Howard Smith Building facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Howard Smith Building |
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Howard Smith Building 2012
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| General information | |
| Address | 1 - 3 Mouat Street |
| Town or city | Fremantle |
| Country | Western Australia |
| Completed | 1900 |
| Type | State Registered Place |
| Part of | West End, Fremantle (25225) |
| Reference no. | 957 |
The Howard Smith Building is a special old building in Fremantle, Western Australia. It's located at 1-3 Mouat Street, right on the corner with Phillimore Street. This building is part of the Fremantle West End Heritage area, which means it's protected because of its history and unique design.
Many commercial buildings like this one were built in Fremantle around the late 1800s and early 1900s. This was during the time of the gold boom, when lots of people came to Western Australia hoping to find gold. This period brought a lot of wealth and growth to places like Fremantle.
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Building Design and Features
Construction of the Howard Smith Building started in 1900. It stands three storeys tall and is made from strong brick and stone. The building is built right up to the footpath, meaning there's no space between the building and the street.
Exterior Details
The ground floor of the building is made of stone. The upper floors are painted brick with a special "tuck point" finish. This makes the brickwork look very neat and detailed. The building also has decorative columns called "pilasters" that stick out slightly from the wall. These columns have an "ashlar" effect, which means they look like they're made of large, smooth blocks of stone.
At the very top, there's a fancy wall called a "parapet". This parapet has two tall and very decorative "pediments". Pediments are triangular or curved shapes often found above windows or doors, adding a grand touch to the building's look.
History of Howard Smith Limited
The building was named after Howard Smith Limited, a shipping company. This company mainly transported goods and passengers by sea. They started offering passenger services to Fremantle in 1893. The building likely served as their office or a warehouse for their shipping business.
Current Use of the Building
Today, the Howard Smith Building is used by the Notre Dame University. It houses the School of Nursing and Midwifery. Before the university moved in, they spent a lot of money (about A$2.78 million) to renovate and update the building. They also refurbished the building next door, the Australian United Steam Navigation Company Building. The architect who designed the renovations was Marcus Collins, and the builder was Bill Fairweather.
