Statement of recommendation from the

Executive Director, Heritage Victoria to the Heritage Council of Victoria Statement of recommendation from the Executive Director, Heritage Victoria to the Heritage Council of Victoria

Name: Fairfield Park Amphitheatre, Kiosk and Pavilion

Address: 3 Fairfield Park Drive, Fairfield Registered Aboriginal Party Wurundjeri Woi Wurrung Cultural Heritage Aboriginal Corporation Local Government Authority: City of Yarra

Fairfield Park Amphitheatre (March 2021) Pavilion (February 2021)

Executive Director recommendation Under Part 3, Division 3 of the Heritage Act 2017 I recommend to the Heritage Council of Victoria that the Fairfield Park Amphitheatre, Kiosk and Pavilion, Fairfield should not be included in the Victorian Heritage Register (VHR).

STEVEN AVERY Executive Director, Heritage Victoria DATE OF RECOMMENDATION: 21 April 2021 This report may contain images and/or names of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people who are now deceased.

Fairfield Park Amphitheatre, Kiosk and Pavilion 1 Hermes No: 206940

Statement of recommendation from the

Executive Director, Heritage Victoria to the Heritage Council of Victoria

Executive Director recommendation to the Heritage Council of Victoria

The Executive Director, Heritage Victoria recommends that the Heritage Council not include the Fairfield Park Amphitheatre, Kiosk and Pavilion, 3 Fairfield Park Drive, Fairfield in the Victorian Heritage Register (VHR) in accordance with section 49 of the Heritage Act 2017 by determining:

 That this place is not of State-level cultural heritage significance and should not be included in the VHR in accordance with s.49(1)(b) of the Act.  The information presented in this recommendation suggests that the Fairfield Park Amphitheatre, Kiosk and Pavilion may be of potential local significance.  This place is located within an area - Fairfield Park – which is subject to a Heritage Overlay in the Yarra Planning Scheme (HO147 - Fairfield Park).  The ‘Fairfield Park’ Heritage Overlay and Yarra Council’s Statement of Significance exclusively focuses on the place as ‘a major recreational facility representing early and diverse recreational uses along the Yarra, as well as extensive plantings and landscaping typical of the Edwardian period’. The existing Statement of Significance for Fairfield Park does not refer to features such as the Amphitheatre, Kiosk or Pavilion.  Under section 49(1)(c) of the Heritage Act 2017 Heritage Council may wish to: i. refer the recommendation and any submissions to the to the Yarra City Council for consideration for an amendment to a planning scheme for inclusion of the Amphitheatre, Kiosk and/or Pavilion in an individual Heritage Overlay(s). ii. determine that it is more appropriate for steps to be taken under the Planning and Environment Act 1987 or by any other means to protect or conserve the place. This might include acknowledging the Amphitheatre, Kiosk and/or Pavilion in a Statement of Significance.

Fairfield Park Amphitheatre, Kiosk and Pavilion 2 Hermes No: 206940

Statement of recommendation from the

Executive Director, Heritage Victoria to the Heritage Council of Victoria

The process from here

1. The Heritage Council publishes the Executive Director’s recommendation (section 41). The Heritage Council of Victoria will publish the Executive Director’s recommendation on its website for a period of 60 days. Submissions must be received by Heritage Council on or before Monday 21 June 2021.

2. Making a submission to the Heritage Council (sections 44 and 45) Within the 60 day publication period, any person or body can make a submission to the Heritage Council. This submission can support the recommendation, or object to the recommendation and a hearing can be requested in relation to the submission. Information about making a submission and submission forms are available on the Heritage Council of Victoria’s website: https://heritagecouncil.vic.gov.au/registrations-reviews/executive-director-recommendations/

3. Heritage Council determination (sections 46 and 49) The Heritage Council of Victoria is an independent statutory body. It is responsible for making the final determination to include or not include the place or object in the VHR, or amend a place or object already in the VHR. If no submissions are received the Heritage Council must make a determination within 40 days of the publication closing date. If submissions are received, the Heritage Council may decide to hold a hearing in relation to the submission. If a hearing does take place, the Heritage Council must make a determination within 90 days after the completion of the hearing.

4. Obligations of owners of places and objects (sections 42 and 43) The owner of a place or object which is the subject of a recommendation to the Heritage Council has certain obligations under the Heritage Act 2017. These relate to advising the Executive Director, Heritage Victoria in writing of any works or activities that are being carried out, proposed or planned for the place. The owner also has an obligation to provide a copy of this statement of recommendation to any potential purchasers of the place or object before entering into a contract.

