27 September 2016 but photos 2024:

Lyric House was built as the home of Wertheim’s, Australia’s largest purveyor of pianos – most were manufactured in their Richmond factory, the building that later became #Channel9.

This image from the RVIA journal Sept 1931 (looks rather retouched), shows the base which includes great sculpted terracotta figures of medieval music makers, all still there.

Wertheims ceased making pianos in 1935, and moved a bit down Collins Street. The building added to the Howey estate next door, and the terracotta name was changed to Howey House in matching style. The one shopfront became two, with more inside facing an arcade in the next building, already known as Howey House.

Designed by A&K Henderson, it’s all pretty much a copy of the 1896 Wertheim department store, one of the most famous in Berlin, run by a completely different family.

17 February 2020

From memory the shopfront isn’t actually that old, since it was replaced decades ago, then reconstructed c1990 when the shop became the lobby for the lifts up to the offices of the #SportsgirlCentre next door (and in fact I think it might just be a facade). I could be wrong, the #copperdoors look rather old and worn, though on the other hand they’ve got SC in the Deco style glass. The lobby is very daggy #postmodern.

Update : found a photo from 1948 with different shopfronts, so yes this is a c1990 recreation.

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