Hurren, Langman and James Engineers [Commercial Premises] Collection
Architecture Museum, University of South Australia
Hurren, Langman and James Engineers,
Series
248
Biography
The engineering partnership of Hurren, Langman and James consisted of Frank Hurren ASASM (1899-1992), William Wilson Langman and Wesley Hughes James ME (Adel), FSASM, MIE Aust, (b1898). “During 1928 Hurren established the first sustained consulting structural engineering practice in Adelaide to meet the small but growing need for more specialised reinforced concrete structural expertise. His practice survived the hard years of the Depression due to [Hurren’s] drive and self-motivation. For over twenty years, the practice of Hurren, Langman and James was the pre-eminent consulting structural engineering firm in Adelaide, highly respected for its innovation and the quality of its work” (Stacy 2005 p87). On 10 August 1956, on the retirement of Frank Hurren, the partnership of Hurren, Langman and James was dissolved. James and Langman continued as Langman and James from 1 July 1956.
Frank Hurren studied at the S.A. School of Mines and Industries then worked in Sydney. On his return to Adelaide he worked with both E. Stone and M.S. Stanley, and later, in partnership with Langman and James he designed the structures of many Adelaide buildings, such as Shell House, Elizabeth House, the Bank of N.S.W. and the Savings Bank Building. William (Bill) Langman was Mayor of Burnside 1967-68 and was very active in the Adelaide Rotary Club. Wesley Hughes James studied at the University of Adelaide and became a Junior Assistant Engineer in the Engineer-in Chief's Department in 1922. He then went to England and America, returning to Adelaide in 1927 where he gained the Degree of Master of Engineering in 1931. James worked with W. Francis before joining with Hurren and Langman, where he designed such structures as the Pt. Augusta and Osborne Power Stations. He was Chairman of the Institution of Engineers (S.A. Division) in 1944 (Cumming and Moxam 1986).
Sources
Cumming, D.A. and Moxham, G. (1986) They Built South Australia. Self published, South Australia.
Stacy, Bill. “'A mad scramble': Frank Emery Hurren, consulting structural engineer”. Journal of the Historical Society of South Australia, no.33, 2005: 87-101.
Bill Stacy, 'Hurren, Frank Emery (1899 - 1982)', Australian Dictionary of Biography, Volume 17, Melbourne University Press: 563-564.
Collection Description
Contains material related to work on commercial premises by structural engineering firm, Hurren, Langman and James Engineers. Includes work on Includes plans, calculations, estimates, and drawings for the construction of various building projects for shops, banks, insurance companies, societies and trusts, principally in South Australia. Includes 99 SubSeries.
These records are organised firstly under the function carried out in the building, then under the name of the firm occupying the premises where alterations took place, at the time. As firms changed location or a different firm occupied the same building, it was given a different job number. This is reflected in the ordering of the Items (the second lot of numbers) within the Series (numbers beginning with S).
Trusts, Societies, Insurance Companies, banks and Benevolent Funds had alterations to buildings with no indication as to the function of their organisation or the building. It was concluded that most would run a shop front for customers or clients. Where there is only an architect named in the personnel list, the estimations and Hurren Langman & James carried out calculations for all the jobs. Their name has not been added for simplicity and readability.
Often the jobs have descriptions such as store, with no further description given as to whether the job is in a retail shop or a storage place.
Some jobs are listed under the names of specific buildings ie Rust & Watson Building in Berri or Watson House in Adelaide.
As firms grew, they needed larger premises so moved to another location. In these circumstances the same name of the firm is kept but a different number at the end of the location string indicates the change of location.
Different branches of the same bank are also indicated in this manner.
Series List
| Series | Description |
| S248 | Shops, Banks, Offices, Insurance Companies, Societies and Trusts |
| S248/1 | Bank of Adelaide |
| S248/1/1 | Pulteney Street branch of Bank of Adelaide |
| S248/1/2 | King William Street branch of Bank of Adelaide |
| S248/2 | Savings Bank of South Australia |
| S248/2/1 | Port Adelaide branch of Savings Bank of South Australia |
| S248/2/2 | Mount Barker branch of Savings Bank of South Australia |
| S248/2/3 | Nailsworth branch of Savings Bank of South Australia |
| S248/2/4 | Hindley Street, Adelaide branch of Savings Bank of South Australia |
| S248/2/5 | Clare branch of Savings Bank of South Australia |
| S248/2/6 | Currie Street, Adelaide branch of Savings Bank of South Australia |
