Art Gallery Administration Building

Child Places

• 16722 Art Gallery of Western Australia Complex
• 01963 Perth Court of Petty Sessions

Statement of Significance

The place is a fine example of the Federation Romanesque style of architecture and contributes to the wider environment of the Perth Cultural Centre Precinct which comprises excellent examples of structures from a diverse range of architectural styles.
The place demonstrates the broad and eclectic skills of PWD architect, Hillson Beasley.
Its construction is associated with the wealth generated in Western Australia as a consequence of the 1890s Gold Boom.
The place together with Perth Court of Petty Sessions, Art Gallery Administration Building demonstrates an early use of Donnybrook Stone and has capacity to teach about aspects of the stone’s durability and repair.
The place has become a component of a significant cultural institution which together with its fine architectural expression and longstanding prominence contribute to the community’s sense of place.
The place has some rarity value as one of a small number of police quarters built in Western Australia where police constables lived in barrack style accommodation.
The place is representative of the important public works projects undertaken in the late 1890’s and early 1900’s.

Physical Description

Art Gallery Administration Building (the former Police Barracks) is a two storey classically planned Donnybrook sandstone wall and tiled roof building in the Federation Romanesque style.
The building faces the James Street pedestrian walkway and is to the north of the Main Gallery Building. There is an enclosed link between the two buildings. There is a stone and cast-iron fence to the front of the building. The front façade is symmetrical in design and is of Donnybrook stone cut in a pillow profile. The front of the building has three, two storey pavilion blocks linked by a single storey arcade.
Generally much of the external fabric and detailing remains with the exception of the south elevation which was modified in the 1976 adaptation works. The roof finish has also been altered from slate to clay tiles.

History

Art Gallery Administration Building was built as Police Barracks for the adjacent Perth Court of Petty Sessions and completed in 1905. The need for such a building and the means to build it arose from the Gold Boom, and the population growth and wealth it generated.
The building was designed by Public Works Department Architect, Hillson Beasley who succeeded John Grainger as Chief Architect of the Public Works Department and completed a prodigious number of building designs in Western Australia in his time as assistant and later chief architect at the Public Works Department.
In 1952 the Police Barracks were converted into offices for an expanded Police Force, particularly to accommodate the new Criminal Investigation Bureau (CIB). The Commissioner of Police, detectives and support staff moved into the converted Quarters, freeing up space for magistrates and staff in the Police Quarters. When the police moved to new headquarters near the causeway in 1975 the former barracks were converted for use for Art Gallery administration staff who moved in the following year.
The building now houses the offices of the Art Gallery Administration and contains offices, laboratories, educational facilities, theatrette and boardrooms. Substantial internal alterations to allow for the special requirements have been carefully carried out, but the external appearance of the building remains mostly unchanged.
A statue that once stood in front of the building as a memorial to two policeman who were murdered in Kalgoorlie in 1926 has been relocated to East Perth.

Integrity/Authenticity

Medium level of integrity.
High level of authenticity (external).
Moderate - low level of authenticity (internal).

Condition

Good

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.