CLAUD HAMILTON, that’s Claud without an e, was a prolific early 20th century architect/developer.

He designed Byron Hall Flats, 97-99 Macleay Street, Potts Point, in 1929 using the inter-war classical free style.

Apartment 14 is currently for sale through Geoff Cox and Jason Boon. https://www.rwebay.com.au/4057685/

The term, the inter-war classical free style, means use of classical features such Roman arches, proportionally-squared windows, even a gold leaf palmette acroterion (a Grecian sculptural embellishment) emblazoned on its façade.

This style was popular between 1919-1939 and was less formal than former 18th and 19th century buildings which had also adopted some neo-classical elements.

It is not known why the building is named Byron Hall although Lord Byron (1788-1824), eccentric poet, had a strong relationship with classical, especially the Greek, empire.

Hamilton also designed nearby Regent’s Court in Springfield Avenue (1925), the
Savoy apartments (1919), St John’s Flats, Darlinghurst Road (1916), Wirringulla (1927) and Kaloola (1927), both in St Neot Avenue, Normandy House, Darlinghurst Road (1916), Versailles (1926) and Kenilworth (1920) amongst others.

His relationship and commercial partnership over the Byron Hall Flats with Mr James, developer, and a Ms Gibson, soured, ending up in the High Court of Australia. They’d all agreed to buy the site in August 1926 for £11,250 to build flats. They formed a company designed to hold the property and profits in trust for each of them, apparently, based on a fair split of their individual investments. But costs went over the budget of £45,000 and a dispute arose: how much profit should each now receive? Was there a binding contract? No, said the High Court unanimously in 1930; they were “co-adventurers”. Hamilton was thus directly entitled to his full share of the profits based on their original but loose “arrangement”, ie., based on 40% of his costs.

Until the 1950s Byron Hall was serviced self-contained flats. Maids lived on the top floor and a caretaker resided on the ground floor, where original wooden letterboxes with gold numbering are still used. The original foyer name board still exists in the board room. When ‘flats’ first became popular there were serious doubts about their convenience. Some owners had experienced problems but on the 2nd June 1943 The Sydney Morning Herald reported: “Mr. W.H James, owner of Byron Hall Flats, Potts Point, yesterday denied that he, like some other owners of flats, had experienced any shortage of coal to provide central heating and a hot water supply there for the 43 flats. Mr. James said that hot water was supplied without interruption as well as for central heating between 6am and 8am and 4pm and 10p.m.”

Unsurprisingly, 85 years later there is still no shortage of occupiers – or hot water.

By Andrew Woodhouse, Director, Heritage Solutions

Image: Byron Hall – grand and noble