5. Further information The relevant sections of the Act are provided at Appendix 1.

Fairfield Park Amphitheatre, Kiosk and Pavilion 3 Hermes No: 206940

Statement of recommendation from the

Executive Director, Heritage Victoria to the Heritage Council of Victoria

Description

The following is a description of the Fairfield Park Amphitheatre, Kiosk and Pavilion, at the time of site inspections by Heritage Victoria in February, March and April 2021. The whole place The Fairfield Park Amphitheatre, Kiosk and Pavilion are located in a landscaped area of 1860m2 (0.19ha) which is part of Fairfield Park. This section slopes up away from the Yarra River east to west and contains established trees, access pathways and three buildings (the amphitheatre, kiosk and pavilion) which respond to the sloping site. The amphitheatre The amphitheatre is built from rough hewn bluestone blocks (pitchers) and sawn bluestone slab steps over a concrete base and is located approximately 25 metres west of the river. It comprises a flat circular stage ten metres in diameter from which extends eleven tiers of terraced seating in a semi-circular form. A projection booth with a brown timber hatch is set into the centre top level and has an access door to the rear pathway. Several fixed lighting trees (tall metal posts) project upwards from the outermost walls of the amphitheatre and are designed to support stage lights plugged into power grids underneath them. There is power cabling under the amphitheatre. The kiosk Above the northwest side of the amphitheatre is a small circular bluestone kiosk featuring an octagonal conical corrugated iron roof, with an approximately 3 metre covered walkway on the north side leading to three square ticket-sale windows. The interior consists of a continuous curved service bench in front of the ticket windows, and a kitchen bench and sink unit built against the eastern wall. The floor is tiled, the pine beams of the conical roof are exposed and there are roller doors on the inside of the ticket windows. The pavilion At the south, approximately 45m from the Yarra River, is a two-storey tilt-slab precast concrete building (pavilion) set into the steepest part of the site. Three large sliding doors on the east open onto the ground level which comprises two large open workshop spaces. An internal staircase leads to the first floor which consists of two dressing rooms with toilet and shower facilities at the south part of the building, all internally linked. These rooms open onto an external balcony walkway which runs the length of the building offering views to the river. To the north of the balcony walkway are three toilets which were intended for public use. The balcony walkway extends approximately six metres into the parkland at the north but abruptly stops as it has never been connected to a pathway in the park as was intended. The rooftop of the pavilion is level with the main access pathway to Heidelberg Road. It consists of a flat concrete barbecue area (with no fixed facilities such as barbecues or seating) of approximately 145m2 part of which is covered to the southern end by a four-sided symmetrical gazebo of approximately 60m2. It sits on twelve posts and has a partial corrugated-iron pyramid-form roof which is completed by a cube shaped light box (ventilation chimney) featuring 27 timber slats on each side, on top of which sits a flat roof of steel tray roof decking.

Fairfield Park Amphitheatre, Kiosk and Pavilion 4 Hermes No: 206940

Statement of recommendation from the

Executive Director, Heritage Victoria to the Heritage Council of Victoria

2021, Kiosk building at the top of the 2021, Detail of upper seating tier of amphitheatre amphitheatre with lighting/projection box

F2021, Sliding door into Pavilion at ground 2021, Roof of the pavilion showing gazebo with light box (ventilation box) and level viewing fence overlooking the river

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Statement of recommendation from the

Executive Director, Heritage Victoria to the Heritage Council of Victoria

2021, Changeroom in the Pavilion 2021, View from Pavilion walkway towards the amphitheatre History

Amphitheatres Amphitheatres can be traced to Ancient Greece (≈800 BC to 146AD). They are circular or oval shaped venues for theatre and outdoor entertainments (semi-circular forms were originally known as ‘theatres’). The amphitheatre form was adopted by many later civilisations, such as Ancient Rome (≈ 31BC to 1453 AD) especially those aspiring to reflect a glorious classical past. In England the word first appeared in the 14th century. Shakespeare’s circular Globe Theatre in London (1576) was an amphitheatre. In modern parlance, an amphitheatre is any circular, semicircular or curved, acoustically vibrant performance space, including those with theatre-style stages, sloping seating, particularly those located outdoors. Natural formations of similar shape are sometimes known as natural amphitheatres. The Ancient Theatre of Epidavros (late 4th century BC) which seats 15,000 people is regarded as the best-preserved ancient amphitheatre in Greece due to its outstanding acoustics and fine structure.1

Outdoor theatre Outdoor theatre has a long history across all cultures dating back to the Ancient world and beyond. In the early British and European worlds, travelling performance troupes set up temporary stages in city squares, and from the 1400s some cities, including York and Chester, had identifiable outdoor theatre spaces. Population increases in cities encouraged the building of permanent outdoor and indoor theatres from the 1600s. In Victoria, travelling circus shows were popular in Melbourne and the gold field areas from the 1850s, taking place in tents and other temporary structures.2 As Melbourne and other towns and cities grew, permanent indoor theatres were built. One outdoor performance structure continued in popularity throughout the nineteenth century – the bandstand (or

1 Epidavros can also be rendered from the Greek as Epidaurus. 2 Mark St Leon, ‘Circus’, eMelbourne: The City Past and Present’ [Accessed: 22 March 2021]

Fairfield Park Amphitheatre, Kiosk and Pavilion 6 Hermes No: 206940

Statement of recommendation from the

Executive Director, Heritage Victoria to the Heritage Council of Victoria performance rotunda). Substantial and elaborate architectural structures were common to accommodate bands, typified by Australia’s earliest extant bandstand in the Fitzroy Gardens (1864) (part of VHR H1834). Through these structures, local councils displayed their status and allowed the populace to hear live music in the era before radio (1920s/30s). The construction of bandstands became less common from the mid-twentieth century.

From the 1970s, the growth of seasonal outdoor festivals (in good weather) and community theatre has seen municipal governments and entertainment promoters utilise temporary stages rather than invest in permanent outdoor performance venues. ‘Pop up’ structures can be quickly built, are removed easily, require no upkeep costs, and can be in a different place each year. Examples include the Sunbury Music Festival (1972-75), theatre in the Royal Botanical Gardens and rock concerts at wineries in regional Victoria. From the 1970s large amphitheatre- style sports stadia have also been used for major theatrical and musical performances, such as the Kooyong Tennis Stadium, Princes Park Football Ground and the MCG, due to the large crowd capacity. These were intended for musical, rather than theatrical performance. In the later twentieth century, amphitheatre-style arenas such as the Melbourne Cricket Ground (VHR H1928) and Waverley Park (formerly VFL Park) (VHR H1883) have been used as live music venues because of their large seating capacity.

Origins of Fairfield Park (early 1900s) The natural topography of Fairfield Park has made it a natural place for gathering and recreation. Located at a hairpin bend along the Yarra River, the upward sloping riverbanks provide a sheltered place for swimming, boating and socialising. In 1906 the Fairfield Swimming Club commenced meeting there and in 1908 the original single- storey Fairfield Park Boathouse was built. In 1912 Fairfield Park, covering 15 acres, was formally reserved for public purposes and formal landscaping works began. The park was planted out with four hundred young trees sourced from the Mt Macedon Nursery and surrounded by a picket fence with an iron entrance portal. A rotunda was built but removed (dates unknown).

