Walsh's Building formerly known as the Economic Store Building is a building in Perth, Western Australia

Perth, Western Australia

Perth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia and the fourth most populous city in Australia. The Perth metropolitan area has an estimated population of almost 1,700,000....

. It was designed by Talbot Hobbs

Talbot Hobbs

Lieutenant General Sir Joseph John Talbot Hobbs KCB, KCMG, VD was an Australian architect and First World War general.-Early life:...

.

Site

The building is located on the corner of Hay Street

Hay Street, Perth

Hay Street is a major road through the CBD of Perth, Western Australia. The street was named after Robert William Hay, the Permanent Under Secretary for Colonies. Sections of the road were called Howick Street and Twiss Street until 1897...

 and William Street

William Street, Perth

William Street is a suburban distributor and one of two major cross-streets in Perth, Western Australia.Commencing in western Mount Lawley it also crosses the Perth to Fremantle railway at the Horseshoe Bridge....

, Perth. It stands opposite the Gledden Building

Gledden Building

The Gledden Building is an Art Deco office building in Perth, Western Australia. The building was constructed on land that had been bequested to the University of Western Australia by surveyor Robert Gledden.-Site and brief:...

 and Wesley Church

Wesley Church, Perth

Wesley Church is at 75 William Street at its intersection with Hay Street in Perth, Western Australia. It is one of the oldest church buildings and one of few remaining 19th-century colonial buildings in the City of Perth.-Built form:...

, two other heritage listed buildings on this corner. The current building replaced the previous Economic Store building that had been destroyed by fire in 1921.

Architecture

The building was designed in the Inter-war Art Deco style by Talbot Hobbs, an architect responsible for a number of buildings in the Perth Central Business District.

Construction

Construction on the site began in 1922 and was complete by early 1923. The lead contractor was C.W. Arnott.

A renovation of the building is due to finish in October 2011.

Usage

The first major tenant in the building was the Economic Store, of which the Perth Mayor Sir William Lathlain was the proprietor.

The building took on its current name when the Walsh's Menswear store opened on the ground level.

The basement of the building was used as a food court until a 2007 fire caused extensive damage, forcing its closure.

It was classified by the National Trust of Australia in 1978.