Eagle House

Eagle House on Bourke Street carries a facade of dark, polished granite that sets it apart from the surrounding limestone buildings. Built in nineteen twenty-seven, it served as the headquarters for the Australasian Temperance and General Mutual Life Assurance Society. Architect Harry Norris included a prominent bronze eagle perched high above the entrance, its wings spread wide to oversee the street. During the building's opening, the society insisted that no alcohol could ever be sold or consumed within its walls.