York Town Hall facts for kids
Quick facts for kids York Town Hall |
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York Town Hall in 2001
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| General information | |
| Type | Heritage listed building |
| Location | York, Western Australia |
| Coordinates | 31°53′30″S 116°46′05″E / 31.89160°S 116.76818°E |
| Type | State Registered Place |
| Designated | 7 February 1997 |
| Reference no. | 2880 |
The York Town Hall is a special old building in York, Western Australia. It's located on Avon Terrace. When it was built, people said it was the biggest public hall in all of Western Australia! Its main room was huge, measuring about 30 meters long and 15 meters wide.
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Building the York Town Hall
The York Town Hall was built in 1911. It shows off a fancy style called Edwardian architecture. This style was popular when King Edward VII was ruling. The building looks like a mix of different old styles. It has tall columns and a decorative triangle shape above the main door. There's also a big round window above the entrance, like buildings from ancient Rome.
Who Designed It?
The building was designed by a group of architects named Wright, Powell, and Cameron. The main person in charge was James William Wright.
Special Woodwork
Inside the lobby, there's a beautiful staircase. Local craftspeople built it using strong jarrah wood. This wood came from an older building, the Mechanics Institute, which was taken down to make space for the Town Hall.
A Windy Problem
During construction, something unexpected happened! Workers were putting up six large steel beams for the main hall. They went to lunch before securing the last one. While they were eating, a strong gust of wind, sometimes called a "willy-willy" (like a small dust devil), blew down the unsecured beam. It knocked down all the other five beams too! They all had to be replaced, which must have been a big setback.
Grand Opening Day
The Town Hall officially opened on November 30, 1911. The person who opened it was John Scaddan. He had just become the new Premier of Western Australia. A Premier is like the leader of the government for a state.
Why Was It Built?
The Town Hall was designed to be very large so that the local council could rent it out. They wanted to make money by letting people use it for events. Early on, it was often used as a place to show movies.
Challenges and Changes
Over the years, the Town Hall faced some challenges and had important updates.
Fixing the Foundations
In 1926, the building had a problem with its foundations. The foundations are the base of the building that supports it. Because of this, the Public Health Department closed the Town Hall. To fix it, strong steel supports were added to the walls. Steel braces were also put in the roof to make it safer.
Later Additions
A clock was added to the Town Hall in 1952. Later, in 1997, the building was made bigger along Joaquina Street. This addition helped complete the original design that the architects had planned many years before.
Recent Updates
In the 2000s, the Town Hall got a big makeover. It was cleaned up and improved. More recently, in 2019, the stage inside the hall was renovated.
Protecting Its History
The York Town Hall is considered a very important historical building. It is recognized by several groups:
- It is on the Register of the National Estate (since March 21, 1978).
- It is classified by the National Trust of Australia (since November 1, 1976).
- It is on the local Shire's list of important buildings (since December 31, 1995).
- It is permanently on the State Register of Heritage Places (since February 7, 1997).