Use of Fairfield Park (1914-1950s) At its opening in July 1914, Fairfield Park was described as being on ‘one of the most beautiful stretches’ on the Yarra River. The Heidelberg Shire laid out the paths and plantings and Carlo Catani, Chief Engineer of the Public Works Department, designed the tiered rockeries on the hillside facing the river. Catani, a noted engineer, had reportedly desired greater input into the park’s design but this did not eventuate.3 During the 1920s there was a boom in water-based recreation along the Yarra. In 1925 the Heidelberg Council constructed a swimming pool abutting the river. In 1932, the Fairfield Swimming and Life Saving Clubhouse (Panther Pavilion) was built. Open- air carnivals, sports matches and boating competitions were common sights at Fairfield well into the 1950s.

The Swimming Pool near Fairfield Boathouse, 1925. The swimming pool at Fairfield. Undated [1920s?] Source: Darebin Heritage website [LHRN1114] Source: Darebin Heritage website [LHRN1115]

3 ‘Fairfield Park’, Heidelberg News and Greensborough and Diamond Creek Chronicle, 4 July 1914, p.3.

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Executive Director, Heritage Victoria to the Heritage Council of Victoria

The Decline and Revival of Fairfield Park (1950s-1980s) From the 1950s the Yarra River became increasingly polluted; boating became a less popular pastime and the Fairfield riverside swimming pool was closed. The boathouse gradually fell into a state of disrepair and shut in 1980. From the mid-1980s, however, the Northcote Council began to invest in Fairfield Park. The boathouse was substantially reconstructed as a two-storey Edwardian-style building in 1985 to attract visitors to the area. In the early 1980s the Council also launched the Epidavros Summer Festival, including the bilingual theatre program held in the Fairfield Park. Theatre director Helen Madden (Director, Stork Theatre) worked with the local Greek community to stage classical plays on a temporary stage with scaffolded seating set into a natural amphitheatre above the river. The success of the theatre program in 1983 and 1984 on a temporary amphitheatre stage led the Northcote Council to gain assistance from the State and Commonwealth governments to build a permanent amphitheatre.

Northcote Amphitheatre (1986) In 1985 the Northcote City Council commissioned Edmond and Corrigan to design a permanent amphitheatre and building commenced. By the 1980s Peter Corrigan was well known within the theatre community having worked as a theatre, set and costume designer in this field since the 1960s.4 The amphitheatre working group of the Northcote City Council selected Edmond and Corrigan due to this reputation. Helen Madden recalls that Corrigan’s vision was to create a ‘professional venue which fitted into the hillside’.5 The working group agreed that the amphitheatre should be modelled on the Ancient Greek Epidavros Amphitheatre (late 4th century BC).

Maggie Edmond prepared plans for the amphitheatre using antiquarian drawings sourced from the University of Melbourne Architecture Library. It comprised eleven tiers of terraced seating in a semi-circular arrangement around a circular stage which is ten metres in diameter. The 460-seat bush amphitheatre was, in Edmonds words ‘designed to meet the park’ and fitted into the ‘natural shell’ of the landscape being sympathetic to the environment as well as providing a commanding stage for theatrical productions. During 1985 unemployed people built the theatre through a ‘work for the dole’ scheme. They were trained in stone-cutting skills and used recycled bluestone pitchers from inner city gutters and laneways.

1983, Temporary scaffolded theatre on 1985, Fairfield Amphitheatre during construction the Yarra riverbank Source: https://www.storktheatre.com.au/history/ Source: https://www.storktheatre.com.au/history/

4 See Conrad Hamann, Cities of Hope Remembered/Rehearsed: Edmond and Corrigan, Thames & Hudson, 2012.

5 Interview with Helen Madden, 19 April 2021.

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Statement of recommendation from the

Executive Director, Heritage Victoria to the Heritage Council of Victoria

The Kiosk (post-1985) The conical kiosk to the northwest side of the amphitheatre was not designed by Maggie Edmond, although constructed in a complementary circular style from bluestone and concrete. It was built after the amphitheatre and functioned as a ticket sales booth and refreshments outlet. The designer and date of construction are unknown. The Executive Director welcomes the provision of further information about this structure.

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Executive Director, Heritage Victoria to the Heritage Council of Victoria

The Pavilion (c.1987-8) The Pavilion designed by Paul Couch was built after the amphitheatre to support its theatrical activities. It provided performance change rooms; a theatrical set building workshop; public toilets; and a public barbeque area. It was constructed using a steel frame and a tilt slab technique (pouring concrete panels on-site then the ‘tilting’ them into their final position using a crane). Prior to construction the site was, in Couch’s words ‘a big cliff’ into which the pavilion was ‘pushed’ so that it did not intrude into its natural surroundings. The building employs a minimal palette of materials. Couch reflects that ‘If you could make it invisible, that would be the ultimate… you don’t want to spoil the park’.6 The pavilion was designed to be a covered in greenery and blend into the landscape by virtue of a foliage covering the whole structure. Only parts of the metal lattice remain. The rooftop barbeque level is partly shaded by a gazebo with a cube-shaped light box on top. The Northcote Council intended to install fixed barbeques and seating in this area, but this did not occur.

Maggie Edmond Maggie Edmond graduated from the University of Melbourne in 1969 winning several awards for excellence during her studies. She began her career working on large-scale projects in Melbourne and Sydney and in 1974 formed a partnership with Peter Corrigan. Edmond and Corrigan’s first published projects, the Edinburgh Gardens Pavilion (1977) and Patford House (1975) were designs developed solely by Edmond. At Edmond and Corrigan, she managed and presented most office work. At the same time, she designed a significant collection of residential alterations and additions under her own name.7 Edmond and Corrigan’s work is associated with the emergence of architectural postmodernism in Australia, and their work in the 1990s and 2000s includes RMIT University’s Building 8 (1990-4) and the Victorian College of the Arts (VCA) Drama School (2002). The firm has won numerous awards. Through her work at Edmond and Corrigan, Edmond became a key part of an internationally significant Australian architectural practice. She is a model for Australian professional women demonstrating leadership within the broader community of the Australian built environment. In 2001, Edmond was awarded a Life Fellowship by the RAIA and in 2008 Neil Clerehan described her as ‘probably the nation's foremost female architects’. In 2015 she was awarded an honorary Doctor of Architecture by the University of Melbourne.8 The Fairfield Amphitheatre is Edmond’s favourite project because it involved working with the local community within an informal, iterative process.9 For Edmond it represented a small-scale project, different to the large projects that the Edmond and Corrigan office were involved in during the mid-1980s, such as the Australian Galleries at the NGV and Dandenong TAFE.

