The largest demolition in Tasmanian history - 10 Murray Street Government Offices, Hobart. The mid 20th century offices were a Modernist landmark on the Hobart skyline and were demolished in 2018. I documented 10 Murray Street over a period of 10 years so that there is a record of this important design for posterity. I documented the demolition process too - as this forms an important part of the process of documentary photography and telling the story of the history of 10 Murray Street Government Offices. Check out the ongoing project on my website https://www.tryanphotos.com/10-murray-street-tasmania-cover
demolished
Burnie Paper Mill - Rise and Fall of an Industrial Cathedral
in Industrial
This year marks a decade since the Burnie Paper Mill (Associated Pulp and Paper Mills) closed down. I’ve been reflecting on the history of the mill through my own photographs, and archive photographs.My inspiration for making photographs of sites like the mill is to record a quality record of architecture for posterity. I find it fascinating looking through archive photographs from library collections and this inspires me to capture my own photographs and inspires my process of creation.
Read MoreAbandoned Devonport Maternity Hospital
in Government, Hospitals
It has been a real joy working through my archives and remastering old photographs for the Tasmanian 20th Century Modernism project This photograph is just about 10 years old to the day! Being able to edit the photographs with the skills I've learnt is a wonderful experience. The first image I have never edited before, this is the first time its seen the light of day since capturing it all those years ago. The process of remastering, finding gems amongst my archives and capturing new photographs is a long process, but I find it such a rewarding one.
Devonport Maternity Hospital - I have never edited this photograph before, its a real joy working through my archives.
Devonport Maternity Hospital
Former Devonport Police Headquarters
I wasn’t sure about what demolished/altered building to write about for a series of articles that focus on lost Tasmanian Modernism. In my recent blog post Documenting for Posterity - Today is Tomorrows History I discuss how much has changed since I’ve been documenting over the past decade or so - As I said in that post, change is constant, and it motivates me to carry on documenting our built environment.
Former Devonport Police Headquarters - a year prior to its demolition
This was the former Devonport Police Headquarters. Located in Oldaker Street, Devonport, the station was a wonderful example of Mid 20th Century design with the prominent feature being its glass curtain wall, a popular feature of architecture from the 1950s and 1960s. The facade had wonderful aluminium windows that created a pleasing pattern mixed with the light blue panelling. The main entry cantilever is typical of this period too, many Tasmanian designs have this feature in one form or another.
I remember driving to Devonport to capture it for posterity as I had read it was to be demolished. There is always a sense of urgency when I find out a building is to be demolished in order to capture it before its demolished. I made this image on a beautiful autumn day in 2012 and in 2013 the Devonport Police Station was demolished. A farmers market, Providore Place, was built on the site with the newly designed Police Station located in Wenvoe Steet.
As I continue to document and edit my archive photographs I will be adding them to the Tasmanian 20th Century Modernism website gallery for demolished and altered buildings - the gallery can be viewed here
Documenting for Posterity - Today is Tomorrow’s History
in Government
*The term ‘Modernism’ throughout the article refers to the period of design occurring approximately between 1930-1980 in Tasmania. This period will be referred to as Modernism in the article.
Over the past decade the built landscape that is Tasmanian 20th Century Modernism has changed. Designs from this period have been altered beyond original recognition or demolished completely. Of course, there are many examples that remain and some that have been sympathetically renovated too. Going through my archives and of late being out in the field documenting Tasmanian Modernism I have witnessed dramatic changes to the built landscape, with only photographs as a visual reminder of what once was. Change is constant, and it motivates me to carry on documenting our built environment.
