inHerit Logo

Perth Cultural Centre Precinct

Author

Heritage Council

Place Number

04278

Location

Roe, Francis, Beaufort & James St Northbridge

Location Details

Local Government

Perth

Region

Metropolitan

Construction Date

Constructed from 1853 to 1911

Demolition Year

N/A

Statutory Heritage Listings

Type Status Date Documents More information
Heritage List Adopted 20 Dec 1985 City of Perth

Heritage Council Decisions and Deliberations

Type Status Date Documents
RHP - Assessed - Consultation (Preliminary) Current 29 Oct 2004

Other Heritage Listings and Surveys

Type Status Date Grading/Management More information
Category Description
Municipal Inventory Adopted 13 Mar 2001 Category 1

Category 1

Exceptional significance - Essential to the heritage of the locality. Rare or outstanding example.

City of Perth
Perth Draft Inventory 99-01 YES 31 Dec 1999

Classified by the National Trust Classified 06 Jun 1978

Values

• A number of buildings within the area have significant aesthetic value in their own right being substantial and very fine examples of a particular type.
• Together the buildings form the finest, and possibly largest, group of public buildings in the Federation and Federation Romanesque style in the state.
• Individual buildings within the place have associations with a number of prominent WA architects including Richard Roach Jewell, George Temple Poole and Hillson Beasley.
• The place has associations with the provision of public education, law and order services, and the establishment of the first public art gallery/museum.
• The place illustrates changing attitudes and policies of cultural institutions and reflects the centralisation of such services in the Perth area as a result of the planning of the metropolitan region in the post-World War Two period.

Physical Description

The place is bounded by Francis and Roe Streets to the north and south, and Beaufort and William Streets to the east and west.
The place includes: James Street Mall, Art Gallery Administration Building (former Police Quarters), AGWA Centenary Galleries (former Police Courts), PIC (former Perth Boys School), former Perth Gaol, Hackett Hall, former Art Gallery, 1970s Museum Building, the Main Gallery Building and the Alexander Library building.

History

Construction on the block of land bounded by Francis and Roe Streets, and Beaufort and William Streets dates back to the 1850s at which time portion of the site was gazetted for use as a gaol and police quarters; former Perth Gaol – Richard Roach Jewell.
The main development of the area occurred at the turn of the twentieth century at which time the former Perth Boys School was erected to the design of Chief Architect George Temple Poole, followed by the former Art Gallery Building and Hackett Hall were constructed as was the former Perth Courts and the former Police Quarters in the early 1900s; all to the design of architect of the Public Works Department Hillson Beasley.
The next major stage of development occurred in the 1970s and 1980s. This occurred directly as a result of a concept developed in the 1955 Perth and Fremantle metropolitan plan developed by Stephenson and Hepburn for a central Perth cultural centre. The 1963 Metropolitan region Scheme later laid out the plan for the cultural centre and the plans began to be implemented in the 1970s, incorporating the retention of the historic building on the site after protests from the National Trust.

Integrity/Authenticity

Moderate

Condition

Good

State Heritage Office library entries

Library Id Title Medium Year Of Publication
6379 High hopes. Book 2003
5086 Perth Cultural Centre development sites Nos.1&2 future land use. Final report. February 2000. Heritage Study {Other} 2000
8050 Heritage impact assessment. New performing arts venue, Northbridge. Heritage Study {Other} 2006
11519 New Museum Project: archival record Electronic 2017
7378 New performing arts venue : site evaluation report. Report 2004
9332 Perth 2009 Public spaces & public life. Book 2009
11688 The Perth Cultural Centre - conservation mangement strategy Electronic 2018
275 Perth Cultural Centre : south west corner feasibility study report. Report 1990
9388 Perth Cultural Centre including October activation plan. Heritage Study {Other} 2009
5705 Public spaces & public life in Perth. Report 1994
8025 Western Australian Museum new building : Francis Street, Perth. Map or Plan 0

Creation Date

17 Aug 1995

Publish place record online (inHerit):

Approved

Last Update

08 Jul 2022

Disclaimer

BESbswy