Paul Couch Paul Couch [pronounced ‘Cooch’] was born in Melbourne in 1938. In 1959 he joined the firm of Grounds, Romberg and Boyd, one of the most innovative architectural practices in Australia. Couch registered through the Architects Registration Board apprenticeship and examination system around 1970, rather than undertaking a university degree. Under the tutelage of design luminaries Roy Grounds, Frederick Romberg and Robin Boyd, Couch worked on some of the icons of Modernist Australia, including the Academy of Science in Canberra (1958); National Gallery of Victoria (1968) and Ormond College and McCaughey Court (1963). His residential work with Boyd included documenting the Featherston House at Ivanhoe (1967). When Roy Grounds left Grounds, Romberg and Boyd in 1962 Couch remained with Romberg and Boyd (the firm retaining Boyd’s name after his death in 1971) and became a director in the 1980s. In 1983, he formed a partnership with Dennis Carter. Few of Couch’s designs have been published and there is relatively little biographical information available in print.

6Interview with Paul Couch. 24 February 2021. 7 See Appendix 6, Selected Buildings List, ‘Early Work, Edmond’ in Conrad Hamann with Michael Anderson and Winsome Callister, Cities of Hope: Australian Architecture and Design by Edmond and Corrigan, Oxford University Press, Melbourne 1993. The Fairfield Amphitheatre is not listed as part of Edmond’s oeuvre in this book. 8 ‘Rare Landscape Architect Talent with Whacky Wit’ Age, 13 February 2009, https://www.theage.com.au/national/rare-landscape-architect-talent-with-whacky-wit- 20090212-863y.html [Accessed, 9 March 2021] 9 Interview with Maggie Edmond, 19 March 2021.

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Statement of recommendation from the

Executive Director, Heritage Victoria to the Heritage Council of Victoria

Concrete construction The Fairfield Pavilion exemplifies Couch’s preferred style of tilt-slab concrete construction used to great effect in small-scale settings. Couch describes himself as a pragmatic architect. He has designed and built over thirty fire- resistant houses of concrete or Corten steel in Victoria. He has received awards from the Royal Australian Institute of Architects (1987 and 1989) and the Master Builders Association. From the nineteenth century, Victoria was at the forefront in Australia in developing concrete construction techniques. Innovative uses of reinforced concrete are evident in the dome of the State Library of Victoria (1906) (VHR H1497) and the Barwon Ovoid Sewer Aqueduct (1915) (VHR H0895). Throughout the twentieth century concrete continues to be used as a durable and convenient construction material. From the 1950s onwards significant advances in building techniques opened the scope for concrete construction, and Brutalism emerged as an architectural style (from the French 'Béton brut' [raw concrete]). Some notable examples of late twentieth-century concrete construction in the Victorian Heritage Register include the Plumbers and Gasfitters Union Building (VHR H2307), Harold Holt Memorial Swimming Centre (VHR H0069) and Total House (VHR H2329). Paul Couch prefers not to categorise the Fairfield pavilion or his other works under a particular architectural style.

Selected bibliography ‘A Brief Introduction to Bandstands’, Historic England, https://heritagecalling.com/2018/07/06/a-brief-introduction- to-bandstands/ [Accessed, 22 March 2021]. ‘Fairfield Park’, Heidelberg News and Greensborough and Diamond Creek Chronicle, 4 July 1914, p.3. ‘Get to know architect Maggie Edmond of Edmond and Corrigan’ The Real Estate Conversation https://www.therealestateconversation.com.au/profiles/2017/11/16/get-know-architect-maggie-edmond-edmond- and-corrigan/1510776325 [Accessed 8 February 2021]. ‘High Diving at Fairfield’, Argus, 4 Feb 1924, p.7. ‘Open Air Theatre’, The Australian Jewish News, 21 Mar 1986, p.24. ‘Proposed demolition of River Pavilion in Fairfield Park sparks heritage campaign’, National Trust Advocate (9 October 2020) https://www.trustadvocate.org.au/proposed-demolition-of-river-pavilion-in-fairfield-park-sparks- community-heritage-concerns/ [Accessed 8 February 2021] ‘Stork Theatre – Beginnings’, https://www.storktheatre.com.au/history/ [Accessed 8 February 2021]. ‘The unofficial history of the Fairfield Boathouse’, Interviews with Rafael Epstein, ABC Radio Melbourne Drive, https://www.abc.net.au/radio/melbourne/programs/drive/unofficial-history-of-fairfield-boathouse/11522048. ACT Heritage Council, Background Information Open Systems House (Former Churchill House), April 2018, https://www.environment.act.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0011/1186409/BI-Open-Systems-House.pdf [Accessed 14 April 2021]. Allom Lovell & Associates and John Patrick Pty Ltd, City of Yarra, Heritage Review Landscape Citations, July 1998 Darebin Heritage, ‘Northcote Amphitheatre’, https://heritage.darebinlibraries.vic.gov.au/article/61, [Accessed 4 March 2021]. Goad, Philip and Julie Willis, Encyclopedia of Australian Architecture, Cambridge University Press, November 2011. Hamann, Conrad with Michael Anderson and Winsome Callister, Cities of Hope: Australian Architecture and Design by Edmond and Corrigan, Oxford University Press, Melbourne 1993. Hamann, Conrad, Cities of Hope: Remembered/Rehearsed, Thames & Hudson, 2012. Heritage Council of Victoria & Aboriginal Heritage Council of Victoria, Victoria’s Framework of Historic Themes, 2010.

