South Perth Post Office

Statement of Significance

• The place has aesthetic value for its form and detail which demonstrate the Federation Bungalow style expressed in brick and iron for a government building of a domestic scale. Internal details that remain from the original construction are likely to reflect this style and use.
• The place has aesthetic value as a landmark in the community since 1900 on a prominent corner in the commercial precinct.
• The place has historic value for its association with the development of South Perth in the late 19th century and the provision of services to the growing community.
• The place has historic value for its association with architect John Grainger who was an influential architect in Western Australia in the late 19th and early 20th century.
• The place has social value as it has been a place in which all members of the community have attended and provided an informal meeting place for the exchange of information.

Physical Description

The South Perth Post Office is located on what is now a major intersection, at the corner of Mill Point Road and Mends Street and is a single storey building of simple design executed in domestic scale, with residential quarters originally attached.

The South Perth Post Office is of single storey construction with an asymmetric plan form. The place is red brick with painted rendered plinth. The original galvanised corrugated iron roof has been replaced with a grey colorbond corrugated roof. The brick chimneys have been retained.

The masonry generally is face brick with render extending several courses down as a frieze. The head of the former opening on the south-eastern (Mends Street) elevation is a round arch formed with red brick voussoirs.

The three windows with decorative cornice to the brick mullions and wall have been retained however, the windows have been truncated resulting in the deep rendered sill. The windows were originally similar to the dimensions of the sash on the north east elevation. The openings to the shop have been altered and post office boxes introduced on the east side. The verandah to both the NE and NW elevations have been retained, but re clad

History

Throughout the 19th century the growth of South Perth was slow until the 1880s, by which time communication with Perth was improved with the introduction of ferry services and construction of bridges across the Swan and Canning Rivers. The discovery of gold in Western Australia from 1885 led to an increase in population and development, and in South Perth the land facing Perth Water was progressively sub-divided between 1886 and 1904.

The establishment of the Zoological Gardens in South Perth in 1898 led to the development of Mends Street as an important business centre. At that time, South Perth was relatively inaccessible by horse and cart and part of the attraction of a trip to the zoo was the ferry ride from Perth to the Mends Street Jetty. From the jetty many people then chose to walk the short distance along Mends Street to the zoo. Businesses consequently grew up along Mends Street and there was an increase in settlers in the district.

The government responded to the needs of the growing community by providing essential services. Prior to Federation in 1901, each of the Australian colonies managed their own postal services. In Western Australian, the Post Master General oversaw postal services managed by the Colonial Post and Telegraph Department.

The first Post and Telegraph Office in South Perth started in 1898 from a room located at the foot of the stairs in the Windsor Hotel. The first postmistress was Theresa O’Dea. At that time about fifty letters a day were delivered and three letter boxes had to be cleared. By 1898 the status of Post and Telegraph Office was conferred on the district, and in 1900 a site for a Post Office was set aside on the south-western corner of Mends Street and Mill Point Road, the latter then known as Suburban Road. The contract for construction was awarded to F S Warner for £939, and the brick and iron building was constructed in 1900.

The design of the Post Office was undertaken by the Public Works Department at that time under the direction of Principal Architect John Grainger (1854-1917). The design of the Post Office incorporated a residence, as was common practice at that time, for the Post Mistress Miss J Benson.

Federation in 1901 saw the transfer of responsibility for postal services to the Commonwealth Government. Later additions and alterations were overseen by the Post Master Generals Department of the Commonwealth Government but local government resources through the Public Works Department were often used.

In 1939, a new Post Office and Telephone Exchange Building was constructed in Angelo Street which drew some of the workload away from the original Post Office which was renamed the 'Mends Street Post Office'. A photograph of the post office in 1937 shows that some of the verandahs had been enclosed with a variety of materials including weatherboards and panels of what is probably asbestos. These photographs also demonstrate that the roof appears to have been a dark coloured corrugated iron, probably red as was common practice in the early 20th century. Aerial photographs suggest the roof cladding changed to corrugated galvanised iron in the 1950s.

In 1982, the name was changed from ‘Mends Street Post Office’ to ‘South Perth Post Office’ and in 1995-6 the place was restored to its original design removing the enclosures of the verandahs.

By 2004, the City of South Perth had acquired all of the land bounded by Mends Street, Labouchere Road and Mill Point Road, apart from the South Perth Post Office site. This triangle of land was designated as the 'Civic Triangle' and was flagged for potential sale and development. In 2014, the Civic Triangle was sold to developers, the Finbar Group Ltd who then acquired the South Perth Post Office site from Australia Post.

Subsequent development proposals for the site by Finbar have retained the properties identified for their heritage values; the South Perth Police Station and the South Perth Post Office. Currently [2018], the South Perth Post Office continues to operate as a post office.

Integrity/Authenticity

High / Moderate

Condition

Good

Uses

Historic Themes

Creation Date

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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.