Parliament House & Grounds

Statement of Significance

Western Australia's Parliament House, a three storey sandstone building in the Federation Academic Classical and Late Twentieth Century Stripped Classical style, with its surrounding grounds, is of heritage significance for the
following reasons -

the place an easily identifiable and monumental landmark at the top of St Georges Terrace, designed to optimise its unique connection to the central business district;

despite the radical difference in design styles, the place exhibits a high degree of uniformity and visual cohesion; the place makes use of distinctive Western Australian materials, representing different regions of the State;
it has close associations with the careers and activities of people important to the history and development of the state of Western Australia;

it sustains continuity and connection with the traditions, regalia and ceremonies of the British parliament , and therefore with the nation's political roots. It is symbolic of the Parliamentary process and the system of government adopted by Australia, including the right to protest;

and, when considered in connection to other places within the Parliament House Precinct, the place forms part of an important collection of historic buildings, landscapes and spaces associated with government operations and the decision making process.

Physical Description

This description is a summary only, based on informal site visits and the Conservation Plan. For a more detailed account of the physical evidence, please refer to the Parliament House Conservation Plan, prepared by Considine and Griffiths, January I999.

Western Australia's Parliament House occupies the gently sloping land at the Western termination of St. George's Terrace. Together with its landscaped grounds, the area is bounded by Hay Street, the Mitchel l Freeway, Malcolm Street and Harvest Terrace.

The main entrance, and the public face of the building, is the three storeyed Eastern facade. The older, two storeyed, Western facade is still easily identifiable, but does not function as an access point. Although there is a high degree of cohesion from the choice of sandstone as a building material , there is a large discrepancy in the design styles of the East and West facades resulting from the 60 year delay in construction.

The two facades are connected by corridors, offices and the two Chambers (the Legislative Assembly and the Legislative Council) effectively forming a rectangle shape around a courtyard.

Exterior
Western facade
The Western facade, on Harvest Terrace was constructed in the Federation Academic Classical style, using Rottnest and Donnybrook stone. This style was popular in Western Australia during the prosperity following the discovery of gold in the early 1890s. The largeness of scale, characteristic of the style, was considered appropriate for public
builldings at the time and was essentially a continuation of the Victorian Academic Classical style (Apperly, Irving and Reynolds; 1989:I 00-3).

There is a noticeable difference in colour between the Rottnest and Donnybrook stone of this facade. The Donnybrook stone is used in the second story and was also used in the 1958-64 and 1978 extensions (Considine and Griffiths, 1999:91). The two entry doors on this side were previously used for entering directly to the Chambers, but they are now sealed shut (Pascoe, 2004).

The Western facade of the building was intended to be the rear, and as such is relatively subdued, however it still represents an example of the monumental scale intended for civic buildings at the turn of the century (Considine and Griffiths, 1999:I00).

Eastern facade
The East side was completed in 1964 in the Late Twentieth Century Stripped Classical style. Apperly, Irving and Reynolds ( 1989: 228-9) describe the main characteristics of the style represented in Parl iament House as consisting of -
• A symmetrical facade
• A horizontal skyline
• Regular bays with height exceeding width
• A colonnade echoing the classical peristyle
• Columns without base and capital
• Broad horizontal member echoing classical entablature

The style is a response to the 1940s and 50s when the elaborate motifs of pure classicalism were considered an unaffordable luxury, but it still retains some key classical elements such as symmetry and monumentality (Apperly, Irving and Reynolds; 1999: 228-9). A total of 1500 tons of Donnybrook sand stone were used in these extensions (Kendrew, 1964:2 1).

From a distance the strong repetitive rhythm of the broad columns makes it easily identifiable, and at close range the monumentality of the scale generates a sense of awe, echoing its Classical roots and the purpose it was designed for.

The original foundation stone is set into the granite clad base of this facade and the coat of arms above the entrance was added in 1971 (Considine and Griffiths, 1999:94, 95). The coat of arms features a black Swan, the Black Rod (symbol of the Usher of the Black Rod, representative of the Legislative Council) and the Mace (symbol of authority in the Legislative Assembly). These symbols represent the traditional and ceremonial connection West Australian parl iament has to its past (Parliament House, website).

The Eastern facade was never completed to the monumenta l design and with the intricate details that were intended for it, hence the contrast in styles between the East and West facades.
Northern facade
The Northern facade is three stories high and in the Stripped Classical style in a similar proportion to the Eastern side. The service entry, gardeners' store, kitchen access and associated facilities are on this side, and in 2003 this portion was extended using Donnybrook stone to match the existing building. The modification s now provide an alfresco area for staff (Pascoe, 2004).

