Council House, Perth facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Council House |
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Council House
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| General information | |
| Type | Office building |
| Location | 27-29 St Georges Terrace, Perth, Western Australia |
| Coordinates | 31°57′24.02″S 115°51′38.71″E / 31.9566722°S 115.8607528°E |
| Construction started | October 1961 |
| Completed | 1963 |
| Cost | £1.5 million |
| Owner | City of Perth |
| Height | |
| Roof | 49.8 m (163 ft) |
| Technical details | |
| Floor count | 13 |
| Design and construction | |
| Architect | Jeffrey Howlett & Don Bailey |
| Main contractor | J. Hawkins and Son |
| Type | State Registered Place |
| Designated | 8 December 2006 |
| Reference no. | 2097 |
Council House is a 13-storey office building located on St Georges Terrace in Perth, Western Australia. It stands next to Stirling Gardens and Government House in the city's main business area. This 49.8-meter-tall building was designed by Howlett and Bailey Architects. The Queen officially opened it in 1963, after Perth hosted the 1962 British Empire and Commonwealth Games. For most of its history, Council House has been the main office for the City of Perth.
The building was built in a modernist style. Over the years, people have had strong opinions about its importance as a historic building. Some groups, like the Australian Institute of Architects, believe it is a key example of modern architecture in Perth. Others think it looks ugly. These different views caused disagreements in the 1990s. The State Government did not want to add the building to the heritage list. Instead, they suggested tearing it down. But the City of Perth decided to fix up the building and keep it as their headquarters. After this, Council House was officially added to the State's Heritage Register.
Contents
History of the Site
The land where Council House now stands was once home to the first government offices of the Colony. This building was known as the Old Government Offices. Henry Reveley, an engineer, designed it in 1836. The cost of building it was £1,833.
The Old Public Offices were set back about 10 meters from St Georges Terrace. The local government used this building until 1870. Then, they moved to a new chamber next to the Perth Town Hall. They returned to the Old Public Offices in 1890.
In the 1890s, the building became a post office. Later, the Department of Agriculture used it. It continued as public offices until 1961. In the 1930s, a second floor was added. This new floor had a meeting room and offices for important public workers. Over time, the building became very old and run down.
The Perth City Council had its offices in the Perth Town Hall from 1871. In 1925, they moved to offices on Murray Street. In 1954, the site of the Old Public Offices was chosen for a new home for the Perth City Council. Next to the Public Offices was the Soldiers' Institute building. The ABC took over this building in 1937 for its radio studio, 6WF.
Design and Construction
When Perth was chosen to host the 1962 British Empire and Commonwealth Games, the Perth City Council decided to build a new headquarters. In 1959, they held an international competition to design the building. The goal was to create a "creative building" that showed Perth's modern spirit. It also had to be ready for the Commonwealth Games.
Sixty-one designs were submitted to the competition. One design was by Jeffrey Howlett and Don Bailey from Melbourne. The judges, including architect Harry Seidler, called their plan "a remarkably simple solution." They were chosen as the winners.
The ABC moved to new offices in 1960. This allowed the Perth City Council to start building Council House. Both the Public Offices and Soldiers' Institute buildings were taken down to make space for the new construction.
Work on the building's foundations began in October 1961. The first concrete was poured in November 1961. The building was not fully finished by the time Perth hosted the Commonwealth Games in November 1962. However, the builders worked quickly to finish the ground, eighth, and tenth floors. This allowed important visitors to be welcomed in the reception areas during the Games.
After the Games, the rest of the building was completed in March 1963. On 25 March 1963, Queen Elizabeth II officially opened Council House. She unveiled a 2.4-meter-tall plaque made from granite. This granite came from the original 1817 Waterloo Bridge in London.
J. Hawkins and Son Pty Ltd built Council House. The total cost was £1.5 million. It was the first building in Perth to have full window walls. To keep the building cool, it used inside blinds and outside sun-breakers. When it opened, all Perth City Council activities moved into the new building.
The original plans by Howlett and Bailey also included extending Terrace Road. They also planned an oval-shaped auditorium called the "Public Suite" behind Council House. This auditorium was never built there. Instead, a new design by Howlett and Bailey was used for the Perth Concert Hall. This hall was built on the other side of Government House.
