Holyman House

Holyman House is an iconic Art Deco building in the central business district of Launceston, Tasmania, Australia.

Holyman House
Holyman House from "The Avenue" on Brisbane Street
General information
Type	Commercial offices
Location	Launceston, Tasmania
Address	52-60 Brisbane Street
Coordinates	41.4360°S 147.1406°E / -41.4360; 147.1406
Completed	1936
Owner	historic: ANA present: various businesses
Height
Antenna spire	26 metres (85 ft)
Roof	19.7 metres (65 ft)
Technical details
Floor count	5
Lifts/elevators	1
Design and construction
Architect(s)	H S East and Roy Smith
Main contractor	J & T Gunn

The building was designed by H. S. East^[1] and Roy Sharrington Smith architects,^[2][3] of Launceston,^[4] with Clive Steele, of Melbourne, as consulting engineer.^[5][6][7]

The building was built in 1936^[8] to house the various branches of Holymans shipping^[9] and aviation interests as well as an automobile showroom for Holyman's automotive division.^[10][11][12]

The building was designed to reflect the bold futuristic vision of the Holyman Company with the sleek curves, neon-lit spire and modern steel frame construction. Holyman House was most infamously the headquarters of Australian National Airways, an evolution of Holyman's Airways.^[13]

After the fall of the Holyman's empire in the 1950s, it was sold to Ansett Australia and eventually divided into office spaces. Holyman House now houses a travel centre on the ground level corner allotment where the flight lounge used to be.

The building is on the Tasmanian Heritage Register.^[14]

There is also a heritage listed building in Flinders Street, Melbourne, Victoria with the same name.^[15][16]

Records

University of Tasmania special collections holds records of the operations of the Holyman businesses related to the building.^[17]

Plans

The Tasmanian Archive and Heritage Office in Hobart hold plans made for the construction of the building.^{[18][19][20][21]}

Gallery

Main entrance into with original red granite and chrome lettering. Door itself replaced in the late 1900s.

Main stairwell on level 2 showing the streamlined Art Deco design

References

1. "Obituary". The Advocate (Australia). Tasmania, Australia. 20 October 1947. p. 2. Retrieved 23 November 2023 – via National Library of Australia.
2. "Smith, Roy Sharrington (1892-1971)", Trove, 2010, retrieved 23 November 2023
3. Ryan, Thomas-Liam (2008), "An art Deco connection: Roy Smith and his Launceston buildings", Spirit of Progress, 9 (4): 13–16, ISSN 1443-7554
4. "Twentieth Century Architecture in Launceston" (PDF). Queen Victoria Museum and Art Gallery. 1985. Archived (PDF) from the original on 13 March 2019. Retrieved 20 April 2019.
5. "Sir Clive Steele honored". The Advocate (Australia). Tasmania, Australia. 26 August 1954. p. 1. Retrieved 23 November 2023 – via National Library of Australia.
6. "Engineers Honor Sir Clive Steele". The Age. No. 30985. Victoria, Australia. 24 August 1954. p. 2. Retrieved 23 November 2023 – via National Library of Australia.
7. "Steele, Clive Selwyn, (Sir) (1892-1955)", Trove, 2011, retrieved 23 November 2023
8. Burgess, Julian (19 June 2020). "Art deco architecture at its finest". The Examiner. Retrieved 24 November 2023.
9. Obituary regarding earlier member of family and shipping leader "Obituary". Daily Telegraph. Vol. XXXIX, no. 198. Tasmania, Australia. 20 August 1919. p. 6. Retrieved 23 November 2023 – via National Library of Australia.
10. "Large Office Block". The Advocate (Australia). Tasmania, Australia. 2 May 1936. p. 9 (Daily). Retrieved 23 November 2023 – via National Library of Australia.
11. "Imposing Building for Launceston". The Mercury. Vol. CXLIV, no. 20, 456. Tasmania, Australia. 21 May 1936. p. 7. Retrieved 23 November 2023 – via National Library of Australia.
12. "Fine New Building". The Examiner (Tasmania). Vol. XCV, no. 257. Tasmania, Australia. 9 January 1937. p. 8 (Daily). Retrieved 23 November 2023 – via National Library of Australia.
13. Luminosity 7 (2019), Holyman House in black and white, retrieved 23 November 2023{{citation}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
14. "Tasmanian Heritage Register – Extracted 5 October 2023" (PDF). Heritage Tasmania. p. 46. Retrieved 24 November 2023.
15. 390-398 Flinders St, Melbourne, National Trust of Australia, Holyman House, retrieved 23 November 2023
16. Collins, John T (1963), Melbourne. Holyman House, cnr. Market & Flinders Sts, retrieved 23 November 2023
17. Holyman, William, Reference to index of William Holyman & Sons Shipowners, aerial services and insurance agents, University of Tasmania Library Special and Rare Materials Collection, retrieved 23 November 2023
18. Plans - Proposed new building for William Holyman and sons Pty Ltd Scale - 8 feet to 1 inch / H S East and Roy Smith Architects / Sept 1935 [paper copies of item NS6895/1/2], Libraries Tasmania, 1935, retrieved 23 November 2023
19. Plans - Proposed new building for William Holyman and sons Pty Ltd - Scale 8 feet to 1 inch / H S East and Roy Smith Architects / Sept 1935 [colour plans on tracing paper in folder], Libraries Tasmania, 1935, retrieved 23 November 2023
20. Plans - New office building corner Brisbane and George Streets Launceston for William Holyman and sons Pty Ltd - Scale 8 feet to 1 inch / H S East and Roy Smith Architects / February 1936 [ink and watercolour on linen], Libraries Tasmania, 1936, retrieved 23 November 2023
21. Plans - Proposed new building for William Holyman and sons Pty Ltd Scale - 8 feet to 1 inch / H S East and Roy Smith Architects / Sept 1935 [paper copies of item NS6895/1/2], Libraries Tasmania, 1935, retrieved 23 November 2023