St John the Baptist Church & Maritana Buildings Group

Child Places

• 01319 Maritana Buildings
• 01317 St John the Baptist Cathedral

Statement of Significance

The group is significant as the spiritual centre of the Anglican Parish of Kalgoorlie since 1896. It represents development of the Anglican church and community in Kalgoorlie in response to the expanding population of the Goldfields following the discovery of gold in the 1890s, and the provision of ongoing religious services over the following century.

Physical Description

St John the Baptist Church & Maritana Buildings Group comprises St John the Baptist Church (1909, 1921) in the Federation Gothic style, Maritana Buildings (1902) a semi-detached pair of offices in the Federation Free Style, and, the Community Centre (1970).

History

Kalgoorlie's first Anglican church buildings were timber structures constructed in 1895 (commercial buildings), 1896 (church) and 1899 (parish hall) where the group of buildings stands today. In 1902 after enough finds were raised, a grand Federation Free style office building, known as Maritana Buildings, was constructed. This building allowed the Anglican Church to raise further funds which in 1909 funded the construction of the Federation Gothic style St John the Baptist Church. In 1914 church became a Cathedral when the Diocese of Kalgoorlie was created. In 1970 the timber parish hall was repaced by the current Community Centre. In 1973, the Kalgoorlie Diocese was reabsorbed back into the Perth Dioese and St John's reverted back to being just a church.

Condition

St John the Baptist Church & Maritana Buildings Group is generally in fair to good condition and is regularly maintained. Rising damp and moisture ingress damage is evident in the Church particularly the north wall, and also on the interior south wall. Rising damp problems and consequent damage are prevalent in the Maritana Buildings, exacerbated by inadequate drainage, incorrect gradients and ground levels in the area between the three buildings. The situation has contributed to structural cracking on the north wall of the Community Centre. The roof of the Maritana Buildings is rusted in places and sheets are not firmly secured.

Uses

Historic Themes

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.