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Heritage Council Registrations and Reviews, Committee, VHR Determination, Preston Market, 18 September 2019. 'Historic open-air theatre still creating excitement for outback audiences', ABC News Online, 20 June 2014 https://www.abc.net.au/news/2014-06-20/historic-open-air-theatre-still-creating/5538092 [Accessed 10 March 2021]. Interview with Maggie Edmond, 19 March 2021. Interview with Paul Couch, 24 February 2021. Mark St Leon, ‘Circus’, in eMelbourne: The City Past and Present [Accessed: 22 March 2021]. VCAT Determination, Nolan v Yarra CC [2020] VCAT 842 (14 August 2020).

Fairfield Park Amphitheatre, Kiosk and Pavilion 12 Hermes No: 206940

Statement of recommendation from the

Executive Director, Heritage Victoria to the Heritage Council of Victoria

Further information

Relevant Authority City of Yarra

Heritage Overlay The nominated area is part of Fairfield Park (City of Yarra HO147) Fairfield Park, City of Yarra (HO147) Statement of Significance Fairfield Park is locally significant as a major recreational facility representing early and diverse recreational uses along the Yarra, as well as extensive plantings and landscaping typical of the Edwardian period.

Note: The Statement of Significance for Fairfield Park does not include reference to the amphitheatre, kiosk and pavilion. Other Overlays Land Subject to Inundation Overlay (LSIO) Development Contributions Plan Overlay - Schedule 1 (DCPO1) Significant Landscape Overlay - Schedule 1 (SLO1)

Other Listings There are no other listings for this place/object.

Other Names This place and its constituent elements are known variously by the following names:  Northcote amphitheatre  Fairfield amphitheatre  Outdoor amphitheatre  Kiosk  Service building  River Pavilion  Fairfield Park Amphitheatre Precinct. For the sake of clarity, the name ‘Fairfield Park Amphitheatre, Kiosk and Pavilion’ has been used in this report. The term ‘pavilion’ is used to mean the building designed by Paul Couch. The term ‘gazebo’ is used to denote the feature on top of the pavilion.

Traditional Owner Information The Fairfield Park Amphitheatre, Kiosk and Pavilion is located on the traditional land of the Wurundjeri Woi Wurrung people. Under the Aboriginal Heritage Act 2006, the Registered Aboriginal Party for this land is the Wurundjeri Woi Wurrung Cultural Heritage Aboriginal Corporation.

Victorian Aboriginal Heritage Register The Fairfield Park Amphitheatre, Kiosk and Pavilion is not included in the Aboriginal Heritage Register. This place is within an area of Aboriginal cultural heritage sensitivity associated with the Yarra River. Aboriginal cultural heritage has been recorded in the vicinity.

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Statement of recommendation from the

Executive Director, Heritage Victoria to the Heritage Council of Victoria

Integrity The integrity of the place is excellent. The cultural heritage values of the place/object can be easily read in the extant fabric. (March 2021).

Intactness The intactness of the place very good. The missing mesh and foliage from the exterior of the pavilion is a substantial change but one that can be reversed. (March 2021).

Condition The condition of the place/object is excellent. (March 2021). Note: The condition of a place or object does not influence the assessment of its cultural heritage significance. A place may be in very poor condition and still be of very high intactness and integrity. Conversely, a place/object may be in excellent condition but have poor intactness and integrity.

Fairfield Park Amphitheatre, Kiosk and Pavilion 14 Hermes No: 206940

Statement of recommendation from the

Executive Director, Heritage Victoria to the Heritage Council of Victoria

Statutory requirements under section 40.

Terms of the recommendation (section 40 (3)(a)) The Executive Director, Heritage Victoria recommends that the Fairfield Park Amphitheatre, Kiosk and Pavilion is not included in the VHR.

Information to identify the place or object (section 40(3)(b)) Name: Fairfield Park Amphitheatre, Kiosk and Pavilion

Address: 3 Fairfield Park Drive, Fairfield

Location diagram (section 40(3)(b))

Aerial photograph showing the nominated extent (in yellow) within Fairfield Park Heritage Overlay of the City of Yarra Planning Scheme (HO147). The nearby Fairfield Boathouse City of Yarra (HO146 Individual Overlay) is shown for reference.

Fairfield Park Amphitheatre, Kiosk and Pavilion 15 Hermes No: 206940

Statement of recommendation from the

Executive Director, Heritage Victoria to the Heritage Council of Victoria

Reasons for the recommendation, including an assessment of the State-level cultural heritage significance of place/object (section 40(3)(c)) Following is the Executive Director's assessment of Fairfield Park Amphitheatre, Kiosk and Pavilion against the tests in The Victorian Heritage Register Criteria and Thresholds Guidelines. A place or object must be found by the Heritage Council to meet Step 2 of at least one criterion to meet the State level threshold for inclusion in the VHR. CRITERION A: Importance to the course, or pattern, of Victoria’s cultural history.

Step 1: Test for satisfying Criterion A The place/object has a CLEAR ASSOCIATION with an event, phase, period, process, function, movement, custom or way of life in Victoria’s cultural history. plus The association of the place/object to the event, phase, etc IS EVIDENT in the physical fabric of the place/object and/or in documentary resources or oral history. plus The EVENT, PHASE, etc is of HISTORICAL IMPORTANCE, having made a strong or influential contribution to Victoria.

Executive Director’s Response The Fairfield Park Amphitheatre, Kiosk and Pavilion has a clear association with the historical theme ‘nurturing a vibrant arts scene’.10 This association is evident in the physical fabric of the place and in documentary resources. This function is of historical importance, having made a strong contribution to the history of Victoria. Step 1 of Criterion A is likely to be satisfied.

Step 2: State Level significance test for Criterion A The place/object allows the clear association with the event, phase etc. of historical importance to be UNDERSTOOD BETTER THAN MOST OTHER PLACES OR OBJECTS IN VICTORIA WITH SUBSTANTIALLY THE SAME ASSOCIATION.

