Ross House Association

Ross House is a five-storey community-owned and managed heritage building in Flinders Lane, Melbourne.

Ross House building

Ross House was originally built as the Sargood Warehouse in 1898–1900, for Melbourne softgood importer Sir Frederick Thomas Sargood, whose company name at the time was Sargood, Butler, Nichol and Ewen. Frederick Sargood was a wealthy man, and is known for building the extensive house and garden, the Rippon Lea Estate in Elsternwick.

The building occupied a site that was created by the great fire of November in 1897 which destroyed most of city block.

Architects Sulman & Power of Sydney design is significant as an early example in Victoria of the influence of the American Romanesque style, as developed by Henry Hobson Richardson in America. The massive tall red-brick arches are contrasted by the delicacy of the metal oriel windows within, topped by a wide overhanging cornice.

Ross House also shows early design responses to the need for fire prevention in multi-storey buildings, such as the sprinkler system and fireproof doors. The recessing of the oriel windows was a fire-prevention measure adopted from England.

Ross House is historically significant as evidence of the large commercial warehouses that once occupied the city around Princes Bridge, Flinders Street and Flinders Lane at the turn of the twentieth century.

It was originally twice the size, extending from Flinders Lane right through to Flinders Street. The Flinders Street facing half was demolished in the early 1930s and replaced by the new headquarters for the State Electricity Commission.

Later known as Royston House, it is heritage-listed with the National Trust (Victoria), and by Heritage Victoria.

Sources

• Ross House Association, www.rosshouse.org.au
• The National Trust of Australia (Victoria)
• Higginson, Jo. Building for a community: the story of Ross House, Ross House Association, Melbourne, 1998.
• Victorian Heritage Database