The following section is a report prepared by a heritage consultant engaged specifically for the CentreStage competition. It is reproduced in full to give competitors as much information as possible on which to base their judgements about the treatment of heritage elements of the site. Part 1 summarises the heritage listing and approvals process in Western Australia; part 2 evaluates the heritage qualities of the structures on the site; and part 3 discusses a series of considerations arising from the findings.
Heritage listing
In Western Australia, places of cultural heritage significance to the present and future community are entered in the State Register of Heritage Places and are protected under the Heritage of Western Australia Act 1990 (and subsequent amendments). Development proposals for places entered in the State Register must be referred to the Heritage Council of Western Australia (HCWA) for advice.
The site for the New Performing Arts Venue comprises components of two places permanently entered in the State Register of Heritage Places: the William Street frontage (the William Street buildings) is a component of the William Street Precinct (HCWA No. 3795); and the remainder of the site (the Arts House buildings) is a component of the PICA & Arts House (HCWA No. 2028).
Conservation Plans have been prepared for the two places and provide guidance for the future use and care of the places, namely:
- William Street Conservation Plan, prepared by the Building Management Authority, November 1995
- Arts House Conservation Plan prepared by Hocking Planning & Architecture, October 1998
The State Register Documentation and the Conservation Plans for the site are the key heritage documents for the site and will be the primary documents referred to by the Heritage Council when considering any development proposal for the site.
The Australia ICOMOS Burra Charter, revised 1999 (Burra Charter) sets out the principles generally accepted in Australia for the conservation of heritage places. It forms an important reference document and may assist in resolving any issues relating to the conservation of the place that are not explicitly dealt with in the conservation plans.
Heritage context
The following information provides a brief history and description of each of the buildings on the site and outlines their respective levels of cultural heritage significance.
The degree or level of significance assists in establishing priorities for conservation and retention. In general, the higher the level of significance the greater care that needs to be taken in determining actions which may impact on its heritage value. The hierarchy of levels used are based on those utilised by the Heritage Council for conservation planning:
- Exceptional Significance – significant on a national or international level
- Considerable Significance - significant on a national or state level
- Some Significance – significant on a state or local level
- Little Significance – below threshold for heritage listing.
Listed buildings include:
William Street buildings
The Performing Arts Centre site includes three buildings (outlined below), which form the southern end of the State heritage-listed William Street Precinct. The William Street Precinct is of considerable significance. It has a high degree of significance as a collection of historic buildings forming a largely untouched streetscape dating from the 1890s to c.1925.
Individually, the majority of buildings in the precinct are considered to be of some significance. They are all considered to contribute to the significance of the precinct.
'S. Chester Building', 178-180 William St (c1880s)
The 'S. Chester Building' is a two-storey rendered masonry building, constructed c. 1880s, in the Federation Free Classical style and is the earliest building in the William Street Precinct. It has a single-storey brick and iron store to the rear, which may have been a stable. The original two-storey front verandah was removed in the 1950s and replaced with the existing awning, and the ground floor shopfront has also been modified, giving it lesser significance. The upper floor of the 'S. Chester Building' is largely intact and of some significance, as is the store located to the rear of the site.
'1898 Building', 182-184 William St (1898)
The '1898 Building' comprises two attached single-storey shops (now joined), constructed in 1898 of face-brick with rendered parapet details. The building is similar to others in the William Street Precinct built between 1895 and 1900, but is not the best example. The southernmost shop retains an early (pre-1930s) timber-framed shopfront and other original details. The existing awning dates from the 1950s and is of little significance, as is the northernmost shop, which has been considerably modified.
Looking south to Roe Street between the Art Gallery Carpark (left) and the Cookery Centre & Manual Training Room (right) |
'1934 Building', 186-192 William St (1934) The '1934 Building' was the last building constructed in the William Street Precinct and comprises a row of four single-storey rendered masonry shops, with distinctive Art Deco style ornament and motifs still extant to the parapet and the southernmost shop. The southern most shopfront (Shop 4) of ‘1934 Building’ is the most intact example of early twentieth century shop design in the precinct. The elevations of shops 1-3, while of a sympathetic design are not original and are of little significance. Shop 4 and the original parapet and awning are of some significance. |
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The Art Gallery Carpark (multi-storey) from inside the Cultural Centre, between PICA (left) and Arts House (right) |
Arts House buildings
The Arts House buildings includes two buildings included in the State heritage listed PICA & Arts House. These two buildings, namely the former 'Manual Training School' and the former 'Cookery & Laundry Centre' are associated with the original Perth Central School, and are located to the south of Arts House (the former the Monitors School).
