Deakin rings bell on brand new start for Geelong’s iconic T&G building

The iconic sight of Dad and Dave will once again grace the Geelong skyline from atop the historic T&G clock tower when Deakin University officially opens the building’s next chapter this morning.

The opening will herald the welcome return of the city’s famous father and son pair back to Geelong, signalling the completion of renovation works that have transformed the heritage site into homes for 33 students.

Deakin University Vice-Chancellor Professor Jane den Hollander said she was delighted Geelong would once again hear the sounds of the clock and that the building would be used to benefit the community into the future.

“Just as Dad and Dave were the brainchild of T&G Managing Director Peter Thompson, who wanted to symbolise a father handing over responsibility to the next generation, we feel honoured to be able to hand this building over to students who will be the next generation of medical and nursing professionals, so they can call it home,” Professor den Hollander said.

“Just standing outside this building and seeing its beautifully-restored façade invokes inspiration, and now inside its walls will live those who will help make a difference to our city – indeed to our nation – in the decades to come.

“Deakin is proud to be able to invest in projects that are for the good of the entire communities we serve and I can’t think of a better example of that than the T&G building.”

The refurbishment has transformed the 1930s art deco building to 33 student apartments. Deakin University has invested $7.1 million into the redevelopment, above the purchase price, after buying it in 2014.

The project has been supported by Federal Government funding of $2.65 million through the National Rental Affordability Scheme and $850,000 from the State Government’s Geelong Advancement Fund.

The redevelopment is the result of the vision of Peter Woolard of Studio 101 Architects and architect John Elsworthy and includes 33 state-of-the art studio apartments each with ensuite and fully equipped kitchenette. The building also now includes modern communal facilities and recreation spaces on the top floor with outstanding views across Geelong to the waterfront.

The addition of the T&G accommodation takes the capacity of Deakin University’s Geelong student housing to 831 units. In 2014 the university opened 309 new units at the Waurn Ponds campus, and another eight in 2015.

“Deakin University is committed to providing our students with housing that suits their needs and we are so pleased to be able to add the T&G building to our list of options,” Professor den Hollander said.

“By bringing more people to live in the heart of the CBD, this grand old T&G building will continue as a Geelong icon, playing its part in ensuring Geelong has an exciting, culturally vibrant and thriving community.”

Professor den Hollander said the number of students choosing to study at Deakin’s Waterfront campus had grown to 4,500 – an 80 per cent increase from 2,500 in 2011. Across Deakin’s two Geelong campuses there are now almost 12000 students.

“Deakin is committed to providing its students with best possible learning experience and we are proud to have been first in Victoria for student satisfaction for six consecutive years.

“We know that the single most important factor impacting on student retention in Australia is the ability of students to connect with each other and with their university and that friends made at university often last a lifetime and form the basis of business connections that contribute significant value-add to careers. 

“The right accommodation, that is comfortable and affordable and in a convenient location, is closely tied to student success. 

“We know that for rural students in particular, lack of affordable accommodation is one of the most significant barriers to education, so today is an especially exciting day for our entire community.”

T&G’S HISTORY

The T&G building on the corner Moorabool and Ryrie Streets was constructed for the Australasian Temperance and General Assurance Society limited in 1933-34 to an interwar modern Renaissance design by the prominent architectural firm A & K Henderson.

The design of the five storey building plus single storey rooftop apartment and landmark stepped clock tower were based on function modern Renaissance precedents that predominantly emanated from British and American public and commercial architectural trends.

The building is architecturally significant as one of very few substantially intact interwar office buildings known in Victoria. It is also the most intact former T&G buildings in Victoria.

The Geelong building is also scientifically significant for its rare clock mechanism, that when operational, the “Dad and Dave” figurines and bell chimes project from the tower on the strike of the hour.

The existing clock, figurines and bell located within the tower and exposed on the hour is the only mechanism of its type in Geelong and Victoria.

Further scientific significance is also identified in the intact service ducts (vertical ducts following intermittent piers and horizontal ducts under skirtings, wall rails and architraves), boilers, hydronic radiator heat banks and ventilation ducts that represent contemporary technology for interwar commercial office design.