Thursday 14 April 2011

Balmain, bank

This historic bank building is located on Darling Street in the inner west suburb of Balmain. Built in 1903 for the Bank of New South Wales, it was designed by architects John Sulman and Joseph Power. This Victorian architectural design features a triangular pediment with a coat-of-arms, supported by corinthian columns. The design features symbols found in the official coat-of-arms granted to the state of New South Wales in 1906 such as the wheat sheaf, golden fleece, rising sun and southern cross.

13 comments:

  1. I think banks chose architecture like this because they wanted to be seen as solid, reliable and very serious. That building looked as if it would last forever, as the bank wanted us to think about them - eternal.

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  2. Impressing architecture!
    Makes me think of a temple of Diana;o)

    ***
    Have a nice day****

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  3. Yeah, I agree with Hels: the bank was putting a spin on their existence. Sort of does not gel well in today's society.

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  4. Very distinctive architecture - come to think of it most banks were
    solid and reliable.

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  5. Thanks for this perspective. I walk by this bank every day and have never really looked at those impressive columns!

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  6. I like this grand bank architecture. So many of them are no longer banks. Its good to see one that still is.

    Jim, in mosques the women pray in a separate area to the men (I think the same applies in synagogues - Dina? - it did in the one I visited when in Israel), normally upstairs (as this is) or to the side. If there is no separate area they pray behind the men. Because this was a special day, women were allowed to stay in the main prayer hall while the men prayed but could not pray with them. I assume the majority of women were in the women's area during prayers. These photos were taken a little later in the day, after the midday prayer.

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  7. bringing hopefully only the good and kind to peope, the building looks so.
    please have a good thursday.


    daily athens

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  8. No Jim, you have the city wrong this must be in Rome or Athens. and remember ... you can bank on the wales.

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  9. Peter, it does almost seem out of place in Balmain and more like something you'd see in Athens or Rome.

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  10. Great shot, J! Reminds me of the art history courses I've taken. I would love to see close-ups of the pediment ...may go online and check it out...:)

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