Built in 1866, the former London Chartered Bank Building was one of the four handsome buildings that graced “the corner” of Lydiard and Sturt Streets for much of the 20th century.
The building was designed by the celebrated architect Leonard Terry, known for his designs of banks and churches, including the former Bank of Australasia building on the diagonally opposite corner.
By 1966, the Commonwealth Bank occupied the site and proceeded to demolish the 100 year-old bank to make way for a more modern building. The demolition is notorious, and calls have repeatedly been made for the Commonwealth Bank to reconstruct the original façade.
The damage to the negative that produced this image was caused by floods which destroyed much of The Courier newspaper’s archive. Max Harris salvaged and repaired many 1960’s negatives from the archive, a picture of lost history only just escaping the same fate.
Note: This image was one of a selection of images exhibited as, Rupture at the BMI as part of the Ballarat International Foto Biennale 2023 (curated by Ellen Becker).
