Wednesday, February 18, 2009

Beaucott Buildings, Mount Lawley

Beaucott Buildings, Mount LawleyOften buildings are named after their owners but in the case of the Beaucott Buildings, in the busy Perth suburb of Mount Lawley it is the cross-streets, Beaufort and Walcott, that contribute to the building's name.

According to the Media Statement issued in May 2001 when the building was placed on the Heritage Register in Western Australian, the original single storey building was built in 1905 and consisted on shops and residences.

In 1937, architect William G Bennett was engaged to upgrade the building resulting in the Art Deco structure the now dominates the corner.

Beaucott Buildings, Mount LawleyBennett's design allows the building to wrap around the corner with a main shop doorway at street level and a stepped parapet bearing a small fin. A rendered cream panel bears the building's name in an approriate art deco font.

A practical element for Perth's hot summer climate is the eyebrow which runs the entire width of the building providing shade for the row of second storey windows.

2 comments:

  1. Through my early 20's I lived in the Beaucott Building. I have lived in number 3 and 5 at different points in time for more than a year.
    I would like to know if there was ever a fire in the building ?
    Number 3 has no outside windows and the whole apartment is stuffy and has an odd feel about it.
    Thank you.

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    Replies
    1. Thanks for the info. I don't know about a fire maybe someone out there will know. No 3 doesn't sound very nice at all. I couldn't imagine living somewhere without a window.

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