Executive Director’s Response The historical theme ‘nurturing a vibrant arts scene’ is demonstrated at many nineteenth and twentieth-century places in the VHR. Places with substantially the same association include open-air performance venues, particularly those of the twentieth century. The most comparable of these, registered for its historical significance, is the amphitheatre of the Sidney Myer Music Bowl (1959) (VHR H1772). This place is of cultural importance to Victoria as a major and long serving location for a wide range of open-air cultural events and performances and is a well-known venue throughout Australia. By contrast, the association between the Fairfield Park Amphitheatre, Kiosk and Pavilion and ‘nurturing a vibrant arts scene’ relates to the history of Fairfield, Northcote and its communities. This place was built as a local municipal asset by the Northcote City Council for the Epidavros Summer Festival, with input from the local Greek community and Stork Theatre Company. Its construction reflects the Northcote Council’s desire to demonstrate its commitment to community theatre and multiculturalism in the municipality, as well as a desire to revitalise Fairfield Park in the 1980s. Criterion A is not likely to be satisfied at the State level.

10 Historical theme 9.2 in Heritage Council of Victoria and Aboriginal Heritage Council of Victoria, Victoria’s Framework of Historical Themes Heritage Council of Victoria, 2010.

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Executive Director, Heritage Victoria to the Heritage Council of Victoria

CRITERION B: Possession of uncommon, rare or endangered aspects of Victoria’s cultural history.

Step 1: Test for Satisfying Criterion B The place/object has a clear ASSOCIATION with an event, phase, period, process, function, movement, custom or way of life of importance in Victoria’s cultural history. plus The association of the place/object to the event, phase, etc IS EVIDENT in the physical fabric of the place/object and/or in documentary resources or oral history. plus The place/object is RARE OR UNCOMMON, being one of a small number of places/objects remaining that demonstrates the important event, phase etc. or The place/object is RARE OR UNCOMMON, containing unusual features of note that were not widely replicated or The existence of the class of place/object that demonstrates the important event, phase etc is ENDANGERED to the point of rarity due to threats and pressures on such places/objects.

Executive Director’s Response The Fairfield Park Amphitheatre, Kiosk and Pavilion has a clear association with the historical theme ‘nurturing a vibrant arts scene’. This association is evident in the physical fabric of the place and in documentary resources. The historical theme is demonstrated by many performance venues (and other arts-related places) of different types and designs in Heritage Overlays and in the VHR. 1) The place is not rare or uncommon as a small number of places or objects remaining in Victoria that demonstrates the historical theme ‘nurturing a vibrant arts scene’. 2) The place is not uncommon as it does not contain ‘unusual features of note that were not widely replicated’. The amphitheatre, kiosk and pavilion are representative examples within their heritage classes. They contain no features that could be considered to be unusual or rare (that is exceptional or limited in existence) for an amphitheatre, kiosk or pavilion. 3) The existence of the class of place that demonstrates the historical theme ‘nurturing a vibrant arts scene’ is not endangered to the point of rarity due to threats and pressures on such places. The historical theme ‘nurturing a vibrant arts scene’ is demonstrated through many places and objects across Victoria. Step 1 of Criterion B is not likely to be satisfied.

Fairfield Park Amphitheatre, Kiosk and Pavilion 17 Hermes No: 206940

Statement of recommendation from the

Executive Director, Heritage Victoria to the Heritage Council of Victoria

CRITERION C: Potential to yield information that will contribute to an understanding of Victoria’s cultural history.

Step 1: Test for Satisfying Criterion C The:  visible physical fabric; &/or  documentary evidence; &/or  oral history, relating to the place/object indicates a likelihood that the place/object contains PHYSICAL EVIDENCE of historical interest that is NOT CURRENTLY VISIBLE OR UNDERSTOOD. plus From what we know of the place/object, the physical evidence is likely to be of an INTEGRITY and/or CONDITION that it COULD YIELD INFORMATION through detailed investigation.

Executive Director’s Response It is unlikely that the Fairfield Park Amphitheatre, Kiosk and Pavilion contains physical evidence of historical interest that is not currently visible or understood (such as archaeological evidence). Its form, function and historical interest are evident in the fabric of the place and it is well documented. It is unlikely the place contains physical evidence of historical interest that is not currently visible or understood. Step 1 of Criterion C is not likely to be satisfied.

Fairfield Park Amphitheatre, Kiosk and Pavilion 18 Hermes No: 206940

Statement of recommendation from the

Executive Director, Heritage Victoria to the Heritage Council of Victoria

CRITERION D: Importance in demonstrating the principal characteristics of a class of cultural places and objects.

Step 1: Test For Satisfying Criterion D The place/object is one of a CLASS of places/objects that has a clear ASSOCIATION with an event, phase, period, process, function, movement, important person(s), custom or way of life in Victoria’s history. plus The EVENT, PHASE, etc is of HISTORICAL IMPORTANCE, having made a strong or influential contribution to Victoria. plus The principal characteristics of the class are EVIDENT in the physical fabric of the place/object.

Executive Director’s Response Fairfield Park Amphitheatre, Kiosk and Pavilion Fairfield Park Amphitheatre The Fairfield Park Amphitheatre, Kiosk and Pavilion is The Fairfield Park Amphitheatre is one in the heritage one of a class of performing arts precinct. class of outdoor performance venue.  It has a clear association with historical theme  It has a clear association with historical theme ‘nurturing a vibrant arts scene’ in Victoria’s history. ‘nurturing a vibrant arts scene’ in Victoria’s history.  This theme has made a strong and influential  This theme has made a strong and influential contribution to Victoria. contribution to Victoria.  The principal characteristics are evident in the  The principal characteristics are evident in the physical fabric of the place. The amphitheatre has physical fabric of the place. a stage area, tiered seating and is purpose built for  It is an outdoor performance venue, being a theatrical performance. The kiosk has three bluestone amphitheatre in a park designed for windows for selling tickets and refreshments and is open-air performances. located at the entry to the venue. The pavilion provides performance-related facilities (change rooms, a theatrical set building workshop, public toilets, a public barbeque area). Step 1 of Criterion D is likely to be satisfied. Step 1 of Criterion D is likely to be satisfied.

