EXPERIENCE
Pyrmont Fire Station
Restoration
Between 1890 and 1911, Government
Architect Walter Liberty Vernon
designed and delivered over fifty
projects in NSW, some of which are still
standing and in use. One of those is
the Pyrmont Fire Station located on the
corner of Gipps and Pyrmont Streets
in Ultimo, Sydney. It was constructed
in 1906 to address the compounding
fire danger posed by an intense growth
in industrial development in the area
during the first decade of the 20th
century.
The original building is Federation
Free Style and constructed of red clay
face brick in English bond with lime
mortar over a rusticated sandstone
plinth and has decorative sandstone
detailing emphasising door and
window openings and other features.
The colours and textures of the brick
and sandstone are in stark contrast.
While the Pyrmont and Gipps Street
facades have a strongly defined “base”,
“middle” and “top” and feature several
a symmetrical features.
Inside, the building originally consisted
of two engine bays with attendant
stables, a family size officer apartment
and single men’s room on the ground
floor.
There were also apartments for six
families on the second and third floors
with a laundry, drying yard and watch
tower at roof level.
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