Cuballing Post Office & Quarters (fmr)

Statement of Significance

The former Post Office contributes to the community's sense of history and place, as one of the earliest public
buildings which until c.1992 was still used for its original purpose. The place is a fine example of Federation Arts and Crafts public architecture which is domestic in scale. The place contributes to the townscape and forms a vista at the end of Alton Street. The post office is a landmark building in its corner location and with its dominant roof form.
The place has historic significance as part of a building boom that occurred around 1912, as Cuballing established itself as a progressive town with the facilities to support it.

Physical Description

The building is a single-storey structure in the Federation Arts & Craft style. The style was common for post office buildings throughout Western Australia built around the turn-of-the-century: by George Temple-Foole, Government Architect 1885-1896; Grainger, Temple-Pooie's successor( 1897-1905), and later, Hillson Beasley Government Architect 1906 - 1917.

The building is located on the north-western corner of Campbell and Alton Streets, with the public entry off Campbell Street. The building shares the intersection with the former Western Australian Bank. This intersection with the two buildings are remnants that mark an oid commercial precinct of Cubailing. The building forms a vista at the end of Alton Street.

The building is simpie in design and domestic in scale with richly modelled street elevations. The building is of traditional masonry and timber construction. The cgi clad roof forms a dominant element, with its medium pitch with a vented gablet, timber battened eaves, tail brick corbelled chimneys with potted tops and a metal roof vent.

The main entry to the post office is via a well proportioned central portico. This portico dominates the front elevation in size and detail. The portico contains an elevated, recessed porch and has a large, three wide semicircular archways, the main archway has a pronounced key stone, flanked by two pilaster supported on a brick base. The pilasters are carried up in rendered brickwork and are capped with a stone frieze and triangular pediment featuring classical mouldings. The frieze bears the name of the building, 'Post Office'. The wide copings on the porticos are cement rendered. The brickwork is laid in stretcher bond with the exception of the top course which are headers. The brick voussoirs are highlighted with tuck-pointing. This portico is repeated on the Alton Street elevation.

The recessed porch extends across the Campbell Street elevation and is covered, either side of the portico with lean-to roofs supported on Tuscan columns on small pedestals.

The fenestration features casement sash windows with rendered decorative sills. The west elevation has double doors and windows with ripple iron hoods supported on timber framing. The windows are double-hung sashes with 6 panes in each sash.

A residence is believed to have been added to the rear of the post office in the 1930s. The residence was built to match the post office and has a separate private entrance off Alton Street. The building has a hipped roof and French doors that open onto a verandah that extends down the Alton Street elevation.

The interior of the post office comprises a single room with an exchange in one corner and a counter that separated public space from postal activities. The interior retains a match boarded ceiling, timber floors and skirtings, fireplace, original counter and post boxes. No physical evidence of the existence of the exchange remains.

PLBs and a telephone booth were added to the Campbell Street elevation. The central window of the front elevation was altered to allow installation of the boxes. The telephone booth replaced a window opening, physical evidence of the opening remains.

In 1994, the interior of the post office building was painted

History

Tenders for the construction of the Post Office were called on 8 February 1912.1
The tender of contractor A. R. Nelson was accepted on 22 April 1912, for the amount of £1,382/19/6.2
The progress of the construction of the Post Office can be followed through the region's newspaper, the Great Southern Leader. Unfortunately, there was no write-up about the opening of the Post Office.
"Some indignation was expressed last week by local contractors because no plans or specifications of the new post office to be erected at Cuballing were obtainable locally".3
"Several new buildings are in the course of erection, and the new post office will soon be a reality. The contractor (Mr Nelson) is already at work, and has a number of men going."4
"The Hall and post office should soon be completed edifices. The 'pub' is also being pushed on..."5
"The New Post Office - Robbie is now ensconced in his new abode and right happy he looks. Reckons he can work all right now under good conditions".6
The post office ceased postal operations c.1992-7

Integrity/Authenticity

INTEGRITY: High DEgree
AUTHENTICITY: High Degree

Condition

Fair

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.