Busselton Post Office

Statement of Significance

• The remaining form and some detail of the Post Office Building is a simple expression of the Federation Bungalow style in brick and tile. • The Post Office is on a prominent corner and is landmark in the Busselton Townsite since the 1890s. • The construction of this large Post Office is 1898 demonstrates the confidence the State Government had in the future of the region. • The changes of the built form of the Post Office demonstrates the periods of development and change in the evolution of the community and technology. The incorporation of telephone services in the building and then the seperation of these services is a key period of change. • The Busselton Post Office is valued by the majority of the Busselton community for the role it plays in the provision of services and it is widely visited by community members. • The place contributes to the community sense of place for its continuity of form and function since the late 1890s

Physical Description

The Busselton Post Office is located on the corner of Prince and Stanley Streets with its main elevation addressing Prince Street. The public areas surrounding the building are paved and landscaped. The single storey building has a hipped tiled roofed building with a return verandah with rendered masonry columns that feature decorative rendered bands, the verandah roof is corrugated sheet metal. The verandah is concrete and accessed by stairs and balustrades are simple metal pipes. The form and some remaining detail reflects the Federation Bungalow style. The Prince Street elevation has a projecting hipped gable that denotes the main entrance and leads to the private post boxes. The Stanley Street elevation has a partially enclosed with glass panels between the masonry columns of the verandah. A curved element is located in the centre of this elevation above the verandah roof.

History

This Post Office was the third Post Office in Busselton and was constructed to cope with the growth of the population and economy in the district in the late 19th century. The building was designed by the WA Public Works Department after the site was secured in 1896. Previous research has determined that the building was completed in 1898 and the first Post Master at this site was Alfred Ferdinand. In 1900, with the Federation of Australia, Postal Services came under the jurisdiction of the Commonwealth Government. A 1914 photograph of the Busselton Post Office held by National Archives of Australia shows that the Stanley Place elevation was a deep verandah supported on face brick columns. Later photographs and the current form indicate that this verandah was enclosed and then reopened, and the face brick finish was rendered. Items in the local press indicate that works were undertaken in the 1920s which removed some of the original detail, and a new telephone exchange building was constructed on the site c1953. This new building was constructed to the west of the Post Office, addressing Prince Street. Since that time the interiors of the Post Office have been upgraded to accommodate changing requirements and standards. In the late 1980s, additions were undertaken on the elevations and in the 1990s a new high level awning was constructed over the access road from Prince Street. The roof cladding was replaced in 2019 with a tile that more closely resembled the original terracotta tile. The building continues to operate as the Busselton Post Office

Integrity/Authenticity

Although the nature of post office operation has changed a great deal in recent time the place retains its basic uses and retains a moderate to high degree of integrity. Authenticity Notes: The exterior has been partly remodelled and the interior entirely remodelled. The place retains a moderate degree of authenticity. High Degree/Moderate Degree

Condition

Good

Uses

Historic Themes

Creation Date

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