Pavilion Kiosk The Pavilion is one of a class of concrete buildings The kiosk is one of a class of outdoor civic amenities that has a clear association in Victoria’s history. buildings.

 Concrete construction techniques are of historical  It has a clear association with the provision of civic importance, having made a strong or influential amenities in parks and other shared spaces in contribution to Victoria. Victoria’s history.  The principal characteristics of concrete  This theme has made a strong contribution to construction techniques are evident in the physical Victoria. fabric of the Pavilion, in this case being a tilt-slab  The principal characteristics are evident in the precast concrete panel construction system. fabric. The kiosk is a utilitarian building designed to complement the amphitheatre. Step 1 of Criterion D is likely to be satisfied. Step 1 of Criterion D is likely to be satisfied.

Fairfield Park Amphitheatre, Kiosk and Pavilion 19 Hermes No: 206940

Statement of recommendation from the

Executive Director, Heritage Victoria to the Heritage Council of Victoria

Step 2: State Level Significance Test Criterion D The place/object is a NOTABLE EXAMPLE of the class in Victoria (refer to Reference Tool D).

Executive Director’s Response Fairfield Park Amphitheatre, Kiosk and Pavilion Fairfield Park Amphitheatre The Fairfield Park Amphitheatre, Kiosk and Pavilion The Fairfield Park Amphitheatre cannot be cannot be considered as a notable example of a considered as a notable example of an outdoor performing arts precinct in Victoria. performance venue.  As a Performing Arts Precinct, this place is not fine. The Fairfield Park Amphitheatre is a venue The principal characteristics (theatre and ancillary designed by the eminent architect, Maggie buildings) are evident. But the place was not Edmond, during the mid-stage of her career, in holistically designed and is not architecturally unified. consultation with Northcote City Council and the  As a Performing Arts Precinct, it has not been local Greek Community. Unlike some of her later influential or pivotal in its design. works (most completed as part of Edmond and  It contains no physical characteristics with respect to Corrigan which pushed at the edges of its design, technology or materials that have been postmodernism) the Amphitheatre has not received copied in subsequent arts precincts. It is not a pivotal awards or design recognition. The classically example of a performing arts precinct and does not derived architectural adaptation is interesting: but is encapsulate a key evolutionary stage in the not fine, pivotal or influential. The builders were development of such precincts in Victoria. unskilled ‘work for the dole’ labourers and its  A notable example of a performing arts centre is the execution is somewhat rough. The design, Victorian Arts Centre (VHR H1500). It has a unified technology and materials of the Fairfield architectural design and is an example of the Amphitheatre have not been influential, and the ‘international arts centre movement’ of the post-war place does not encapsulate a key evolutionary period which saw the building of such complexes. stage in design in Victoria.

Step 2 of Criterion D is not likely to be satisfied. Step 2 of Criterion D is not likely to be satisfied.

Pavilion Kiosk The Pavilion cannot be considered a notable example of a concrete building in The Kiosk cannot be Victoria. considered a notable example of a concrete building in Victoria. The Pavilion, designed by the architect Paul Couch, is a good example of a tilt- The kiosk is a basic utilitarian slab precast concrete panel construction system in a spectacular location. structure and is not fine, While an interesting building with pleasing park and river views, the Pavilion pivotal or influential in its cannot be considered a fine, influential or pivotal work in the context of late design. twentieth-century concrete construction and architecture in Victoria. Some notable examples of late twentieth-century concrete construction in the Victorian Heritage Register include the Plumbers and Gasfitters Union Building (VHR H2307), Harold Holt Memorial Swimming Centre (VHR H0069) and Total House (VHR H2329). Paul Couch’s oeuvre includes around fifty small scale concrete buildings. This place is not an award-winning project within his oeuvre. In Couch’s own view, his best works are the Murdoch House (at Mt Macedon) and the Toolern Vale House.11

Step 2 of Criterion D is not likely to be satisfied. Step 2 of Criterion D is not likely to be satisfied.

11Interview with Paul Couch, 24 February 2021.

Fairfield Park Amphitheatre, Kiosk and Pavilion 20 Hermes No: 206940

Statement of recommendation from the

Executive Director, Heritage Victoria to the Heritage Council of Victoria

Note: Criterion D and intactness Reference Tool D requires that that the place or object is notable (defined as fine or influential or pivotal or highly intact) in order to meet the State level test for Criterion D. The Executive Director has held for many years that being ‘highly intact’ is not sufficient to determine whether a place or object is ‘notable’. Many structures built from the 1960s to today are highly intact because of their modern materials and recent construction. Some fine, influential and pivotal buildings constructed in the nineteenth century have lost intactness: in many instances this does not make them less notable. The level of intactness should be considered in its historical context in relationship to the date of assessment and should not be the sole reason why a place or object is considered ‘notable’. The Fairfield Park Amphitheatre, Kiosk and Pavilion is highly intact internally and externally. This is not unusual for bluestone and concrete structures completed in the 1980s.

CRITERION E: Importance in exhibiting particular aesthetic characteristics.

Step 1: Test for Satisfying Criterion E The PHYSICAL FABRIC of the place/object clearly exhibits particular aesthetic characteristics.

Executive Director’s Response The physical fabric of the Fairfield Park Amphitheatre, Kiosk and Pavilion (as a precinct and separately) exhibit particular aesthetic characteristics associated with the materials, styles and forms in which they were constructed. Step 1 of Criterion E is likely to be satisfied. Step 2: State Level Significance Test for Criterion E The aesthetic characteristics are APPRECIATED OR VALUED by the wider community or an appropriately-related discipline as evidenced, for example, by:  critical recognition of the aesthetic characteristics of the place/object within a relevant art, design, architectural or related discipline as an outstanding example within Victoria; or  wide public acknowledgement of exceptional merit in Victoria in medium such as songs, poetry, literature, painting, sculpture, publications, print media etc.