| S248/2/7 | King William Street, Adelaide Head Office for Savings Bank of South Australia |
| S248/3 | W.D. & H.O. Wills |
| S248/4 | Australian Metropolitan Life Assurance Company |
| S248/5 | H.E. Clancy, shop |
| S248/6 | Dells, shop |
| S248/7 | Myer Emporium |
| S248/8 | W.O. Beale, garage |
| S248/9 | Olympic Tyres, Wakefield Street |
| S248/10 | Leaver Brothers |
| S248/11 | Shop for L. Hodgson |
| S248/12 | Shop for Johnson Bros, Growers |
| S248/13 | Whyalla shops and flats |
| S248/14 | Shop for Mr Gordon Sym Choon |
| S248/15 | Verco Building |
| S248/16 | Claude T. Perkins, Naracoorte shop |
| S248/17 | Tank at Naracoorte |
| S248/18 | Shop at Naracoorte |
| S248/19 | Shop for Harman and Jacka |
| S248/20 | Central Agency Shop and Office |
| S248/21 | International Cash Register Shop |
| S248/22 | Rust and Watson Building, Berri |
| S248/23 | Solomons and Netter |
| S248/24 | Commercial Bank |
| S248/25 | Forwood Down |
| S248/26 | Laubman and Pank |
| S248/27 | East End Market |
| S248/28 | Foy and Gibson |
| S248/29 | Shops for Messrs Mathew, Cooke and Samuel |
| S248/30 | Manchester Unity Insurance Co. |
| S248/31 | Cafe for D. Morris |
| S248/32 | Wyatt Trust |
| S248/33 | Adelaide Stock Exchange |
| S248/34 | Shop for HR Cummings |
| S248/35 | Harris Scarfe, Grenfell Street |
| S248/36 | Scrymgour and Sons |
| S248/37 | Travellers' Aid Society |
| S248/38 | Watson House |
| S248/39 | Savery's Pianos Ltd |
| S248/40 | Shop for J.A. Hoskins |
| S248/41 | Alma Shoes Ltd |
| S248/42 | Miller Anderson Ltd |
| S248/43 | Charles Birk and Co. |
| S248/44 | Ezywalkin |
| S248/45 | Malcolm Reid and Co. Ltd |
| S248/46 | London and Lancashire Insurance Co. |
| S248/47 | New Zealand Insurance Co. |
| S248/48 | State Motors Ltd. |
| S248/49 | Wastell's |
| S248/50 | R.E. Jackman and Co. |
| S248/51 | Telephone Rentals |
| S248/52 | Charles Moore |
| S248/53 | Goldberg Brothers |
| S248/54 | State Bank |
| S248/55 | Henry Berry |
| S248/56 | Kither's Building |
| S248/57 | Graves and Co. |
| S248/58 | Tandy's |
| S248/59 | McMahon's Ltd |
| S248/60 | Lift at Blyth Street |
| S248/61 | Bank of NSW |
| S248/62 | Co-operative Insurance Co. of Australia Ltd. |
| S248/63 | Grant Walsh's Premises |
| S248/64 | Atlas Assurance Co. Ltd |
| S248/65 | Edments Jewellers |
| S248/66 | Hoopers |
| S248/67 | Healings Bicycles |
| S248/68 | Eagle Motors |
| S248/69 | Bank of Australasia |
| S248/70 | Shops for Mr W.L.G. Hill |
| S248/71 | Norwich Union Insurance Co. |
| S248/72 | Aeolian Co. |
| S248/73 | Shop for W. Perkins |
| S248/74 | Shop for Grant Walsh Esquire |
| S248/75 | Bank at Renmark |
| S248/76 | Commercial Union Assurance Co. Ltd. |
| S248/77 | Charlie Hayes Shop Fronts |
| S248/78 | Gay's Arcade |
| S248/79 | Stavros Cratsis Shops |
| S248/80 | Farmers' Co-op Executors and Trustees Ltd |
| S248/81 | Australia New Zealand Bank (ANZ) |
| S248/82 | Shops, Brooklyn Park |
| S248/83 | Mc Farlane Ltd. |
| S248/84 | Shops at Lockleys and Brighton |
| S248/85 | Shops for Harris Estate |
| S248/86 | Shops for H.A. Moore |
| S248/87 | Paton, Hogben and Hogben |
| S248/88 | Shell Company of Australia Offices |
| S248/89 | L.A. Kinderman Estate |
| S248/90 | David Law Ltd |
| S248/91 | Cooks World Travel Service |
| S248/92 | Executor Trustee and Agency Co. |
| S248/93 | Victorian Insurance Co. |
| S248/94 | American Security and Trust Company |
| S248/95 | Mercantile Insurance Co. |
| S248/96 | Woolworthes Pty Ltd Shop |
| S248/97 | Government of SA Offices |
| S248/98 | A.F. Scammell House |
| S248/99 | Epworth Building |
| S248/100 | AMP Building |
| S248/101 | Kelvin Building |
| S248/102 | Chas. Geddes |
| S248/103 | Murray River Wholesale Co-op Ltd. |
| S248/104 | Ellis Caterers Ltd, Arcadia Cafe, Bowman Buildings |
| S248/105 | Phoenix Assurance Co. |
| S248/106 | J. Craven and Co. Ltd. |
| S248/107 | Goldsbrough Mort and Co. Ltd |
| S248/108 | Savings Bank |
| S248/109 | Savings bank, Millicent |
| S248/110 | Alliance Assurance |
| S248/111 | Harris Scarfe, Whyalla |
| S248/112 | Elizabeth House |
| S248/113 | J.A. Lawton and Sons |
| S248/114 | Eudunda Farmers Co-operative Society Ltd |
| S248/115 | A.H. McCormac Garage |
| S248/116 | Australian General Electric Pty. Ltd. |
| S248/117 | Wyatt Benevolent Institution Incorporated |
| S248/118 | Shop in Glenelg |
| S248/119 | Anchor House |
| S248/120 | Shop for Messieurs Karavas |
| S248/121 | Eudunda Farmers Co-operative Society, Gladstone |
| S248/122 | Elliot Investments Pty Ltd. |
| S248/123 | Shops for Housing Trust, Woodville Gardens |
| S248/124 | W.H. and C.H. Truscott |
| S248/125 | AMP Building |
| S248/126 | John Martins |
| S248/127 | Eudunda Farmers Co-operative |
| S248/128 | Shops and dwelling for E.A. Gebauer |
| S248/129 | Commercial Travellers Association |
| S248/130 | Premises for S. Powell, Gawler Place |
| S248/131 | Mutual Chambers |
| S248/132 | Adelaide Co-operative Society |
| S248/133 | Pharmacy for Mr J.G. Caught |
| S248/134 | Shell Building, Adelaide |
| S248/135 | A.W. Barlow, Adelaide |