The building, originally known as Lawson Flats, is an eleven-storey art deco apartment block, constructed in 1937, by the Colonial Mutual Life Assurance Society.[1][2][3] It included a restaurant and a private club, the Perth Club, at the lower three floors and apartments above. The building was designed by Sydney architects Hennessy, Hennessy & Co in association with local architect, Reginald Summerhayes[4] for rental purposes as a companion piece to the neighbouring Colonial Mutual Life building (1936–1980) on St Georges Terrace.[5] When constructed, the two Colonial Mutual Life buildings were amongst the tallest in Perth.[6][7] Its landmark status and prestigious location catered for an exclusive market in multi-residential building stock not known in Western Australia prior to the Inter-War years. The design features Spanish Mission and Art Deco styled ornamentation, evoking some of the allure of Hollywood. Internally, the H-shaped plan form provides for four apartments per floor, arranged in pairs in the twin palazzi form towers. During World War II, the headquarters of the State Cabinet were located in the building.
Current use
The apartments were refurbished in 1986, following their sale by Colonial Mutual and they were subsequently strata titled and sold off individually in 1987.[8][9] Four residential apartments are located on each floor, levels 3 to 10, inclusive.
The Perth Club premises, located on the ground floor and on levels 1 and 2, became the home for the Karrakatta Club with part of the ground floor shared with Balthazar, a fine-dining restaurant. The club relocated to the Lawson Apartments in 1986, following the sale of its former club premises on St Georges Terrace, before moving to ANZAC House in October 2020 and another members-only social club occupying the vacated premises after refurbishment.[10]
^"The lofty stature of the double palazzi, rising from the three storey base, is a city landmark. The massive, grand form of the building also makes an important contribution to the streetscape of Sherwood Court. The place is a rare example in Perth of a late 1930s, multi-storey, innercity residential development" – from http://register.heritage.wa.gov.au/viewplace.html?place_seq=2092&offset=0&view=description.
^Lawson Flats – brief history of the building including names of some former residents, media statement from the Minister for Heritage Placed on the State Register of Heritage Places. Media statement (Minister for Heritage), 3/7/1995
^Lawson Apartments, Perth. Details of history and conservation and restoration work on the building. Trust news (National Trust of Australia (W.A.)), March 1999, p. 2-3,
^"Perth's Highest Building". Western Mail. Perth, WA: National Library of Australia. 29 October 1936. p. 2 Supplement: The Western Mail. Retrieved 8 June 2012.
^"Skeleton of Steel". The West Australian. Perth, WA: National Library of Australia. 8 August 1939. p. 12 Section: Industrial Expansion in WA. Retrieved 8 June 2012.
^Brookes, Sarah (23 November 2022). "Health, hedonism and everything between: Perth private members' clubs reimagined". WAtoday. Archived from the original on 16 March 2023. Retrieved 23 September 2023. Lawson Flats is a markedly different offering to another [... by the same people] – Mello House – an invitation-only members' club discreetly located within the historic State Buildings.
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