Situated along Parramatta Road, New South Wales is a wholesaler called China Fair. This was not its original name, and wholesaling was not its original use. It was in fact a clothing factory; the Jantzen Clothing Factory.
Jantzen is a brand of swimwear established in 1916 and first appeared in the city of Portland, Oregon, United States. The brand featured a logo image of a young woman, dressed in a red one-piece swimsuit and bathing hat, assuming a diving posture with outstretched arms and an arched back. Known as the Jantzen "Diving Girl", the image in various forms became famous throughout the world during the early twentieth century.
The construction of the Jantzen Clothing Factory along Parramatta Road, Lidcome, started in 1938. The building was deisnged by architects William R. Laurie and Eric F. Heath. The building was to be air conditioned, using subsidiary heating. The layout relied on natural ventilation as much as possible. The tower contained a self reliant water tank for fire emergencies. Subcontractors for the factory were; The Sydney Steel Co. Pty. Ltd; James Connolly Pty. Ltd.; James Hardie & Co. Pty. Ltd; Wunderlich Ltd.
In recent years it was used by a wholesaler company and continued to fall into a state of neglect, but nonetheless remains an iconic contributor to the alienesque streetscape of Parramatta Road from Homebush to Auburn and a turning point for M4 commuters when coming/going to/from town.
Source: Trove; Jantzen.
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