Council House, Perth

Statement of Significance

STATEMENT OF SIGNIFICANCE The following statement, is taken from the gazetted permanent State Register Entry for the place, as the reasons for its cultural heritage signficance: Council House, Perth designed in the Post-War International style, has heritage significance for the following reasons:
+ the place demonstrates a high quality of Modernist architectural design and detailing, commensurate with its image as Perth’s Civic Administrative Centre, and is a rare intact example of an early 1960s
modernist office building in Perth;
+ the place demonstrates architectural innovation in its reduction of structure and simplicity of form, transparent cladding and consistent use of refined minimalist detailing;
+ the place reinforces the continuous development of the site as part of the central precinct for State and Local Government in Perth, and reflects the growth of the City and corresponding Council administration;
+ the place is associated with the VII British Empire and Commonwealth Games, epitomising the forward-looking aspirations of the Perth community at the beginning of the 1960s;
+ the place is the first building incorporating window walling to be erected in Perth;
+ at the time of construction the extensive use of contemporary building materials, in particular the complete double glazing of the exterior, glass mosaic tiles, and internal use of crafted timber veneers, publicly promoted a new level of contemporary design in Western Australia; and,
+ the place is an important part of the streetscape of St Georges Terrace, and a city landmark.

Physical Description

Multi-storey office building of curtain wall construction with sun shading expression on the building facade.

See documentation of places for entry into the State Register of Heritage Places

History

See documentation of places for entry into the State Register of Heritage Places

Integrity/Authenticity

High level of integrity.

Medium level of authenticity as the exterior is intact, while there have been many internal modifications.

Condition

Very good

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.