Local Government
Perth
Region
Metropolitan
Location
3 Forrest Pl Perth
Location Details
Other Name(s)
Perth GPO
Construction Date
Constructed from 1914 to 1923
Demolition Year
N/AStatutory Heritage Listings
| Type | Status | Date | Documents |
|---|---|---|---|
| Heritage List | Adopted | 20 Dec 1985 | |
| Commonwealth List | Adopted | 22 Jun 2004 | |
| Heritage Agreement | YES | 18 Dec 1992 | HCWebsite.Listing+ListingDocument |
| State Register | Registered | 16 Oct 1992 | HCWebsite.Listing+ListingDocument |
Heritage Council Decisions and Deliberations
| Type | Status | Date | Documents |
|---|---|---|---|
| (no listings) |
Other Heritage Listings and Surveys
| Type | Status | Date | Grading/Management | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Category | ||||
| Municipal Inventory | Adopted | 13 Mar 2001 | Category 1 | |
| Local Heritage Survey | Adopted | 28 Mar 2023 | Category 1 | |
| Local Heritage Survey | Completed\Draft | Category 1 | ||
| Perth Draft Inventory 99-01 | YES | 31 Dec 1999 | ||
| Classified by the National Trust | Classified | 21 Aug 1978 | ||
| Survey of 20th Ctry Architecture | Completed | 01 Mar 1988 | ||
| Register of the National Estate | Permanent | 26 Sep 1982 | ||
| Restrictive Covenant | YES | |||
Parent Place or Precinct
04280 Forrest Place Area
Condition
A building in the Beaux-Arts style, with seven main storeys plus basement and roof level rooms. It has a concrete encased steel frame faced with brick and stone. The ground floor of the east elevation is faced with granite from Mahogany Creek with Donnybrook sandstone above. Paired ionic columns rise through three upper storeys. Red brick walls trimmed with stone are set back above the cornice, between stone towers and form the side and back walls. The interiors have large spans creating open spaces on each floor, which was a radical departure from traditional construction. The central two-storey postal hall has large rooflights which emphasise the sense of space. The design was conceived in 1912 by Commonwealth architect, John Smith Murdoch, in association with Hillson Beasley (Western Australian Public Works Department) with the initial contract signed in 1914 and another (after delays due to a steel embargo and a strike) in 1921 for an additional two storeys. By then W B Hardwick had succeeded Beasley. Construction was completed in 1923.
Associations
| Name | Type | Year From | Year To |
|---|---|---|---|
| John Smith Murdoch | Architect | - | - |
| Hillson Beasley | Architect | - | - |
State Heritage Office library entries
| Library Id | Title | Medium | Year Of Publication |
|---|---|---|---|
| 11358 | Cast iron pillar boxes of Western Australia: An early history of the J & E Ledger foundry | Book | 2015 |
| 9506 | Photographic archival record for Perth GPO shopfront works. | Archival Record | 0 |
| 292 | GPO Trade Centre | Report | 1990 |
| 1372 | Perth General Post Office: Conservation Analysis and Conservation Management Pla | Heritage Study {Cons'n Plan} | 1991 |
| 8540 | GPO Perth : interpretation plan. | Heritage Study {Other} | 2007 |
| 290 | Australian Postal Corporation GPO Perth refurbishment. | Report | 1991 |
| 6959 | Perth and all this! : a story about a city. | Book | 1962 |
| 8469 | General Post Office, Perth. Conservation management plan. | Heritage Study {Cons'n Plan} | 2006 |
Place Type
Individual Building or Group
Uses
| Epoch | General | Specific |
|---|---|---|
| Present Use | Transport\Communications | Comms: Post or Telegraph Office |
| Original Use | Transport\Communications | Comms: Post or Telegraph Office |
Architectural Styles
| Style |
|---|
| Inter-War Beaux-Arts |
Construction Materials
| Type | General | Specific |
|---|---|---|
| Wall | BRICK | Face Brick |
| Other | CONCRETE | Reinforced Concrete |
| Wall | STONE | Donnybrook Sandstone |
| Wall | STONE | Granite |
| Wall | ASBESTOS | Fibrous Cement, corrugated |
| Roof | GLASS | Glass |
Historic Themes
| General | Specific |
|---|---|
| TRANSPORT & COMMUNICATIONS | Mail services |
Creation Date
30 May 1989Publish place record online (inHerit):
ApprovedLast Update
31 Dec 2016Disclaimer
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.