Argyle Stores

The Argyle Stores is a heritage-listed former custom house and bond store that now serves as offices, bar, function rooms and restaurant located at 12–20 Argyle Street in the inner-city Sydney suburb of The Rocks in the City of Sydney local government area of New South Wales, Australia. Henry Cooper designed the east wing, and the designer of all other wings is not known. The Argyle Stores were built from 1826 to 1878, and is also known as Argyle Bond Stores and Cleland Bond Store. The property is owned by Property NSW, an agency of the Government of New South Wales. It was added to the New South Wales State Heritage Register on 10 May 2002.

The Argyle Stores is a heritage-listed former custom house and bond store that now serves as offices, bar, function rooms and restaurant located at 12–20 Argyle Street in the inner-city Sydney suburb of The Rocks in the City of Sydney local government area of New South Wales, Australia. Henry Cooper designed the east wing, and the designer of all other wings is not known. The Argyle Stores were built from 1826 to 1878, and is also known as Argyle Bond Stores and Cleland Bond Store. The property is owned by Property NSW, an agency of the Government of New South Wales. It was added to the New South Wales State Heritage Register on 10 May 2002.

East Wing (20 Argyle Street)

In 1826, construction of the East Wing was started under Piper's supervision in his capacity as Naval Officer. As the property owner, Piper sold the land and partially completed building to Mary Reiby in 1828, who sold it to Frederick Unwin. In 1829 Unwin mortgaged the property, and from 1830 the east wing was used as the "Custom House". Unwin regained ownership in 1838, and building construction resumed in 1839. Around 1844, goods such as brandy, wine, tea, cheese, tobacco, flour and sugar were stored. In 1845 the City Council Rates Book lists the Custom House as "two floors in bad repair". It was about this time that the transfer of the Custom House to Circular Quay commenced.

South Wing (14–16 Argyle Street)

The South wing appears to have remained vacant until . The map of 1835 shows a small building at the extreme west end of the wing. It appears that this may have been built when Henry Fisher was "Custom House Agent", and as the City Council Rate Book of 1845 lists this building as a house of three rooms, it may have been built as the residence for the "Custom House Agent". Three other small buildings had been built on the site when, in 1876, Isaac Ellis Ives bought the stores and began to expand their capacity. Part of this expansion involved the demolition of most of the existing south wing and the construction of a new wing .

West Wing (12 Argyle Street)

The West wing of the stores was built between 1840-1845. In 1845 the City Council Rates Book lists the entire west wing as "new stores" of "4 floors", tenanted by Henry Fisher and owned by Frederick Unwin. In 1854 the stores were purchased by R & E Tooth, brewers and merchants who occupied the west and north wings. During this period, the building was used as a bonded and free store. There have been no major structural changes to the west wing since it was built c. 1840.

External links

Text derived from https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?oldid=1364727216 under CC BY-SA 4.0; modifications have been made.