Inside Melbourne’s restored Gothic Bank, where ‘every teller had a loaded revolver’

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In its banking heyday successful the 1970s, ANZ’s office – oregon the “Gothic Bank” – connected the country of Collins and Queen streets was a hive of enactment and heavy with cigaret smoke, says Ian Davies, an medication manager for ANZ astatine the time.

“The tellers weren’t expected to fume inside, but they did,” says Davies, who is present successful his 80s. “And up until the aboriginal ’70s, each teller had a loaded .38 revolver.”

Former ANZ worker Ian Davies successful what was erstwhile his bureau connected the 2nd level of the Gothic Bank connected 338 Collins Street.

Much has changed astir the satellite since then: there’s strictly nary smoking indoors, bankers don’t transportation revolvers, and the net has drastically changed the mode radical slope – successful different words, slope branches are quiescent places now.

ANZ hopes to bring backmost immoderate of the Gothic Bank’s erstwhile ft postulation aft restoring the historical gathering and installing a depository astir Australia’s banking past wrong it. The building, which contains an operational banking branch, had been closed for 2 years portion it was being refurbished but reopened to the nationalist this month.

Davies remembers his clip astatine the slope fondly and says it was a privilege to enactment successful the historical gathering due to the fact that of its superb plan and beauty. He has adjacent brought his grandchildren to sojourn his aged workplace.

“It’s a singular building,” helium says. “Back then, we had 150 unit moving successful this building, successful galore departments similar overseas departments, lending, and telling. On the engaged days, you could person good up to a 100 radical successful the chamber.

The Gothic Bank connected the country of Queen and Collins streets, with an ANZ skyscraper down it (left).

“There was nary net banking – you had nary alternate but to travel to a bank.”

Davies’ bureau was located successful the Verdon Chambers, which belonged to Sir George Verdon, the archetypal wide manager of ANZ’s predecessor, the English, Scottish & Australian Bank.

The chambers are located connected the precocious floors of the slope and were Verdon’s idiosyncratic quarters. Along with the underground banking vaults, they are lone unfastened to the nationalist connected peculiar tours.

The Verdon Chambers are affluent with Victorian gothic architecture, specified arsenic heavy reddish wallpaper and hand-carved linen fold doors. But determination is besides a beardown Australian influence, with prized artworks of John Glover, the begetter of Australian scenery painting, adorning immoderate of the walls.

Details of the ornate ceilings wrong the Gothic Bank, wherever determination is besides a banking museum.

In the foyer, restoration works person included reversing the layout to bespeak the archetypal plan from the 19th century, repurposing blackwood counters arsenic retail merchantability pods, and painstakingly removing and restoring thousands of mosaic tiles from the foyer floor.

Architect Adele Winteridge, who headed the refurbishment, said that earlier restoration, the tiles were covered by carpet and were successful disrepair. About 30 to 35 per cent of the tiles were restored, she said. “It’s been brought up to its erstwhile glory now.”

Other chiseled features, specified arsenic golden leafage connected the ample columns wrong the foyer, needed immoderate reapplication. A airy good successful the ceiling of the foyer was besides manus cleaned.

Pointing to the ornate Japanese wallpaper connected the ceiling, Winteridge said the Gothic Bank was “the 2nd astir important practice tract successful Victoria, chiefly due to the fact that of wallpaper. The different is the Exhibition Building successful Carlton, but for privately owned historical buildings, it [the Gothic Bank] is astir apt the astir significant.”

The ANZ Gothic Bank (left) and the aged banal speech successful 1900.

Lachlan Molesworth, seat of the National Trust of Australia, which has classified the gathering arsenic of satellite significance, said: “Traditionally, radical haven’t taken an involvement successful banking history. That’s wherefore this task is truthful extraordinary.

“Banks had a nation-building relation and astatine the time, it was astir showing assurance successful Australia arsenic a increasing nation. This gathering was the carnal awesome of that confidence.”

Displays successful the Gothic Bank’s caller depository conception of the building.

While ANZ has nary plans to donate the gathering to the National Trust, Molesworth said it was successful harmless hands. Hundreds of different historical buildings person been donated to the organisation, including Como House successful South Yarra.

“A gathering similar this, it’s much peculiar erstwhile the slope continues to ain it and usage it – adaptive reuse is the champion happening due to the fact that we [the National Trust] can’t look aft everything,” Molesworth said.