The Demolition of the David Jones Building, Parramatta. Time Lapse Video

In August 2013 work began on the demolition of the David Jones building in Parramatta. The building was located on the south eastern end of the Lennox Bridge, Church Street, Parramatta. With the office of the Parramatta Heritage and Visitors Information Centre located directly across from the David Jones building we thought it was an ideal opportunity to record the demolition using time lapse video. We purchased a GoPro camera and set it to take a photograph every 1 minute for a few hours each day.

The images used to create this video were recorded between August 2013 and January 2014. The video above is a shortened 4 minute version. 

This is a high definition video so it is best viewed on a full screen.

For further information regarding the history of David Jones Building visit our blog post.

 Peter Arfanis, Archivist, Parramatta Council, Parramatta Heritage Centre, 2014

The Centennial Baths of Parramatta

The Centennial Baths Building on the left of the
Lennox Bridge, currently the site of the Riverside Theatre.
(State Library of Victoria H91.300/394)

By the early 1880s the residents of Parramatta felt it was time they had facilities for bathing. The river was polluted and the youth of the town had little chance to "practice the noble art of swimming." Council felt it couldn't waste any time to have "these necessary adjuncts to cleanliness and health erected".1 A deputation led by Mayor Joseph Booth waited on the Colonial Secretary on 15 June 1883 to request that a Bill be introduced to release a portion of land originally set aside for use as a market. The land in question is the current site of the Riverside Theatre next to the Lennox Bridge.

While there was urgency on the part of Parramatta Council to have the baths erected the process of passing the Bill was slow. In 1886 Mr Hugh Taylor, M.L.A., moved to bring in a Bill that would allow the Council of the Borough of Parramatta to construct and maintain a public baths and to borrow money to do so.