1990s Renovation and Heritage Listing
Council House was the main office for the Perth City Council until 1994. Then, the Council moved out so that asbestos could be removed. Asbestos was a material used for insulation, but it was found to be unsafe. The Council moved to another building called Westralia Square.
In 1994, government officials suggested tearing down Council House. At that time, fixing it up was estimated to cost $42 million. The State Government wanted to demolish the building. They planned to extend Stirling Gardens across the site, next to Government House. This was part of a bigger plan for Perth. The State Government also suggested the Council move into the Old Treasury Building. They offered $30 million to help with this move.
Many people debated whether the building should be saved. People like architect Bill Warnock and the Australian Institute of Architects fought to keep it. Others said it was "out of date, unattractive," and did not fit with the older buildings around it. Graham Kierath, the Minister for Heritage, refused to add the building to the heritage list. This decision surprised many architects.
Despite the suggestion to demolish it, the new City of Perth councillors decided to study if Council House could be renovated. This study was done by Architects Cox Howlett and Bailey. One of the partners was the son of the original designer, Jeffrey Howlett. The study cost $100,000. It showed that the building could be fixed up without costing too much. In December 1996, the Council agreed to go ahead with the renovation. This included removing the asbestos and building an underground car park. The decision to renovate was also helped by low interest rates at the time. The renovation was expected to cost around $26 million.
Building the new 95-car underground car park meant removing an old New Zealand Kauri Pine tree. This tree was thought to be up to 150 years old. Some people were concerned that the renovation might make the building lose its historic value.
The company John Holland Group won the contract to renovate the building on 29 July 1997. The cost was $25.3 million. The architect for the renovation was Geoffrey Clough. The building was "stripped back to bare bones." The small tiles on the building's special "T"-shaped fins were removed, fixed, and re-glued. The renovation also added a new "Lord Mayoral space" on the eleventh floor. The ground floor, which used to be partly open, was fully enclosed. The gold Venetian blinds, a key feature of the building, were also replaced.
The City of Perth moved back into Council House in February 1999. They rented out three unused floors. The renovation was seen as a "qualified success," and the building was "handsomely restored."
After the 2001 state election, a new government came into power. The renovated building was finally added to the interim heritage list by Heritage Minister Michelle Roberts on 5 March 2006. The Heritage Council of Western Australia recommended the listing on 17 November 2006. The building officially became a permanent entry on the Heritage Register on 8 December 2006.
While the building is different from our traditional notion of heritage, Council House will be as important to future generations as many of our colonial buildings that are considered priceless to the community today.
Design and Features
Council House is built with a concrete-covered steel frame. Its lifts and service rooms are on the east side. A fire escape stairwell is on the west side. Level 9 holds the unique circular Council Chamber. This room has wood panels and was mostly restored to its original look during the 1990s renovation. The building is almost completely covered in glass. This led to some criticism about its high air conditioning costs. The glass outside has white "T"-shaped sun-breakers. These are arranged in an alternating pattern and covered with tiny mosaic tiles. With the newly enclosed top floor, the building now has 13 levels above ground.
The building was a favorite design of Jeffrey Howlett, its architect. It has been called the most important example of modernist architecture in Perth. Some describe it as "one of the State's modernist icons." The building shows "modernist aspirations" from the Bauhaus school. Stephen Neille, an expert at Curtin University, said it shows Perth's confidence at that time. Adrian Iredale, another architect, called the building "elegant and heavy." He noted its "poetry" from the repeating sun-shading "Ts."
The building has caused different opinions among the public. Some call it an "eyesore" or a "hideous folly." Others see it as a "classic example of 1960s architecture" and an "important reminder of Perth's past." Associate Ralph Hoare from the Australian Institute of Architects suggested the building should not have been built on St Georges Terrace.
When it was built, it reflected this great optimism in WA, this was the sixties. I really think that's a superb building as it still mirrors the Perth of its time.
LED Lighting
The outside of Council House was fitted with over 22,000 LED lights. These lights were officially turned on on 7 April 2010. The LEDs are on the roof, the "T" window structures, and the bulkheads. Each light can be controlled by a computer and changed to different colors. The lights cost $1.08 million to install.
- State Library of Western Australia Pictorial Collection:
See also
In Spanish: Council House (Perth) para niños
