Argyle House, Newcastle

This complex of buildings has grown over about 125 years. The original building is believed to date from the 1860s. A second building, joined by a covered way, was designed by Frederick Menkens and built 1903. Additions to this second building were designed by Frederick Menkens and F. G. Castleden in 1907, and by Castleden in 1909 and 1919. Castleden also designed a third essentially separate building in 1912. Recent flat roofed additions served as basic accommodation for the nightclub function. A caretaker's cottage to the west of the existing buildings, designed by Castleden in 1912, was demolished c. 1970. The complex served as the regional headquarters of the Australian Agricultural Company for many years: the company held a monopoly over coalmining in the Newcastle area from 1829 to 1847, but retaining mining and commercial interests in the district long after that. The complex has subsequently been used as a nightclub, for many years under the name of Fanny's Tavern before reverting to the building's original name of Argyle House in February 2013.^[1][2]

In December 2021, an outbreak of the Omicron COVID-19 variant occurred at Argyle House, and resulted in thousands of cases of COVID-19 in the Hunter Region.^[3]

This large complex of buildings, linked in pavilion fashion, covers the entire property and is built to each of the three street alignments. Internal alterations and modern infill development on the Centenary Road side and the Argyle Street corner have been made to adapt the building complex for night club use. All buildings are rendered and painted light cream with label moulds and other features in contrasting colours.^[1]

The original 1860s building is the most architecturally interesting. It has a high pitched roof with recent terracotta tiles and a narrow boxed eaves, and wall construction is rendered masonry with large stone sills to the window openings. This building is symmetrical to the Argyle Street frontage, where there is a central gabled porch with a central circular timber louvred ventilator surrounded by a raised circle matching the semicircular label mould over the entrance arch. The wide verandah, on both street frontages, has a bullnose corrugated iron roof, cast iron posts, and interesting wrought iron fringe and brackets wrought iron. Exposed rafters on the verandah are curved to follow the bullnose. The section of the verandah south of the entrance has been filled in with boarding, but this would be easy to remove. The verandah floor is asphalt over flagging, while a wrought iron fence with dagger tops and on a rounded stone plinth runs right around the verandah. There is an original double gate matching the fence. Double doors on the western end of the verandah where it abuts another building may be original. Windows are simple double sash, single paned. Wrought iron ventilator grills are a feature. Stone steps form the porch are now tiled and probably raised form their original level. The other early buildings are in keeping with the original one and are joined to it by various additions.^[1]

The 1912 Castleden building, also fronting Wharf Street has bosses and anchoring points, possibly for a former awning. There is evidence that there was originally a verandah between these two building to match that of the 1860s building. This latter building also has a hipped roof. There is a part hipped, part gabled roof with boxed eaves to the Menkens 1903/Castleden 1909 building. The 1903 Menkens section has two tall, rendered chimneys. Window openings on the Centenary Road facade of the 1909 additions are very plain, the large windows are double sash, single pane. Large exhaust fans and associated ducting mar the roofs of the 1903-09 section and the original building, but could easily be removed. The recent infill sections have lower, flat corrugated iron roofs with a bullnose to street frontages. While there is some original joinery, the interiors have been largely altered and compromised.^[1]

The condition of the complex was reported as being fair to good as at 13 December 2001. Various additions and alterations have been made (e.g. The terracotta roof tiles and possibly the gabled porch on the east side). These do not reduce the historic significance of the building. They do detract from the integrity of the structure as an historic artifact.^[1]

• 1860s – Original building built
• 1903 – A second building, joined by a covered way, was designed by Frederick Menkens and built
• 1907 – Additions to this second building were designed by Menkens and F G Castleden, and by Castleden in 1909 and 1919.
• 1912 – Castleden also designed a third essentially separate building.
• c. 1970 — Recent flat roofed additions served as basic accommodation for the nightclub function. A caretaker's cottage to the west of the existing buildings, designed by Castleden in 1912, was demolished^[1]