[1] The Head Office of the City Mutual Life Assurance Society Limited has been associated with the eastern corner of Hunter and Bligh Streets since 1891.

At the time of acquisition the site was occupied by a plumber's shop at the corner of the two streets, along with several other buildings dating to the middle of the nineteenth century.

[1] Once again, City Mutual sought to obtain ideas from a number of architects and offered a prize for the best design of the new office block.

Sodersteen had commenced private practice in 1925 and had established a name for himself after winning a design competition for the Australian War Memorial in Canberra in 1927.

Its expressive form, facade zoning, integral decoration and rationalised embellishments inspired his distinctive and (in Sydney in the thirties) unique Art Deco".

A periodical of the day enthusiastically described the structure's impact upon passers by:[1] "It is not an exaggeration to say that the whole of Sydney is talking about the new City Mutual Building.

Every building has its group of admirers and commentators, particularly when the dogman is nonchalantly performing his daily round; but the City Mutual has caused more than casual interest.

People passing in the trams lean forward to gaze upon it, while those walking up Hunter Street stop to admire its streamline symmetry.

It combined the architect's sophisticated personal vision with his interpretation of the skyscraper to produce one of the finest of Sydney's modern office buildings.

The building expressed the spirit of the age by the use of latest technology (at that time) and materials: glossy polished surfaces, precise metal detailing and rich colour contrasts.

Sodersteen's design for the new City Mutual Building incorporated a steel framed structure clad externally in polished granite and sandstone.

Internally the design centres upon the three storey Assurance chamber which is entered at a 45 degree angle from the main entrance.

Because of the building's height and the natural elevation of the site, the structure was originally clearly visible from ferries entering Circular Quay.

Also around this time Sodersteen instigated a lawsuit against the Society regarding the payment of fees for a Pitt Street building design project which had been cancelled.

Although Sodersteen eventually won the case, the ill feelings generated by the affair meant that he ceased to be the architect for the Society.

One of the best intact examples of Art Deco style applied to a commercial office building in Sydney CBD.

The steel framed concrete encased structure is clad externally in polished red granite to first floor level.

The Foundation is excavated to good quality white sandstone base, the steel structure rests on reinforced concrete pad footings.

On roof of tower section signs of water penetration were evident on concrete surrounds to timber service access hatch.

The original detailing - scagliola wall panels, timber joinery, highlight fixed glazed windows with expanded metal mesh ventilation slots, timber doors (some with original black outlined gold lettering) - where retained is in good condition and has been well maintained.

As a largely intact and well maintained late 1930s structure, the building demonstrates through its powerful exterior elevations and dramatic interior spaces the aesthetic and commercial aspects of Art Deco architecture in Australia.

[1] The building occupies a dominant position in the surrounding urban context, serving as a backdrop to Richard Johnson Square and as a landmark in the Bligh and Hunter Streetscapes.

[1] Exterior elevations to Bligh and Hunter Streets represent intact and well-maintained examples of late Art Deco commercial detailing and massing.

Such detailing includes the glossy granite building base at street level, bronze window sashes and sculptures (by Rayner Hoff) over the main entrances.

[1] The lift foyer to the main entrance at the Hunter/Bligh Street corner is an intact and handsomely detailed expression of late 1930s commercial interior design.

It demonstrates Emil Sodersteen's considerable design abilities in accommodating a formally proportioned interior space within an irregular external building envelope.

Scagliola wall and column surfacing, bronze window frames and detailed plasterwork emphasise the overall ambiance of the space.

[1][4]: 37–38 The City Mutual Life Assurance Building was listed on the New South Wales State Heritage Register on 2 April 1999.

[1] This Wikipedia article was originally based on City Mutual Life Assurance Building, entry number 585 in the New South Wales State Heritage Register published by the State of New South Wales (Department of Planning and Environment) 2018 under CC-BY 4.0 licence, accessed on 13 October 2018.