Elouera House facts for kids

Elouera House is a special old building in Wollongong, Australia. It used to be a home for nurses working at the local hospital. This building is located on Darling Street.

A famous architect named Cobden Parkes designed Elouera House. He worked for the New South Wales Government at the time. The building was constructed between 1937 and 1939. It is also known as the Wollongong Hospital Nurses Home or Eloura House. Because of its history and design, it was added to the New South Wales State Heritage Register on April 2, 1999. This means it is a protected historical site.

History of Elouera House

Building the Nurses' Home

Elouera House officially opened in April 1939. The Acting Minister for Health, Athol Richardson, was there for the opening. The building was named "Elouera," which is a local Aboriginal word for the Illawarra area.

The original building had 69 rooms. Each nurse had her own room. It also featured large balconies and a spacious recreation room. There were also sitting rooms and study areas for the nurses. Plans for the building were first announced in February 1937. Construction began in November of that year.

Expansion and Changes

The building was finished by its opening in 1939. However, it was not yet furnished. The construction company, Hogden Bros, built it for about £22,000. This was a very large amount of money back then. The state government and the hospital shared the cost.

By 1940, the nurses' home was already too small. They needed 21 more rooms. So, the building was made bigger in 1941.

Later, around 2011, Elouera House was used for other hospital services. These included obstetrics (care for pregnant women) and gynecology (women's health). It also housed administrative offices. At this time, the building was in poor condition and needed many repairs.

Modern Hospital Development

In 2011, Wollongong Hospital planned a big expansion. This plan included building a new six-storey hospital wing. To make space for this new wing, they proposed to remove the 1941 extension of Elouera House.

The Heritage Council, which protects historic places, preferred to keep the extension. They noted its historical importance. However, they also understood that it was in poor condition. They also knew it was not part of the original 1939 building. The state planning department agreed that removing the extension would not greatly harm the building's heritage. The 1941 extension was taken down by March 2013.

What Elouera House Looks Like

Elouera House is a three-storey building. It has unique round balconies that stick out from the building. It was built in a style called "Inter War Functionalist." This was a modern architectural style popular between the two World Wars.

The building is made with cream-colored bricks. It also features special semi-glazed terracotta tiles and reinforced concrete. Elouera House is the oldest building still standing on the Wollongong Hospital site.

In 2000, the building was reported to be in fair condition. However, by 2011-2012, many rooms could not be used. This was because the inside of the building was in very poor shape.

Heritage Listing

Wollongong Hospital Nurses Home, also known as Elouera House, was officially listed on the New South Wales State Heritage Register on April 2, 1999. This listing helps protect its historical value.