Anthony JJ Lucas
Encyclopedia
Anthony John Jereos Lucas (Lekatsas) (1862-1946) was in influential Greek Australian
businessman noted for his philanthropic activities and construction of numerous public and private buildings in Melbourne
, Australia
. Ultimately, Anthony Lucas became the Greek Consul General to Australia in 1921 and Consul in Melbourne in 1931-46.
Migrating just before his younger brother Marino Lucas
(Marinos Lekatsas) from their hometown of Exoghi (Exogi) on the Greek island of Ithaca
in 1886, the young man quickly began to build his fortune.
In 1894 Lucas opened the Town Hall Café in Swanston Street, the main thoroughfare of Melbourne. Often employing Greek staff and spanning two floors, the cafe serviced over five hundred diners at any one time.
. Here he retained the services of noted American architect Walter Burley Griffin
to redesign the house and gardens.
Lucas subsequently opened two more restaurants, the Paris Café, in Collins Street and the Vienna Café, (which later became the Café Australia on the site of what is now the Hotel Australia in Collins Street). These ventures prospered under Lucas' keen entrepreneurial skills. Again for these projects, AJ Lucas utilised the services of Walter Burley Griffin
.
With reference to the journal The 200 years History of Australian Cooking, Tess Malos claims that Lucas also ran an open-air restaurant in the public gardens of the inner Melbourne suburb of Kew. [10]
An even grander collaboration with the architect was the construction, in a partnership with the Phillips brothers, of the Capitol Theater in Melbourne. Housed within the ten-storey office building Capitol House the theatre was opened on 7 November 1924 and both are now registered with the Australian Heritage Commission, the National Trust and Heritage Victoria.
The 1916 'Life In Australia' publication by John Comino had a significant section devoted to AJ Lucas, some of which follows:
from 1916 until 1923.
He was also opposed to the thinking of Archbishop Knitis and Consul-General Chrysanthopoulos in the Greek Church dispute of the 1920s. [8] During the 1920s, genocidal massacres following the dissolution of the Ottoman Empire saw millions of people displaced from what is now Turkey. Thousands of Orthodox fled to Australia during this period. In July 1924, the Greek Orthodox Metropolitan Christoforos Archbishop Knitis of Australia and New Zealand arrived but by 1929 he had been deposed and was exiled to Samos.
Lucas' opposition to Knitis created a degree of conflict with Andreas Papadopoulos, author of the International Directory: O Diethnis Emporikos Odigos, a huge publication of over 600 pages published in 1927 by International Publishers of Adelaide. The compilation of this journal was primarily instigated and financed by Georgios Nikolaidis, who was also the founder of a short-lived Greek newspaper Okeanis in Adelaide and by G. Hetrelezis. Papadopolous had married Angeliki Papadopoulou, also from Ithaca and a niece and god-daughter of Anthony Lucas.
, Lucas organized a programme whereby Melbourne's Greeks donated a day's pay to the Greek war effort. On May 1, 1941 an Italian annexation of Ithaca had begun and by late September 1943, the subsequent German occupation commenced, although this lasted just over one year.
Lucas was also an avid supporter of the Lord Mayor's Hospital Appeal.
He personally donated £10,000 to a fund which he organized for Greek and British child war-victims and in 1939 was awarded the Golden Cross of Taxiarchon, an order initiated by Greece's King George I
. In October 1944 a special service to commemorate his birthday and the coincident liberation of Athens was conducted in the Greek Orthodox Church in Victoria Parade.
Greek Australian
Greeks are the seventh-largest ethnic group in Australia, after those declaring their ancestry simply as "Australian". In the 2006 census, 365,147 persons declared having Greek ancestry, either alone or in conjunction with another ethnicity....
businessman noted for his philanthropic activities and construction of numerous public and private buildings in Melbourne
Melbourne
Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
. Ultimately, Anthony Lucas became the Greek Consul General to Australia in 1921 and Consul in Melbourne in 1931-46.
Early years
Born Antonios Ioannis Gerasimos Lekatsas on October 18, 1862, the second child of Ioannis Lekatsas (a priest) and his wife Magdalene Palmos.Migrating just before his younger brother Marino Lucas
Marino Lucas
Marino Lucas/Marinos Lekatsas was a Greek-Australian businessman, originally residing in Greece and subsequently Melbourne, Hobart and Launceston, Australia.Marino was involved in the construction industry and the operation of theatres...
(Marinos Lekatsas) from their hometown of Exoghi (Exogi) on the Greek island of Ithaca
Ithaca
Ithaca or Ithaka is an island located in the Ionian Sea, in Greece, with an area of and a little more than three thousand inhabitants. It is also a separate regional unit of the Ionian Islands region, and the only municipality of the regional unit. It lies off the northeast coast of Kefalonia and...
in 1886, the young man quickly began to build his fortune.
In 1894 Lucas opened the Town Hall Café in Swanston Street, the main thoroughfare of Melbourne. Often employing Greek staff and spanning two floors, the cafe serviced over five hundred diners at any one time.
