Cuballing Post Office & Quarters (fmr)

Uses

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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

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Cuballing Civic Group

Uses

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Statement of Significance

The place has aesthetic value for its use of decorative structural elements and a facade treatment of strongly contrasting materials of painted and cement work that creates visual interest. These decorative elements are common features of the exuberance of the Federation Free style and as such the place makes a positive contribution to the streetscape. The place has landmark value on Campbell Street. The place has historic significance as part of a building boon? that occurred around 1912 as Cuballing established itself as a progressive town with the facilities to support it.

Physical Description

The building has a richly modelled classical facade with engaged brick piers on the side elevations. The exterior of the building is in red stretcher bond brickwork in local bricks. The front facade sits on a rendered brick plinth and has corner brick pilasters, and a rendered string course. The main feature of the front elevation is a rendered attenuated doorway surround with Art Nouveau detailing. The surround projects forward of the building face adding grandeur to the facade. The front etevation is symmetrical about a central doorway with a semi-circular arched window either side of the entrance. The windows have decorative rendered sills and surrounds with pronounced key stones. The windows are double-hung sashes divided into eight panes in the upper sash by slim glazing bars. The lower sashes are in an altered state. Some panes are extant. The entrance doorway has a glazed rectangular faniight divided ten panes by slim glazing bars. The pilasters extend to a rendered parapet that conceals a gable and hipped roof behind. The parapet frieze bears the name of the building, 'Cuballing Agricultural Hall'. The parapet is crowned in its centre by a dentil decorated semi-circular pediment with a circular accent containing a metal louvred vent. The east and west elevations (side elevations) have engaged piers that divide the elevations into three bays. The two rear bays each contain a window. The window treatment on the side elevations has been simplified to include a flat head. The rear elevation is strengthened by two stepped buttresses with a picture window high in the gable wall. Brick additions extend the east and west elevations. The original exterior walls, where the additions meet the original building, are evident in the interior with an original lintel of an old external opening. The additions are treated to match the original building. The gable ends extend to protect the casement windows, and are clad in fibro-cement lining as are the eaves soffit. The windows are simplified with simple rendered sills. Further brick additions are at the rear, with lean-to roofs. The additions accommodate toilets. The additions were built at different times as evidenced in the straight joint in the brickwork. The interior of the building comprises a central hall with a raised stage with timber stairs either side, and a kitchen with an old fireplace, behind the stage. The additions to the building have provided an activity area with a pool table, storage, new kitchen and servery and toilets. The interior of the original building has timber floorboards and rough rendered walls lined to resemble ashlar. Suspended fluorescent lights have been added and the entrance door has been replaced. A window on the east elevation has been bricked-up and replaced with a doorway. The interior of the additions to the building have linoleum covered floors, rendered walls and brick fireplaces.

History

The present Hall, built in 1912, designed by Mr Dods and opened by the Minister for Works, Mr W. D. Johnston in December 1912. The cost of the building was £890 of which £212 was provided by the Government. Local bricks from Davey Bros. Brickworks were used in the construction.1 The official opening of the Hall was reported in the local newspaper, the Great Southern Leader. The agricultural hall at Cuballing having become too small for the requirements of this growing district, it was decided some months ago to accept the offer of £250 made by the Road Board who wished to secure the building of an office. With this amount and the Government subsidy of £212 the committee instructed Mr. B. H. Dods to prepare plans for a larger and more up to date brick building on the adjoining block. The contract for the erection of the structure was secured by Mr. J. Brown, who has played such a prominent part in the building up of Narrogin and adjacent towns, and the result of the designer and artisan is a structure which is a credit to the district. To commemorate the opening of the hall the committee invited the Minister for Works (Mr. W. D. Johnson) and several other Parliamentarians...Mr Thos. Reynolds then welcomed the visitors, after which the Member for the District, on behalf of the residents asked the Minister for Works to lay the inaugural stone of the Cuballing Agricultural Hall... He [the Minister] then asked Mrs. Reynolds to open the hall, at the same time presenting her with a gold mounted silver key on behalf of the residents and expressing a wish that she would be long spared to continue the good work in Cuballing, of which there was such evidence of it in the past. In a few appropriate words Mrs. Reynolds declared the hall formerly open, which event was signalled by loud cheering.2 The construction of the Hall was part of a general development programme that was occurring in Cuballing at the time, as the following news excerpt illustrates: New building operations in the town are going on apace. A contract has been let for the building of the new Agricultural Hall, and this building, together with the new Post Office, and the spacious additions to the Hotel Cuballing, the handsome new Anglican Church just recently completed, and the spacious hall erected by Mr Reynolds, will give the town a decidedly more imposing appearance.

Integrity/Authenticity

INTEGRITY: High Degree AUTHENTICITY: High Degree

Condition

Good

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Dryandra Woodland Settlement

Child Places

• 17491 Cottage BN382, Dryandra

Condition

generally good condition - maintained as an accommodation facility.

Uses

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