Writing About Flinders Street Station
Beyond the Façade is the first book written by researcher, Jenny Davies. The concept for the book developed out of a passion for Melbourne architecture coupled with a natural curiosity about the how it could possibly be that her grandparents had met at a dance in the ballroom of Flinders Street Station. When Jenny investigated the social history of the station further, it became apparent that very little had actually been written about the comings and goings of the station that were not actually related to the buildings primary function as a railway station.
After delving through piles of Victorian railways Institute reviews and VR Magazines, the larger story of the function of the station in the social, educational and recreational lives of hundreds of thousands of Melburnians and Victorians, became increasingly apparent.
Beyond the Façade: Flinders Street, more than just a railway station invites the reader to explore the diversity of activities that revolved around the station over the 100 years of its history. The social history of the station is indeed a reflection of the history of Melbourne.
For further details on Beyond the Façade: Flinders Street, more than just a railway station please Click Here.
The Station Turns 100
Flinders Street Station was officially opened on Saturday 22 January 1910. This event took place in what is now known as the ballroom situated at the western end of the building on the third floor. The entire third floor, in fact, was added to the design to house the newly formed Railways Institute or VRI. The VRI facilities included several classrooms, a gymnasium, billiard room with five full size tables, borrowing library, reference library, reading room, games room and a lecture hall which later became used as a ballroom.
The design for the ‘central suburban rail terminus' resulted from a competition held in 1899 by the railways department after years of disagreement between the Parliamentary Standing Committee for Railways and the Railway Commissioners. The criteria for the station was clearly defined and included the stipulation for three entrances, a long façade of a specified width running along Flinders Street and a concourse with ramps along Swanston Street. Controversy surrounded the awarding of the first prize of 500 pounds to two railway employees, James Fawcett and HJP? Ashworth, as it was claimed that, amongst other anomalies, an extension of time had been given to the railways without informing the other entrants.
Excavation of the site began in 1901 and was done without any mechanisation. In 1903, when the Commissioners decided to form the VRI and create a third floor to house the Institute, construction was well under way. In 1905 the contract to build the actual station was awarded to a Williamstown builder, Peter Rodger. Rodger's work was delayed right from the beginning by changes and disputes as to the construction and the materials to be used. Significant cutbacks were made and the roof which was to cover the platforms was removed. Rodger's progress was hampered by many factors beyond his control and he was eventually dismissed on the grounds that insufficient progress had been made. The VR Way and Works Department finished the station but Rodger, through a Royal Commission, was compensated for his loses.
In the 1970s, the station was severely under threat of being demolished and the National Trust was able to enact a Heritage Order to save it. Unfortunately, this did not extend to the original concourse along Swanston Street which was demolished in the 1980s in an action by the railways department that evoked a lot of controversy. The concourse has been changed several times since then and, apart from the original verandahs and iron posts on the street side, nothing remains of the original structure.
Today half of the building remains unoccupied and has not had any maintenance done for many decades. The VRI decided to move out of the third floor in the 1980s due to declining membership and the withdrawal of financial assistance from the railways department. This added to the general decline of the building but was by no means the cause of it.
The railway commissioners of the early 1900s, in their wisdom, declared that Melbourne need a central rail terminus that Melburnians could be proud of. The grandeur and scale of the station that was envisaged could not be justified on the grounds of railway business alone as the Head Office in Spencer was more than adequate to house offices of the department. The commissioners made a very clear decision to create shops, offices and other commercial space that could be let and hence create revenue that would offset the bank loan. Thus the building was always intended for use for non-railway business.
The longest standing continual tenant has been City Hatters, Although the shop was originally let by hat retailer, D Buzolich, it has been leased by Henry Buck's since the early 1930s. Hearns Hobbies has occupied the basement shops at the western end since the 1960s. Some of the longer tenancies in the 2 nd floor offices has included the Australian National Tourism Association which was established in the 1920s with the clear intention to ‘put Australia on the map'. The Children's Welfare Department, originally known as the Department for Neglected Children and Reformatory Schools, occupied offices at the western end of the second floor for nearly 60 years.
Many woman in particular will remember Rooms 52 and 56 which were leased to Miss Dorothy Gladstone as dance studios until the late 1970s. Thousands of young men and woman learnt dance from these studios or from the Saturday afternoon classes in the ballroom. In the 1960s and 70s, there was a booking every night for the ballroom. It was used not only for dances but for activities as diverse as first aid competitions, table tennis tournaments and fencing. The roof of the station was regularly used as an additional training area and a running track was established and used for several decades.
Plans for the Future
The inertia by successive governments to restore the station to its former glory is quite curious. In 2005, the Committee for Melbourne were commissioned to undertake a study to investigate the possible refurbishment. The report was essentially very straight forward and recommended the return of the building to public use. The report was shelved and to date, there is nothing known in the pipeline. The greatest fear is that the state government will turn the station over to a private developer who will either turn the disused sections into a boutique hotel or roof the station over creating yet another shopping mall and designer shops.
Call for Action
A lobby group is currently taking shape to raise public awareness that the refurbishment of the station is not that difficult or expensive and to demonstrate the fact that people want the building returned to the public domain. There are thousands of small businesses, not for profit and other interest groups that could be adequately housed in the station without turning it over to a developer.
If you would like to send your comments and contact details, I will add them to my growing list of people who want their station returned to the public domain.
Centenary Celebrations
Author, Jenny Davies, will launch a Centenary, hard-case, limited edition of Beyond the Façade at the Federation Square Book Market on Saturday 5 December at 12 noon. This edition of only 200 copies will be available directly from the author via email.
An exhibition celebrating the station's history, decade by decade, will be available to the public in the Degraves Street Subway from Monday 4 January to Saturday 23 January 2010. This event is supported by Platform Artists. The exhibition, entitled The Station Turns 100, will be launched on Friday 8 January, 6 - 8 pm. No rsvp is required and everyone is welcome!
Stay tuned for further events!