"The building (1894) is a fine example of the Federation Romanesque style of architecture and as one of the earliest buildings in Australia to show the influence of this American Romanesque style. The building is associated with American architect, Edward Raht, acknowledged at the time for having introduced the Federation Romanesque style to Australia. Raht followed the originator of this style, American architect Henry Hobson Richardson. It was one of the first buildings to be constructed with external walls entirely of trachyte, which was more commonly used as a decorative stone in combination with other materials. It is a source of information about overseas construction techniques at the turn of the century, including terracotta floors and marble slab floors supported directly on steelwork. Constructed for the Equitable Life Assurance Society of the United States of America, the building is also an expression of the expansion of major American companies into the Australian insurance market in the late Victorian period. The building is significant as the site of the business office from which the pioneer Australian feminist and advocate for female suffrage, Maybanke Wolstenholme, ran both her journal, The Woman's Voice, and the Women's Federation League, an organisation she established in April 1898. The League was the first organisation specifically formed to get women to take an active political role in the wider federation campaign in NSW. The building contains a remarkable steel-framed full-height atrium and fine examples of design and craftsmanship in marble, plaster, steel, bronze and glass. The building makes a major contribution to the streetscape of George Street and lower Martin Place. Date significance updated: 26 Jul 07: (
visit link)
The plaque reads:
350 George
"This building of State significance was completed in 1895 and was one of the first Australian headquarters of an American company, the Equitable Life Assurance Society. It was one of the first buildings built with external walls entirely of trachyte and the first in Sydney with an internal load bearing steel frame."