Elouera House facts for kids

Elouera House is a special old building in Wollongong, Australia. It used to be a home for nurses who worked at the Wollongong Hospital. This building was designed by Cobden Parkes, who was the main architect for the New South Wales Government at the time. It was built between 1937 and 1939. Elouera House is also known as the Wollongong Hospital Nurses Home. Because of its history and design, it was added to the New South Wales State Heritage Register on 2 April 1999.

A Home for Nurses

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

This new home was very modern for its time. It had 69 rooms, giving every nurse their own private space. There were also large balconies where nurses could relax. Inside, there was a big recreation room, along with other sitting rooms and study areas.

Plans for the building were first announced in February 1937. Construction began in November of that year. A company called Hogden Bros built it for about £22,000. The cost was shared between the state government and the hospital.

Growing Needs and Changes

By 1940, the nurses' home was already too small. More rooms were needed for the growing number of nurses. Because of this, the building was made bigger in 1941.

Years later, in 2011, Elouera House was being used for other hospital services. These included obstetrics (care for pregnant women), gynecology (women's health), and administrative offices. However, by this time, the building was in poor condition.

The Wollongong Hospital then planned a big expansion. They wanted to build a new six-storey hospital wing. To do this, they proposed to knock down the 1941 extension of Elouera House. The Heritage Council, which protects important old buildings, preferred to keep the extension. But they understood that it was in bad shape and not part of the original design. The government department in charge of planning agreed to the demolition. The 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 without support. The building was designed in a style called Inter War Functionalist. This style focuses on how useful a building is.

It was built using cream-colored bricks and special semi-glazed terracotta tiles. It also used strong reinforced concrete slabs. 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, it was described as "dilapidated," meaning it was falling apart. Many rooms could not be used because of how bad the inside was.

Heritage Status

Wollongong Hospital Nurses Home, or Elouera House, is listed on the New South Wales State Heritage Register. This means it is recognized as an important historical place in New South Wales. It was added to the register on 2 April 1999.