Mechanics' Institute, Katanning

Author

National Trust of Western Australia

Place Number

03317

Location

22-24 Austral Tce Katanning

Location Details

now part of Town Hall Complex

Other Name(s)

Agricultural Hall

Local Government

Katanning

Region

Great Southern

Construction Date

Demolition Year

N/A

Statutory Heritage Listings

Type Status Date Documents
State Register Registered 07 Oct 1997 HCWebsite.Listing+ListingDocument, 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 25 Jan 1996 Category 1

Statement of Significance

Mechanics ' Institute, Katanning, a single-storey brick building forming an element of the town hall complex, has cultural heritage significance for the following reasons; its aesthetic value as a complex history, in built form, of a number of successive building campaigns, each adopting the aesthetic mode of the day; in conjunction with the adjoining town hall building, of which it now forms an integral part, it collectively contributes significantly to the Austral Terrace streetscape; the place is associated with people of standing in the history ofKatanning and in the wider context of the state, such as Frederick and Charles Piesse, prominent land owners and politicians, and J. Herbert Bales, the architect; the place has social value for its role in contributing to the education of working people in Katanning and later the wider community as it fulfilled the role of the town's lending library; it has rarity value for its completeness, authenticity and fitting out that remains from the earliest campaigns; and, it represents a way of life that is now comparatively rare, as mechanics' institutes, in general, have been replaced by the public library system and their social function has all but disappeared.

History

Assessment 1997 Consruction 1896

State Heritage Office library entries

Library Id Title Medium Year Of Publication
1512 Mechanics Institute Katanning: conservation plan. Heritage Study {Cons'n Plan} 1995
5063 Mechanics' Institute, Katanning. Final report. July 2001. Report 2001

Place Type

Individual Building or Group

Uses

Epoch General Specific
Present Use GOVERNMENTAL Town, Shire or District Hall
Original Use SOCIAL\RECREATIONAL Agricultural Hall
Other Use SOCIAL\RECREATIONAL Mechanics Institute

Architectural Styles

Style
Federation Free Classical

Construction Materials

Type General Specific
Wall BRICK Common Brick
Roof METAL Corrugated Iron

Historic Themes

General Specific
SOCIAL & CIVIC ACTIVITIES Cultural activities
SOCIAL & CIVIC ACTIVITIES Community services & utilities

Creation Date

10 Feb 1993

Publish place record online (inHerit):

Approved

Last Update

07 Oct 2024

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.