10 Murray Street Government Offices, Hobart. The offices opened in 1969 and were demolished in 2017/2018. In my period of time documenting Tasmanian Modernism a lot has changed. I spent over a decade photographing 10 Murray Street, documenting the entire process of its life. View the project gallery of 10 Murray Street here
The period of Modernism in Tasmania (especially the Post War years) witnessed a dramatic scale of building activity that has left Tasmania with a rich diversity of architecture from the Modernist period. This period cemented the very foundations of a confident and forward looking Island State, with the result that every corner of the island was affected in some way by Modernism. This era, and the late 1800s Victorian boom period, represent some of the greatest rates of change that's happened in Tasmania, and not witnessed on those scales since. During the Victorian period cities such as Launceston that were predominantly Georgian streetscapes were dramatically altered by demolition of many of these buildings for ostentatious Victorian architecture. Similarly some 50 years later these buildings were demolished for new Modernist designs, as well as alterations to existing buildings. This was a popular method of redevelopment whereby the older facades of buildings were demolished and newer designs attached. Especially during the interwar and post-war period, remodelling a building would have provided a cheaper way of modernising than demolishing and starting again. I find this kind of remodelling fascinating as it offers the chance to look at the layers of history, to see how a building has changed over the years, a kind of architectural archaeology.
Housing Department Estate, Risdon Vale Hobart - circa late 1950s/early 1960s. The period of Modernism in Tasmania witnessed a dramatic scale of building activity (especially State Government housing) leaving Tasmania with a rich diversity of architecture from the Modernist period. Photographic source: Tasmania Archive and Heritage Office
Fast forward to 2019 and Modernism isn't so young anymore. Art Deco architecture is now the elderly, edging ever closer to 100, whilst buildings from the 1970s are in their middle age - not having been around long enough to be looked back upon with nostalgia whilst not new enough to be considered relevant to today's needs. I guess it takes time for styles to gain an appreciation, or become fashionable and desirable. In the 1990s Art Deco wasn't admired as much as it is today, grand buildings were altered or demolished without a second thought. A decade ago, wood panelling and use of timber veneers were not popular, but the use of these materials is now a common sight and in vogue again today.
I enjoy the journey of documenting Tasmanian 20th Century Modernism through photography and research, but also enjoy the process of documenting contemporary architecture, the here and now as well as how cities, towns and the rural landscape of Tasmania is constantly changing. Photographs provide a portal into how a place and space looked at a particular point in time and, in doing so, represent trends/fashions/social norms of a time.
I like to think of myself as a documentary photographer for the built environment, preserving the past through photographs that hopefully convey a sense of feeling and emotion, more than just a snapshot. Transforming the seemingly everyday mundane into a powerful visual story. I also love capturing Modernism beyond the dramatic shots and exploring those more abstract photographic moments - such as how light and shadow interplay and interfuse with a subject, or how the use of materials evoke a sense of a bygone era.
Existing archive photographs photographs and the photographers who made it their life’s work to document the world around them provide visual reminders of the past, and how things have changed or been altered over time. I hope that I'll be able to look back on my photographs I've made knowing I've in some way contributed to preserving the built environment.
Suburbs in Tasmania developed rapidly after the War. With this housing boom came with it commercial businesses the sprung up. Corner stores, as pictured above, were a central part of the suburbs. The corner store is an example of how dramatically things have changed since the 1960s, with many having since been abandoned, redeveloped or demolished. Photographic source: Tasmania Archive and Heritage Office
I can’t bring a building back that's been demolished, but through photography I can freeze a point in time so that there is a record forever. Being out and about making photographs for the Tasmanian 20th Century Modernism Project offers great satisfaction and reinforces the realisation that we are but specs in time. The important thing for me as a photographer is to document this change so that there is a record of the past for posterity.
In future Tasmanian 20th Century blog posts I’ll be sharing photos and stories of the designs from this period that have been altered, or demolished.
Tasmanian 20th Century Modernism project website and social media:
Website www.tryanphotos.com/tasmanian-modernism
Facebook www.facebook.com/groups/tasmanianmodernism/
Instagram www.instagram.com/tasmanianmodernism
Launceston General Hospital: Life and Death of an Art Deco Landmark
The former Streamline Art Deco Launceston General Hospital was a stunning example of design aesthetic in the Northern city of Launceston. Designed in the 1930s the hospital was in use up until the 1980s when the new (current) hospital was built opposite. For some time though both new and old hospitals were used in tandem until the new hospital was totally up and running- both the old and new were connected by a stunning piece of design engineering in the form of a suspension bridge that spanned Charles Street. Eventually the grand Art Deco hospital that was operational for nearly 50 years was permanently closed down and with it went the air bridge and the once modern hospital fell into disrepair.
