Lawson Apartments, Art Deco residential building in Perth, Australia
Lawson Apartments is an eleven-storey Art Deco block at 2–4 Sherwood Court, near the corner of The Esplanade in Perth. Its facade carries Spanish Mission and Art Deco ornamentation, and the H-shaped plan sets four apartments per floor in twin palazzi-form towers on levels three to ten. The lower three floors originally held a restaurant and the Perth Club.
The Colonial Mutual Life Assurance Society constructed this residential complex in 1937 as a major development in Perth. During World War II, the building served as the headquarters for the State Cabinet.
The building's name comes from Sherwood Court, the lane off The Esplanade where it stands. Its lower three floors held a restaurant and the Perth Club, a private members' club; the Karrakatta Club moved into these premises in 1986 after selling its St Georges Terrace building, and stayed until October 2020, when it moved to ANZAC House. Part of the ground floor is now shared with Balthazar, a fine-dining restaurant.
The building stands at 2–4 Sherwood Court, near the corner of The Esplanade, across the road from the Elizabeth Quay precinct and next to the Weld Club. The lower three levels hold the former club rooms and the Balthazar restaurant, while the apartments above are private. The exterior ornamentation can be seen from the street and from the Elizabeth Quay side.
The building's H-shaped plan places four apartments per floor in twin palazzi-form towers, a layout that mirrors the paired Colonial Mutual Life buildings on St Georges Terrace. When completed in 1937, the two structures stood among the tallest in Perth.
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