Brownlie Towers

Statement of Significance

Brownlie Towers, has cultural heritage significance for the following reasons:
Brownlie Towers were developed as part of a major State Housing Commission scheme to provide a mix of housing types for an integrated community on a large urban site. The scheme was significant as the largest and most ambitious project of its kind undertaken by the State Housing Commission in Perth in the late 1960s and is an example of the principles of planning for public housing that were internationally accepted at the period.
The Brownlie Towers, and houses surrounding it (now demolished), was the biggest single contract that the Department of Housing (then known as the State Housing Commission) had ever entered into at that time.

Physical Description

Brownlie Towers comprises two detached towers and are surrounded by car parking and landscaped grounds. Originially the Towers were labelled and referred to as A Block and B Block.
Between 2005 and 2010 the Department of Housing undertook substantial external and internal works to renovate the Brownlie Towers, including a new roof, the removal of cement balconies and an external face-lift to the apartments. This work has completely concealed the original appearance of the Towers, which once comprised blond brick walls with white cement balconies.
Coloured Bisschops Ultrapanel a pre finished fibre cement panel has been applied to the external façade of the two towers. The panels are various colours, which included light blue, silver, purple and yellow. A large silver curved sculptural entrance was also constructed.

History

Brownlie Towers were constructed in 1969/70 as the high-rise component of a State Housing Commission development comprising 582 houses and flats on a sixty-one acre site in Bentley. The site of the development was the former Bentley sandpit and the scheme was described at the time of its proposal in 1967 as a radical change from previous Housing Commission schemes.
The State was experiencing a huge housing boom after the Post-war period and the Brownlie Towers was the State’s first take at providing contemporary housing. The project was designed to include a mix of housing types. Initial plans showed lower density housing on the edge of the scheme and integrated community facilities such as churches and a kindergarten. The scheme was praised by the W.A. Chapter of the Royal Australian Institute of Architects who praised the social aspects of the project, the integration of people of all ages in various types of housing.
The Canning Council was not so enthusiastic about the project and the State Housing Commission experienced considerable difficulty getting Council approval for the project. Approval was finally granted subject to a number of conditions set by the Council. It was completed in 1971.
High rise housing blocks set in open park land were considered ideal housing in the 1960s and 70s as a means of providing improved housing for people in overcrowded European cities and of providing more fresh air and light. In Australia high-rise housing blocks were viewed as a means of providing affordable housing and preventing the continuing urban sprawl. However, life at the Towers was not ideal and it soon gained a bad reputation and informally named ‘Suicide Towers’ – although it was reported that the suicides were largely from people who did not live in the Towers.
The Department of Housing undertook substantial renovation of the Brownlie Towers between 2005 and 2010. This work included external and internal upgrades to the buildings and extensive landscaping of the grounds and transitioning the towers to an over 45s complex.
In May 2019 the last remaining portions of the tower blocks were demolished

Integrity/Authenticity

Integrity - High
Authenticity - Low

Condition

Demolished

Uses

Historic Themes

Creation Date

Publish place record online (inHerit):

Last Update

Disclaimer

This information is provided voluntarily as a public service. The information provided is made available in good faith and is derived from sources believed to be reliable and accurate. However, the information is provided solely on the basis that readers will be responsible for making their own assessment of the matters discussed herein and are advised to verify all relevant representations, statements and information.