The Art House buildings represent a significant change in educational policy in Western Australia, and are part of the first purpose-built technical school designed to provide students with practical training. Both the 'Cookery & Laundry Centre' and the 'Manual Training Room' are the earliest buildings of their kind. Other Household Management Centres (dating from 1908 to 1912) Manual Training Rooms (dating from 1905 to 1914) exist at other schools sites in the State.
The former 'Cookery & Laundry Centre' (1906)
The 'Cookery & Laundry Centre' was constructed in 1906. It is a single storey building constructed of red stretcher bond face brickwork with a rendered plinth and string course. The corrugated iron gable roof has wide eaves supported by timber brackets on the western elevation. The porch on the south-eastern corner has turned timber posts and brackets. The doors and windows are timber-framed. Internally, original detailing includes the ripple iron ceiling and timber joinery.
The 'Cookery & Laundry Centre' has considerable significance.
The former 'Manual Training School' (1898)
The 'Manual Training School' was constructed in 1898 and was built to be relocated, if required. It is a single storey timber-framed building clad with fibrous cement sheeting and a gable roof form. There are double hung timber-framed windows along the east and west facades with mesh security screens fixed externally. Externally, the original corrugated iron wall cladding, chimney, southern windows and return gable are no longer extant. Internally, much of its early detailing and finishes remains, including timber floor boards, wall and ceiling lining.
The 'Manual Training Room' has some significance.
Heritage considerations
The following information provides an overview of the heritage considerations arising from the significance of the existing built form and the need to provide adequate space for the New Performing Arts Venue.
Opportunities and constraints:
The heritage buildings on the site and the historic streetscape context offer opportunities in terms of scale, character and historic built from that can provide interesting cues and spatial possibilities for the development of the site.
The provision of facilities for the New Performing Arts Centre may require the removal of some heritage building fabric. The exact extent of removal or relocation will be determined through a consultative process with the Heritage Council of Western Australia. Given the significance of the built form on the site, every opportunity should be taken to utilise the historic built form and articulate a contemporary architectural design that is well integrated with the existing heritage fabric.
The following key heritage considerations, arising from the conservation plans and the requirement to provide a New Performing Arts Venue, are outlined for the site:
William Street:
The buildings along William Street and to the south of Arts House serve as a transition between the scale of development in Northbridge and the scale and orientation of buildings in the adjacent Perth Cultural Centre. They provide the scale, texture and character which enriches the streetscape. They are an integral component of the William Street Precinct and provide a rich streetscape in conjunction with the built form on the opposite side of William Street.
New development should reinstate the street focus of the original shopfronts along William Street, which form a cohesive group, whilst retaining a sense of the individual building forms.
Corner treatment:
Corner treatments in the historic streetscapes of Perth, involve buildings with nil street set-backs and a somewhat dominant height, which acknowledge the corner. They were generally publicly accessible with a number of pedestrian entries along both street fronts. A new building on the corner of William and Roe streets (formerly the site of the Governor Broome Hotel) will not only form part of the William Street streetscape, but has the potential to provide a landmark denoting the southern entry to both Northbridge and the Perth Cultural Centre.
- New development on the corner of William and Murray should comprise a landmark building which respects the historic corner treatments and the William Street streetscape.
Awnings:
The historic streetscapes have a human scale and provide pedestrian amenity through the provision of verandahs and awnings over the footpaths.
- Buildings on William Street should provide awnings through the retention of historic awnings or the replacement of non-historic awnings with new.
Heritage buildings:
In accordance with the Heritage of Western Australia Act, 1990, the Heritage Council will determine the extent of retention or relocation of heritage fabric on the site. On the basis of the information contained in the Register Documentation and the Conservation Plans, a likely outcome of an analysis of the heritage constraints and opportunities in relation to the heritage fabric is outlined below (refer also to Figure H2):
William Street:
- retain the two-storey component of the 'S. Chester Building' at 178-180 William Street and adapt for re-use. The verandah may be reinstated.
- retain the front structural bay, façade and shopfront of '1898 Building' at 182-184 William Street. A new awning may be constructed.
- retain the front structural bay, façade, shopfront and awning of ‘1934 Building’ at 186-192 William Street
- opportunity to remove stores to the rear of the William Street buildings.
Arts House:
- explore opportunities to retain the 'Cookery & Laundry Centre' and adapt for re-use
- opportunity to relocate the ‘Manual Training Room’ to an alternative location, preferably to the rear of the adjacent PICA building.
Where William and James Streets intersect |
