23 February 2025

The Sanitarium Factory in Warburton was in the news today, with a new redevelopment application coming up. This great Modernist cream brick landmark was completed in early 1938 by the Seventh Day Adventists to produce pure healthy products like Weet-Bix (one of my faves), which they did until 1997, when it was sold to Sydney based Garry Crockett who clearly loves it, but somehow hasn’t managed to make his plans for wellness/conference centre/hotel go ahead. Next door is the similar Signs Publishing Co. pics 9,10, built at the same time, which is still owned by the Adventists and still going. I can see now that the baby blue panels were originally clear glass, and the window frames on the factory were probably red, like the Signs building.

They’re both very striking works of architecture, designed by E F Billson, who had worked with Walter Burley Griffin, but by the 30s was influenced by European modernism – in this case especially the work of Willem Dudok, who did a series of schools and the town hall in Hilversum, Netherlands, 1929-1932, pics 14-16. Another source is the 1911 Fagus Factory by Walter Gropius, pic 17. Last pic is Macrob Girls High, 1934, which shows the same influences.

All photos found on Facebook, which include some pics of the machinery just before it was removed, and one of the staff in the 30s.

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