Prosperity
Initially residing on the top floor of the cafe, Lucas purchased the Toorak mansion Whernside in 1918. This property was subsequently owned by Jewish immigrant and business tycoon Solomon Lew [9]. In 1928 Lucas moved to the large property Yamala on the Mornington PeninsulaMornington Peninsula
The Mornington Peninsula is a peninsula located south-east of Melbourne in Victoria, Australia. It is surrounded by Port Phillip to the west, Western Port to the east and Bass Strait to the south, and is connected to the mainland in the north. Geographically, the peninsula begins its protrusion...
. Here he retained the services of noted American architect Walter Burley Griffin
Walter Burley Griffin
Walter Burley Griffin was an American architect and landscape architect, who is best known for his role in designing Canberra, Australia's capital city...
to redesign the house and gardens.
Lucas subsequently opened two more restaurants, the Paris Café, in Collins Street and the Vienna Café, (which later became the Café Australia on the site of what is now the Hotel Australia in Collins Street). These ventures prospered under Lucas' keen entrepreneurial skills. Again for these projects, AJ Lucas utilised the services of Walter Burley Griffin
Walter Burley Griffin
Walter Burley Griffin was an American architect and landscape architect, who is best known for his role in designing Canberra, Australia's capital city...
.
With reference to the journal The 200 years History of Australian Cooking, Tess Malos claims that Lucas also ran an open-air restaurant in the public gardens of the inner Melbourne suburb of Kew. [10]
An even grander collaboration with the architect was the construction, in a partnership with the Phillips brothers, of the Capitol Theater in Melbourne. Housed within the ten-storey office building Capitol House the theatre was opened on 7 November 1924 and both are now registered with the Australian Heritage Commission, the National Trust and Heritage Victoria.
The 1916 'Life In Australia' publication by John Comino had a significant section devoted to AJ Lucas, some of which follows:
[7]
24 years have flowed (since his arrival in Australia) and, properly used by a great, capable and audacious man, such as Mr. Antonios Lekatsas is, have resulted in the acquisition of substantial wealth. Three splendid, smart and exquisite buildings, of a commercial nature and part of the property owned by him, together with another building of twelve storeys, the tallest in Australia, standing by Sydney Central Railway Station and bearing the name “Australian Buildings”, sing the praises of the splendid abilities of Mr. Antonios Lekatsas, who is the richest of the Greeks settled in the State of Victoria.
Religious and Ithacan Interests
Lucas helped found and was frequently the head of the Greek Orthodox Church in Melbourne and was also the President of the Ulysses Philanthropic Society of Melbourne ('Antonis Lekatsas' was the first president of the Ithacan Philanthropic Society)from 1916 until 1923.
He was also opposed to the thinking of Archbishop Knitis and Consul-General Chrysanthopoulos in the Greek Church dispute of the 1920s. [8] During the 1920s, genocidal massacres following the dissolution of the Ottoman Empire saw millions of people displaced from what is now Turkey. Thousands of Orthodox fled to Australia during this period. In July 1924, the Greek Orthodox Metropolitan Christoforos Archbishop Knitis of Australia and New Zealand arrived but by 1929 he had been deposed and was exiled to Samos.
Lucas' opposition to Knitis created a degree of conflict with Andreas Papadopoulos, author of the International Directory: O Diethnis Emporikos Odigos, a huge publication of over 600 pages published in 1927 by International Publishers of Adelaide. The compilation of this journal was primarily instigated and financed by Georgios Nikolaidis, who was also the founder of a short-lived Greek newspaper Okeanis in Adelaide and by G. Hetrelezis. Papadopolous had married Angeliki Papadopoulou, also from Ithaca and a niece and god-daughter of Anthony Lucas.
War Effort
At the height of World War IIWorld War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, Lucas organized a programme whereby Melbourne's Greeks donated a day's pay to the Greek war effort. On May 1, 1941 an Italian annexation of Ithaca had begun and by late September 1943, the subsequent German occupation commenced, although this lasted just over one year.
Lucas was also an avid supporter of the Lord Mayor's Hospital Appeal.
He personally donated £10,000 to a fund which he organized for Greek and British child war-victims and in 1939 was awarded the Golden Cross of Taxiarchon, an order initiated by Greece's King George I
George I of Greece
George I was King of Greece from 1863 to 1913. Originally a Danish prince, George was only 17 years old when he was elected king by the Greek National Assembly, which had deposed the former king Otto. His nomination was both suggested and supported by the Great Powers...
. In October 1944 a special service to commemorate his birthday and the coincident liberation of Athens was conducted in the Greek Orthodox Church in Victoria Parade.
External links
- AJ Lucas photograph State Library of Victoria Historical Archives
- Vienna Cafe period photograph State Library of Victoria Historical Archives
- Capitol Theatre
- Capitol Theater Adobe File http://www.capitol.rmit.edu.au/RMIT%20Working%20Capitol%20Bro.pdf