The abandoned Launceston General hospital stood abandoned for many years - I captured this photograph in 2007.
Here you can see the air bridge that connected the old hospital with the redeveloped hospital (current) I enjoy this photograph as it shows how even the current hospital has evolved and changed so much. This viewpoint today looks completely different. I also love when people are in photographs too as it provides a glimpse into fashions and the way people appeared in a certain time in history.
By the time I started to take an interest in documenting the old hospital (around 2007) it was in a sad state of decay and had been heavily vandalised, with nearly all the windows smashed and people squatting inside. The only thing being used was parking for hospital staff, but eventually even that was chained off and a no go zone. I remember rubbish being strewn across the car park and weeds growing amongst the mess.
I remember being drawn to the sheer size of the building and how neighbouring spaces and places were operating as usual, but there was this massive impressive hospital that was once a beacon of modern design and healthcare that looked like it was out of horror movie. These were my early days of getting interested in learning how to make photographs and it was around that this time that I’d brought my first SLR camera. I was always drawn to looking at and capturing architecture, especially from the Modernist 20th Century period, having grown up as a child in Far North Queensland the place was full of stunning designs from this period. I guess childhood memories are strong... they come back in the form of creativity and imagination through artistic pursuits. I also love how abandoned places were once new, and how in such a short period of time they become the opposite - disused and unloved. It makes me wonder in my lifetime what I will see being built and when I am old what will be abandoned. The entire process of new/old/decay and death of buildings makes me think how we are just specks in time.
100 Year celebrations of 100 years years of the Launceston General Hospital. Just under 30 years after this photograph was taken the hospital was abandoned. Tasmanian Archive and Heritage Office: From the AB641 series
The old hospital was one of my first major projects documenting Tasmanian 20th Century Modernism. The wonderful open verandas, steel frame windows and of course the striking main external staircase. Hospitals fascinate me as they are like cities within cities. So many buildings and extensions from all periods of time. Especially those streamline hospitals from the 1930s - 1950s era - they are some of my favourite designs.
It was not until I started researching more about the history of the hospital that I found out that the original main design was later added when an entire wing was added. I remember seeing old photographs of two sets of wonderful staircases, and a hospital that looked familiar but different to how I saw it. It was as if it was Launceston, but maybe it wasn’t. Going through archives showed me that it had indeed changed and been added onto. In fact the Art Deco hospital replaced a massive 1800s hospital on the same site. This process of learning about history through archive photographs fascinated me and continues to do so to this day - its so important to be immersed in what I do to fully understand and create my own photographs with meaning. This process of exploring, documenting and researching put me in good stead for what would become my obsession with documenting places.
My photography is informed by researching archives so I have a deeper understanding of how a building site changed over time. Here we can see the old hospital that was demolished for the 1930s hospital. Tasmanian Archive and Heritage Office: PH30-1-2 Photographer, William Cawston.
A view of the abandoned Launceston General Hospital I captured before redevelopment in 2007. Note the stunning spiral staircase which was demolished as part of the redevelopment. The current hospital can be seen in the foreground.
From the same vantage point as the above photograph, but captured in 2009 as the Launceston General hospital undergoes redevelopment into flats and hotel. Note the staircase has been removed since taking this photograph.
After standing abandoned for a very long time, the old hospital was eventually converted into flats and a hotel. This started happening around 2009 and I documented this process of the buildings second lease on life. Places change and people soon forget what once was, but through photographs a moment in time is captured forever. I remember a friend contacting me when I was away to let me know that the iconic staircase was being demolished. I made a special trip back early to Launceston to capture the process of those stairs being demolished. One last goodbye. Photographing the old Launceston General Hospital put me in good stead for my storytelling projects into the future.
One of my favourite archive photographs of the old hospital staircase captured in the 1960s. A powerful composition through use of geometry and subject. Tasmanian Archive and Heritage Office: