Electricity Substations, Perth

Child Places

• 17629 No.4 Substation
• 17707 No.1 Substation
• 02072 No.2 Substation, Murray Street
• 02233 No.3 Substation

Statement of Significance

Electricity Substations, Perth, a non-adjacent group of four two-storey red brick buildings with stucco detailing, in the Federation Warehouse style, constructed to a standard plan that was modified to suit each location, has cultural heritage significance for the following reasons:

the four buildings are a rare example of a complete set of early twentieth-century electricity substations relating to the initial development of an electricity network in Western Australia;

the four buildings were constructed by Perth City Council to operate as the main line substations in conjunction with the State Government’s East Perth Power Station (1916), the first centralised electricity supply in Perth, and one (No.4 Substation, Stuart Street) continued to operate as an electricity substation into the twenty-first century;

the four buildings have high scientific value for their ability to contribute to the understanding of the development of power to the metropolitan region of Perth, especially No.4 Substation, Stuart Street, which retains much of its transformers and other machinery;

the four buildings are good examples of utilitarian structures designed in the Federation Warehouse style to fit within city streetscapes, an approach to constructing and siting industrial buildings that is no longer practised;

construction of the substations and installation of the plant was supervised by international company Merz & McLellan, especially Charles McLellan, who advised the City of Perth and State Government regarding electricity production and was influential in the decision to centralise and to switch from direct to alternating current; and,

the buildings were designed by prominent and prolific Western Australian architect Jack Learmonth Ochiltree and are a good example of his design approach to functional buildings.

Physical Description

Electricity Substations, Perth comprises a non-adjacent group of four two-storey red brick buildings with stucco detailing, in the Federation Warehouse style, constructed to a standard plan that was modified to suit the location of each building. The buildings are sited within central Perth, between one and 1.5 kilometres from each other. They were constructed for Mertz and McLellan in 1914 and 1915, designed by Jack Ochiltree and constructed by Todd Brothers.

History

Electricity Substations, Perth were constructed for Mertz and McLellan in 1914 and 1915, designed by Jack Ochiltree and constructed by Todd Brothers.

Integrity/Authenticity

No. 4 Substation, Stuart Street displays a high degree of integrity. It was used as an electricity substation until relatively recently and was only decommissioned when new technology made it redundant. It retains most of the operating machinery used until the decommissioning of the building, when it was mothballed.
No. 1 Substation, Wellington Street and No. 3 Substation, Colin Street have been considerably modified to suit other uses. No.2 Substation, Murray Street has had its plant removed and is now vacant, but the layout of the substation remains intact.
No. 4 Substation, Stuart Street displays a very high degree of authenticity. The street frontages retain their original form and the internal spaces retain their original volumes. Some original machinery remains in situ. There have been some alterations over time, both to the building and the machinery, that reflect the development of electricity generation and distribution to a large metropolitan area.
While there have been a number of modifications to No. 1 Substation, Wellington Street and No. 3 Substation, Colin Street, particularly the introduction of mezzanine levels and the painting of the facades of No. 1 Substation, Wellington Street the original layout, façade details and volumes are discernable and the buildings could be returned to their original form if required.
No.2 Substation, Murray Street largely retains its original form and detail, with some windows blocked up or replaced and the first floor balcony enclosed.

Condition

Electricity Substations, Perth comprises four buildings, all in good condition. They were very well constructed using high quality materials and were designed to a very high structural specification. They have all been well maintained although No. 1 Substation, Wellington Street and No. 4 Substation, Stuart Street require some cosmetic maintenance.

Uses

Creation Date

Publish place record online (inHerit):

Last Update

Disclaimer

This information is provided voluntarily as a public service. The information provided is made available in good faith and is derived from sources believed to be reliable and accurate. However, the information is provided solely on the basis that readers will be responsible for making their own assessment of the matters discussed herein and are advised to verify all relevant representations, statements and information.