Frontage of the Myer Emporium, Bourke Street, C.1934
In the early 1930s, the Myer’s Bourke Street entrance consisted of three separate buildings that varied in height and appearance. In January 1933, the company’s board undertook to spend £150,000 unifying all three buildings into one impressive eight-story edifice containing 25 acres of floor space. The internal elements of the individual stores were remodeled, consistency in height was achieved and a new facade constructed. Like that of the Manchester Unity Building, Myer elected the architectural style of ‘Commercial Gothic’ for the frontage of its “new” store.
For over two decades, shoppers entered the Emporium through an arcade created by rows of glass display cases. Twelve of these were “island” displays: stand-alone showcases that occupied the space between Bourke Street and the Emporium’s entrance. Two lateral and eight island showcases lined the footpath with four wider stand-alone cases located behind them. A third row of showcases represented the store’s entrance. Doors were located between each.
The showcases represented an additional 2300 square feet of display space for the company. To keep these stocked with an ever-changing supply of desirable goods, Myer’s employed a team of forty talented windows dressers. An army of cleaners was also kept busy ensuring that the arcade’s 3100 square feet of plate glass remained crystal clear.