Manly Town Hall facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Manly Town Hall |
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Manly_Municipal_Council.jpg)
Manly Town Hall in 2013
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| Former names | Llangollen |
| General information | |
| Status | Complete |
| Type | Government town hall |
| Architectural style |
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| Address | The Corso, Gilbert & Belgrave Streets, Manly, New South Wales |
| Country | Australia |
| Coordinates | 33°47′54″S 151°17′06″E / 33.79841°S 151.28495°E |
| Construction started | 12 June 1937 |
| Completed | 1937 |
| Client | Manly Municipal Council |
| Owner | Northern Beaches Council (current) |
| Design and construction | |
| Architect | Samuel Reginald Maisey |
| Architecture firm | Trenchard Smith & Maisey |
| Main contractor | Stuart Bros. Ltd. |
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Invalid designation
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| Official name | Civic Buildings - Council Town Hall Admin. Building, Police Station & Court House |
| Type | Complex / Group |
| Criteria | a., c., d., g. |
| Designated | 5 April 2013 |
| Reference no. | Local register |
| Group collection | Government and Administration |
| Category | Council Chambers |
The Manly Town Hall is a famous building in Manly, a suburb of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. It stands where The Corso, Gilbert Street, and Belgrave Street meet. This building was designed by Samuel Reginald Maisey. It features the Inter-war Stripped Classical style with Egyptian Revival columns.
The Town Hall replaced an older building from 1879. It was the main office for the Manly Council from 1937 until 2016. After that, it became the first meeting place for the new Northern Beaches Council.
History of Manly Town Hall
The First Town Hall Building
The first building on this spot was a large Victorian house called Llangollen. It was built in 1879 for William Howard Rolfe, a well-known person in Manly. After his family lived there, it became a bank.
In 1909, the Manly Municipal Council bought Llangollen. Before this, the Council, which started in 1877, met in temporary places. From 1909, Llangollen became the new council chambers. However, the building was too small and not quite right for the Council's needs.
For many years, people discussed building a new Town Hall. In 1911, the mayor, Alderman James Bonner, suggested asking for designs for a new building. An Alderman is a local council member. In 1912, a group was set up to look into this idea.
In 1919, the Council thought about getting a loan for big public projects. A new Town Hall was one idea, but it was quickly dropped. By 1921, a protest group successfully argued against spending money on a new Town Hall. They demanded that people vote on the idea in a referendum first. A referendum is when everyone in an area votes on a single issue.
In 1925, a referendum was held. People voted on two ideas: a new £40,000 Town Hall or a smaller £15,000 Council Hall with an art gallery. Both ideas were strongly rejected by the voters.
In 1928, the Council tried again for new designs. The winning design would have cost about £60,000. This idea was also rejected in another referendum in June 1928. Still, many in the Council believed a new hall was needed. In 1930, the Town Clerk, Les Wellings, visited the new Newcastle City Hall. He said that a similar impressive building in Manly would greatly help the town.
The Current Town Hall Building
In July 1936, with the Council's 60th anniversary coming up, they decided to try again to build a new town hall. Even those who didn't want a new building agreed the old one was in bad shape. It was too small for the staff, making it hard to work efficiently.
The Mayor, Alderman Percy Nolan, said the old building was "a disgrace." The motion to build a new one passed by a close vote. By February 1937, the old Town Hall was taken down. A design by Samuel Reginald Maisey was chosen. It was in the Inter-war Stripped Classical style with Egyptian Revival columns.
On June 12, 1937, marking the Council's 60th anniversary, Mayor Nolan laid the foundation stone for the new Town Hall. A newspaper article at the time said the new hall "will be a noticeable addition to the architecture of the suburb." It noted the impressive front with four tall pillars.
In 1965, additions were made to the Council chambers at the back of the Town Hall. These were opened on September 30. On May 12, 2016, Manly Council joined with other councils to form the new Northern Beaches Council. The Manly Town Hall was the place for the very first meeting of this new council on May 19.
