Newspaper House

Statement of Significance

The place is of historic and social significance for its association with the state's major newspaper the West Australian, heir to the first newspaper the Swan River Gazette. The building is of aesthetic significance as an example of inter-war commercial architecture and as part of St George's Terrace street scene. Architecturally the buildings are important (both externally and internally) as examples of styles used for prestigious commercial office buildings in the inter-war period. The facades have considerable townscape value as this building relates strongly to the WA Trustee building and the Royal Insurance building in terms of style, scale and colour. The Newspaper House WA along with the Trustee building and the Royal Insurance building represent the last remaining streetscape of pre Second World War buildings in St Georges Terrace. In terms of scale and form they are typical of the terrace over a very long period of time, 1890's to the 1950's.

Physical Description

Symmetrical building with the base emphasised by strong rustication and large openings, neutral, repetitive intermediate storeys emphasise the wall plane. Prominent central entrance.

History

Building constructed in the 1930's as the offices of the West Australian Newspaper - the modern heir to the first newspaper in the state, the Swan River Gazette. The offices played a role in the commercial life of St. George's Terrace until the transfer of the newspaper offices out of the city in the 1980's.
In 1829 regulations required owners of town lots in St. George's Terrace to built houses worth 200 pounds whilst building elsewhere could be built costing 100 pounds. This helped establish St. George's Terrace as the premier address in the city. The street became the home of a number of Perth's prominent citizens and was characterised by large, often two storey, homes. Whilst other areas of the city tended to redevelop during the gold rush period around the turn of the century, St. George's Terrace remained substantially intact. Development that did occur included the construction of new government buildings in the area at the end of Barrack Street which was designated for this purpose from 1829.
The expansion of commerce and trade in the inter-war period led to considerable redevelopment of St. George's Terrace and the construction of several new business house and commercial premises. By this period doctors and dentists rooms were to be found in some of the stately homes predominantly on the north western part of the Terrace.
(Extracted from M. Pitt Morrison and J. White in C.T Stannage, A New History of Western Australia; U.W.A. 1981)
Awarded in 1938 a bronze medal for Street Architecture by the Royal Institute of British Architects.
Refer to Perth Girl's School (Police Traffic Headquarters) Conservation Plan February 1997 (Palassis).

Integrity/Authenticity

Low level of integrity.
Medium level of authenticity as some alterations to shop fronts at ground floor level.

Condition

Very Good

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.