Holyman House
Holyman House from "The Avenue" on Brisbane Street
Map
General information
TypeCommercial offices
LocationLaunceston, Tasmania
Address52-60 Brisbane Street
Coordinates41°26′10″S 147°08′26″E / 41.4360°S 147.1406°E / -41.4360; 147.1406
Completed1936
Ownerhistoric: ANA present: various businesses
Height
Antenna spire26 metres (85 ft)
Roof19.7 metres (65 ft)
Technical details
Floor count5
Lifts/elevators1
Design and construction
Architect(s)H S East and Roy Smith
Main contractorJ & T Gunn

Holyman House is an iconic Art Deco building in the central business district of Launceston, Tasmania, Australia.

The building was designed by H. S. East[1] and Roy Sharrington Smith architects,[2][3] of Launceston,[4] with Clive Steele, of Melbourne, as consulting engineer.[5][6][7]

The building was built in 1936[8] to house the various branches of Holymans shipping[9] and aviation interests as well as an automobile showroom for Holyman's automotive division.[10][11][12]

The building was designed to reflect the bold futuristic vision of the Holyman Company with the sleek curves, neon-lit spire and modern steel frame construction. Holyman House was most infamously the headquarters of Australian National Airways, an evolution of Holyman's Airways.[13]

After the fall of the Holyman's empire in the 1950s, it was sold to Ansett Australia and eventually divided into office spaces. Holyman House now houses a travel centre on the ground level corner allotment where the flight lounge used to be.

The building is on the Tasmanian Heritage Register.[14]

There is also a heritage listed building in Flinders Street, Melbourne, Victoria with the same name.[15][16]

Records

University of Tasmania special collections holds records of the operations of the Holyman businesses related to the building.[17]

Plans

The Tasmanian Archive and Heritage Office in Hobart hold plans made for the construction of the building.[18][19][20][21]

Gallery

Main entrance into with original red granite and chrome lettering. Door itself replaced in the late 1900s.
Main stairwell on level 2 showing the streamlined Art Deco design

References

  1. ^ "Obituary". The Advocate (Australia). Tasmania, Australia. 20 October 1947. p. 2. Retrieved 23 November 2023 – via National Library of Australia.
  2. ^ "Smith, Roy Sharrington (1892-1971)", Trove, 2010, retrieved 23 November 2023
  3. ^ Ryan, Thomas-Liam (2008), "An art Deco connection: Roy Smith and his Launceston buildings", Spirit of Progress, 9 (4): 13–16, ISSN 1443-7554
  4. ^ "Twentieth Century Architecture in Launceston" (PDF). Queen Victoria Museum and Art Gallery. 1985. Archived (PDF) from the original on 13 March 2019. Retrieved 20 April 2019.
  5. ^ "Sir Clive Steele honored". The Advocate (Australia). Tasmania, Australia. 26 August 1954. p. 1. Retrieved 23 November 2023 – via National Library of Australia.
  6. ^ "Engineers Honor Sir Clive Steele". The Age. No. 30985. Victoria, Australia. 24 August 1954. p. 2. Retrieved 23 November 2023 – via National Library of Australia.
  7. ^ "Steele, Clive Selwyn, (Sir) (1892-1955)", Trove, 2011, retrieved 23 November 2023
  8. ^ Burgess, Julian (19 June 2020). "Art deco architecture at its finest". The Examiner. Retrieved 24 November 2023.
  9. ^ Obituary regarding earlier member of family and shipping leader "Obituary". Daily Telegraph. Vol. XXXIX, no. 198. Tasmania, Australia. 20 August 1919. p. 6. Retrieved 23 November 2023 – via National Library of Australia.
  10. ^ "Large Office Block". The Advocate (Australia). Tasmania, Australia. 2 May 1936. p. 9 (Daily). Retrieved 23 November 2023 – via National Library of Australia.
  11. ^ "Imposing Building for Launceston". The Mercury. Vol. CXLIV, no. 20, 456. Tasmania, Australia. 21 May 1936. p. 7. Retrieved 23 November 2023 – via National Library of Australia.
  12. ^ "Fine New Building". The Examiner (Tasmania). Vol. XCV, no. 257. Tasmania, Australia. 9 January 1937. p. 8 (Daily). Retrieved 23 November 2023 – via National Library of Australia.
  13. ^ Luminosity 7 (2019), Holyman House in black and white, retrieved 23 November 2023((citation)): CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  14. ^ "Tasmanian Heritage Register – Extracted 5 October 2023" (PDF). Heritage Tasmania. p. 46. Retrieved 24 November 2023.
  15. ^ 390-398 Flinders St, Melbourne, National Trust of Australia, Holyman House, retrieved 23 November 2023
  16. ^ Collins, John T (1963), Melbourne. Holyman House, cnr. Market & Flinders Sts, retrieved 23 November 2023
  17. ^ Holyman, William, Reference to index of William Holyman & Sons Shipowners, aerial services and insurance agents, University of Tasmania Library Special and Rare Materials Collection, retrieved 23 November 2023
  18. ^ Plans - Proposed new building for William Holyman and sons Pty Ltd Scale - 8 feet to 1 inch / H S East and Roy Smith Architects / Sept 1935 [paper copies of item NS6895/1/2], Libraries Tasmania, 1935, retrieved 23 November 2023
  19. ^ Plans - Proposed new building for William Holyman and sons Pty Ltd - Scale 8 feet to 1 inch / H S East and Roy Smith Architects / Sept 1935 [colour plans on tracing paper in folder], Libraries Tasmania, 1935, retrieved 23 November 2023
  20. ^ Plans - New office building corner Brisbane and George Streets Launceston for William Holyman and sons Pty Ltd - Scale 8 feet to 1 inch / H S East and Roy Smith Architects / February 1936 [ink and watercolour on linen], Libraries Tasmania, 1936, retrieved 23 November 2023
  21. ^ Plans - Proposed new building for William Holyman and sons Pty Ltd Scale - 8 feet to 1 inch / H S East and Roy Smith Architects / Sept 1935 [paper copies of item NS6895/1/2], Libraries Tasmania, 1935, retrieved 23 November 2023
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