Maltings Plant (fmr)

Statement of Significance

The former Joe White Maltings Plant is a unique example of the industrial process necessary for brewing. It was an important part of the brewing infrastructure for almost a century. The plant provided a unique demonstration in the development of the malting process, changing techniques, increasing volume and quality control. The Federation Stripped Classical facades are handsome streetscape elements.

Physical Description

Joe White Maltings Plant, prior to its partial demolition, conversion and refurbishment for residential purposes, was a built encyclopaedia of the development of malting in this state. It demonstrated the growth of the maltings plant, the adaptation and new malting processes introduced and the equipment and new types of construction necessary to accommodate this dynamic cycle of change. Along its street frontages the Maltings presented office and warehousing spaces in relatively unchanging Stripped Classical facades. In the heart of the site the dynamic of change, obsolescence and wear and tear could be readily traced through progressive development of the malthouses and kilns, later superceded by a fleximalt plant, which provided the model for the new, largerfleximalt plant now located at Kewdale. These changes were reflected in the intial purpose built brick structures, supplemented by timber and steel framed accessways and storage areas. Later changes incorporated steel and concrete structures and conveyors for handling large quantities of material. The presence of the Maltings was pervasive with its distinctive aroma of brewed hops. The place has a zero lot setback from Palmerston Street and to Stuart Street. At the north-eastern corner of the site is a three storey substation built in 1915. The place has been considerably modified to accommodate a medium density inner urban residential development. Interventions have included the replacement of structures, the removal of roofing and large new penetrations in brick walls.

History

In the 1850s, the Swan and Stanley brewing companies were founded. David William Harwood was the owner of the Stanley Brewery for some years, and when it was purchased by Swan Brewery he held the position of Chief Brewer at Swan. Harwood set up his own brewery, Harwood Brewery in West Perth, and in 1903 established the Perth Pneumatic Malting Company on Lots Y249 and Y250 on Palmerston Street to supply malt for his brewery. (The was listed in Wise's Post Office Directories at Nos 63-65 Palmerston Street for the first time that year with D.W. Harwood as the Managing Director.) The first malthouse established on the site was what is now called Malt House No 2. By 1910, Harwood Brewery had also moved to Palmerston Street. In 1917, the Brewery was taken over by the Union Brewery of Kalgoorlie, managed by Albert Muddock. In 1928 A. O. Barrett purchased the site and made an agreement with the Swan Brewery to stop brewing and concentrate on malting. The Union Malting Company was registered the following year and further development of the site was undertaken to facilitate malting. In 1935 four reinforced concrete silos and the first of three kilns were built. The company produced a booklet for WA farmers on cultivating barley for malting. By the late 1940s, the fourth malthouse and a third kiln had been completed, signalling an increase in demand and production. In the mid 1950s, the bulk handling store and fifth malt house were built. A two-storey duplex on the adjoining lot, Y251, was demolished in 1972 and the first stage of the fleximalt plant constructed on the site. The second stage was built in 1980-81. The fleximalt process was a faster malting process, and was operated alongside the slower traditional method. In 1986, the Victorian company, Joe White Maltings, purchased the property, forming the biggest independent malting company in the southern hemisphere. In the late 1990s malting operations ceased and the company vacated the site. Joe White Maltings was then the subject of a residential development, 'The Maltings', by the Australand Property Group. This involved the retention of some existing structures and the removal of others and the result was 137 apartments, townhouses and a museum. In 2002 'The Maltings' won a national award from the Urban Development Institute of Australia (UDIA) for its first stage. In 2006 it won a national award for the best urban renewal project in the UDIA's Award for Excellence. The chief judge, Peter Lanigan said it was '˜a first-rate example of urban renewal because of its ability to blend heritage and history with modern living' (West Australian 22.4.2006).

Integrity/Authenticity

Moderate to High

Uses

Historic Themes

Creation Date

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