Manchester Unity Building

Hours Open
10am - 5pm (last tour at 4:45pm)

Address
91 Swanston Street

Architects
Marcus Barlow

Year Built
1929-1932

Building Type
Office

What is Open
Ground Floor Arcade, Level 1, Rooftop Terrace and Level 11 Boardroom

Tour Frequency
Every 15 minutes

Tram Stop
Stop 11: Swanston Street and Collins Street on routes 1, 3, 5, 6, 8, 16, 64, 67 and 72 Stop 6: Town Hall and Collins Street on routes 31, 112 and 109

Description
The pinnacles of the Manchester Unity Building made it the tallest building in Melbourne when it was finished in 1932. Built during the Depression using round-the-clock eight-hour shifts, the termination of Manchester Unity's corner tower in Commercial Gothic Modern style has its inspiration in Raymond Hood's competition-winning design for the Chicago Tribune Tower (1922).

The building is faced in a gold-brown glazed faience (coloured and glazed terracotta) and the ground floor foyer has relief depictions of figures of benevolence and charity. As if in commercial challenge to the municipal clock tower of the Melbourne Town Hall and the spires of St Paul's, the size of the limit-height building proclaimed that the new force in the urban skyline was commerce.

Significance
Inspired by the Chicago Tribune Tower (1922), the Manchester Unity Building represented a new faith in commerce and progress in inter-war Melbourne. Manchester Unity was the tallest building in Melbourne in 1932 and the first building in Victoria to ha ve escalators as well as the largest diesel generator of its time in Australia to power three high-speed lifts.

What’s Open?
Entry to the building is via the Manchester Unity Arcade. From here you will be taken on a guided tour, first up the escalators to the first floor which has been restored to its original glory and now houses a number of dentist surgeries. It's then on to the 12th floor rooftop entertainment area with views of Melbourne Town Hall down Swanton Street, and a close-up view of the famous Manchester pinnacles. You will then be taken to the former Grand Secretary's office for some of the best office views in Melbourne and finish in the magnificent Manchester Unity Boardroom.

Referenced from: "A guide to Melbourne architecture", by Philip Goad, 1999, p. 129. The Watermark Press, Sydney