Southern facade
The Southern facade (an office extension from 1978) is in the same style as the Northern, but the Western end is only two storeys high. The stonework is this section is well colour matched but in greater need of repair than other sections (Considine and Griffiths, 1999:96).

Interior
The main entrance, at the ground floor on the Eastern side, leads to the Forrest Foyer which features a bust of Sir John Forrest, the first Premier of Western Australia ( 1890-1901). The foyer features several chandeliers which were installed with the 1964 extensions, the majority of and are made of cut glass. However, there is one crystal
chandelier at the base of the staircase which made its way to Australia in 185 1 with William Knight, an early settler.
This large chandelier is cleaned once a year, in a process which takes three days. Local materials have been used where possible in the foyer, with the exclusion of the Italian travertine marble of the walls and staircase, and the crystal chandelier (Parliament House pamphlet l ; Launsmann , 2004).

The marquetry in foyer represents the different regions and assets of the State through a depiction of the ornithological emblem of the State, the Black Swan. The design features four different types of timbers from the South-west, mother of pearl from the North, and iron-ore representing mineral wealth (Parliament House Pamphlet 1).

The ground floor level, which was the basement of the 1902 section, also contains the main kitchens, staff rooms, the office of the Parliamentary Services Department, and some storage areas (Considine and Griffiths, 1999:I 00)

At the rear of the Forrest Foyer is a staircase leading to the first floor. Behind the staircase, on the exterior, is a courtyard at the first floor level. The courtyard is overlooked by verandas on both levels on the North and South sides and was upgraded in 2003 at the same time as the extensions to the Northern side were carried out (Stephens, 2003).

The first floor lobby is known as the Lee Steere Foyer, after Sir James Lee Steere KCMG, the first speaker of the Legislative Assembly . A display of photographs on the Eastern wall of the first floor foyer commemorates
significant West Australian female parliamentarians - including Edith Cowan, May Holman, Florence (Annie) Cardell-Oliver, Dr Carmen Lawrence, Ruby Hutchin son, Margaret McAleer and Carol Martin.

The corridors off the Lee Steere Foyer are lined with paintings commissioned by Parliament House representing each of the electorates across the state (Launsmann , 2004). From the first floor corridors, members can access offices, meeting rooms, the dining room and the Chambers of the Legislative Assembly and Legislative Council.

Both Chambers are two storeys high, with the Parliamentary functions occurring on the first floor and public viewing galleries on the second (Considine and Griffiths, 1999: 100). The internal detailing of the Houses reflects the importance of the institution of Parliament at the time of construction, and feature West Australian materials such as jarrah . Details include stained glass windows, leather furniture, decorative moulded ceilings (Considine and
Griffiths, 1999:I 02). The stained glass windows were designed to be lowered into cavities on hot days to allow a breeze into the Chambers, but since the additions of offices on either side this is no longer possible (Parliament House, pamphlet I ). The entrance to each Chamber features a brass rail known as the Bar of the House. The Bar is pu l led across when the Houses are in session and no person is allowed across the Bar without permission from the House (Parliament House, pamphlet 2).

The second floor contains more offices, the Library, the Press Gallery and the viewing galleries for the Legislative Assembly and Legislative Council.

Gardens and plantings
The current layout of the grounds is largely the product of modifications and works undertaken since the 1950s, with the exception of the Harvest Terrace side which has retained many elements from before this time, including the street trees. The post I 950 plantings were intended to complement the building design and existing plantings
(Considine and Griffiths, 72, 74, 138).

The car park and sunken garden on the South side are from the late 1950s. An avenue of eucalypts lines the
driveway and the informal arrangement of miscellaneous shrubs and trees was planted to provide continuity with other areas of the grounds (Considine and Griffiths, I 999:70).
Construction of the Mitchell Freeway in the late 1960s and early 70s delayed construction of the grounds on the Eastern facade. The official opening of the two tiered water feature on this facade occurred in 1971. The water garden features a cascade with pedestrian access behind it, pools, fountains and a mixture of colourful, low growing plants (Considine and Griffiths, 1999:72).

The lemon scented gum at the entrance is highly visible. Evidence shows it was present at the 1964 opening and it is a key focal point and a prominent landmark, especially when it is l it up at night (Considine and Griffiths, 1999:70)

Red and green Kangaroo Paws feature prominently in the current plantings of the garden beds. The Kangaroo Paw (Anigozanthos manglesii D. Don) has been the state floral emblem of Western Australia since 1960 (Department of Premier and Cabinet, website).

History

Assessment 2004
Construction: 1902 - 1904;
Alteration/additions: 1958, 1978, 1980, 2003
Architect/designer: John H Grainger + E.H. Van Mens
Builder: M Barry

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.