborate one made by Kenrick and Sons of Birmingham in the 1890s.

01.01.2022 Just a quick appreciation post for vintage door fittings. When detailing a project, using period appropriate hardware (such as these cast iron hinges), gives a degree of authenticity. By comparison they make modern stainless steel hinges seem pretty ordinary.