Stop 18 McGrath and Co
Constructed by Herbert Woods in the 1880’s, it was originally Fairthorne’s chemist shop. It remained as a pharmacy for many years until occupied by Dr. John McGrath as a surgery. It was totally re-modelled in Art Deco style and further modified in 1957 under direction of architects Kemsley & Co., who practiced in Melbourne & Launceston. It now houses the legal practice of McGrath & Co.
Stop 17 30 Marine Terraces
The building began life in 1938 as the Vogue Theatre, constructed by Len Frith – in competition with the Star Theatre in Mount Street. It was updated in 1941 and closed in the 1960s and was then used as the Police Citizens Boys Club.
Stop 16 The Old Butter Factory
The building was constructed by M M Smith from South Burnie in as a butter factory for the Northwest Co-operative Dairy Co. Note the rounded building edges, extended vertical windows and extensive use of glass bricks – the latest styling at the time. Changes were made in 1956 and the building is currently used as a food and beverage venue.
Stop 15 Portside Building
Constructed in 1946, the former Burnie Technical School was one of a number of outstanding designs by the main architect from Tasmania’s Public Works Dept., Sydney Blythe. During construction, human remains were disturbed and bones removed, and it was later realized that it was on the site of one of Burnie’s original graveyards. In 1959, a motor mechanic workshop was erected by Stubbs Construction linking the adjacent saw-tooth roof . The building was saved from demolition for a shopping complex in 2008 and is now a listed on the Tasmanian heritage register.
Building at 1-3 Spring St.
Stop 14 Corner Ladbrooke and Wilson Street
Large two-storey commercial building which wraps around the corner and includes a lip over
the doors and windows.
Stop 13 Ladbrooke Street
Classic art deco features are observed in the simple balanced lines.
Stop 12 The Advocate Building
Following the destruction by fire of the original Advocate building, the two-storey symmetrical building was purpose-built for newspaper production in early 1920s. Further additions were made in 1950 under the direction of the architect Albert Freak from Devonport. The large entrance was replaced with a series of small windows and a smaller entrance, which in turn has been re-located.
Stop 11 41 Cattley Street
Originally built for Crisp Hudson and Mann Barristers and Solicitors. Entry was through a single door at the left. It was later re-modelled and windows replaced by a new doorway. The different levels on the façade are accentuated by a contrasting paint scheme. At one stage this building housed a dance hall and lending library.
Stop 10 Lincoln House
Streamlined design, with vertical fins rising above the roofline at one end, finished in shiny fawn terracotta. On the first floor façade, two sets of speed lines are incised and run along the length of the building. It was designed by the prominent architect A. Lauriston Crisp in
1940, and commissioned by local solicitor Charles Roberts Thomson. The interior office space on the first floor is an intact example of the styling of the era.
Stop 9 Trustee House
In the early 1920s, this substantial double-storey building on a prominent corner was occupied by the The Union Bank of Australia and later the Launceston Bank for Savings. In 1957 it was modified for use as a store, and again renovated in early 1990s.
Stop 8 Rivers
The Maples Furniture chain constructed stores in Moderne style throughout Australia, including this store in 1939. The builders were Carter & Peace and it was reported that the plate glass
windows were the largest ever fitted in Tasmania. It is strikingly similar to Subway, on the opposite corner, and it is likely that they were designed by the same architect.
Stop 7 Subway Building
This stylish grouping of shops and offices remain intact on the exterior and illustrate the smooth rounded form of streamlined design. They present a consistent whole as they step up the hill.