Executive Director’s Response The aesthetic characteristics of Fairfield Park Amphitheatre, Kiosk and Pavilion are eye-catching and appreciated by groups with a particular interest in late twentieth century architectural styles. The aesthetic qualities are enhanced by their stunning natural setting on a steep hill overlooking the Yarra River. However, the aesthetic characteristics have not received critical recognition in relevant design or architectural disciplines as an outstanding example in Victoria or wide public acknowledgement of exceptional merit. Criterion E is not likely to be satisfied at the State level.

Fairfield Park Amphitheatre, Kiosk and Pavilion 21 Hermes No: 206940

Statement of recommendation from the

Executive Director, Heritage Victoria to the Heritage Council of Victoria

CRITERION F: Importance in demonstrating a high degree of creative or technical achievement at a particular period.

Step 1: Test for Satisfying Criterion F The place/object contains PHYSICAL EVIDENCE that clearly demonstrates creative or technical ACHIEVEMENT for the time in which it was created. plus The physical evidence demonstrates a HIGH DEGREE OF INTEGRITY.

Executive Director’s Response The physical evidence of the Fairfield Park Amphitheatre, Kiosk and Pavilion demonstrates a high degree of integrity. The creative and technical achievement at this place is best addressed under this Criterion by assessing each structure separately. The Fairfield Park Amphitheatre exhibits creative and technical characteristics. However, its design vocabulary and construction techniques for amphitheatres were well established. The place does not contain physical evidence which clearly demonstrates creative or technical achievement for the era of its construction. The Kiosk exhibits very basic design and construction characteristics. The place does not contain physical evidence which demonstrates creative or technical achievement for the era of its construction. The Pavilion exhibits particular technical characteristics through its tilt-slab concrete construction. However, by the late 1980s this technology had been previously been used by architects and builders in Australia and internationally.12 The Pavilion does not demonstrate a significant technical achievement or breakthrough in construction techniques for the era of its construction. Step 1 of Criterion F is not likely to be satisfied.

CRITERION G: Strong or special association with a particular present-day community or cultural group for social, cultural or spiritual reasons.

Step 1: Test for Satisfying Criterion G Evidence exists of a community or cultural group. (A community or cultural group is a group of people who share a common interest, including an experience, purpose, belief system, culture, ethnicity or values.) plus Evidence exists of a strong attachment between the COMMUNITY OR CULTURAL GROUP and the place/object in the present-day context. Plus Evidence exists of a time depth to that attachment.

Executive Director’s Response There is evidence that people in the Northcote, Fairfield and surrounding area have an attachment to the Fairfield Park Amphitheatre, Kiosk and Pavilion as a place of community gathering. A time-depth exists to that attachment evidenced by regular and long-term use and engagement of the place. There is evidence that people with an interest in twentieth-century architecture have a high regard for and interest in the Fairfield Park Amphitheatre, Kiosk and Pavilion (particularly the design of the Pavilion). It is unclear whether a time-depth exists to that attachment, but it has recently become more publicly expressed due to a perceived threat to the gazebo section of the Pavilion. Step 1 of Criterion G is likely to be satisfied.

12 For a discussion of concrete tilt slab construction see Heritage Council Registrations and Reviews, Committee, VHR Determination, Preston Market, 18 September 2019.

Fairfield Park Amphitheatre, Kiosk and Pavilion 22 Hermes No: 206940

Statement of recommendation from the

Executive Director, Heritage Victoria to the Heritage Council of Victoria

Step 2: State Level Significance Test for Criterion G Evidence exists that the social value resonates at a State Level, that is across the ‘broader Victorian community’. (‘Resonance’ means the extent to which the social value of a place/object can be demonstrated to exert an influence. The social value must resonate beyond a particular local, social or cultural community into the ‘broader Victorian community’). Plus Evidence exists that the social value is part of an event or story that contributes to ‘Victoria’s identity.

Executive Director’s Response The attachment that the people of Northcote, Fairfield and surrounding area have to the Fairfield Park Amphitheatre, Kiosk and Pavilion does not resonate across the broader Victorian community. This place is not part of an event or story that contributes to Victoria’s identity more broadly. By contrast, the Sidney Myer Music Bowl, Melbourne (VHR H1772) is included in the VHR for its social significance. It is of cultural importance to Victoria as a major and long serving location for a wide range of open-air cultural events and performances and is a well-known venue through- out Victoria and Australia. The attachment that people with an interest in twentieth-century architecture have to the Fairfield Park Amphitheatre, Kiosk and Pavilion appears to be limited to that group and was prompted by a recent perceived threat to the gazebo section of the pavilion. Evidence of the attachment does not appear to pre-date this threat and does not appear to resonate outside this design community into the broader Victorian community. Criterion G is not likely to be satisfied at the State level.

CRITERION H: Special association with the life or works of a person, or group of persons, of importance in Victoria’s history.

Step 1: Test for Satisfying Criterion H The place/object has a DIRECT ASSOCIATION with a person or group of persons who have made a strong or influential CONTRIBUTION to the course of Victoria’s history. plus The ASSOCIATION of the place/object to the person(s) IS EVIDENT in the physical fabric of the place/object and/or in documentary resources and/or oral history. plus The ASSOCIATION:  directly relates to ACHIEVEMENTS of the person(s) at, or relating to, the place/object; or  relates to an enduring and/or close INTERACTION between the person(s) and the place/object.

Executive Director’s Response The Fairfield Park Amphitheatre, Kiosk and Pavilion has a direct association with Maggie Edmond the architect of the Amphitheatre.  Maggie Edmond is an eminent architect and has made a strong and influential contribution to the course of Victoria’s history in the discipline of architecture. In 2001, Edmond was awarded a Life Fellowship by the RAIA and in 2015 she was awarded an honorary Doctor of Architecture by the University of Melbourne.  The association between Edmond and the amphitheatre is evident in the physical fabric of the place (through the plaque which makes reference to Edmond and Corrigan) and through documentary resources and oral history.  The association between Edmond and the amphitheatre relates to the achievements of the person at the place.

Fairfield Park Amphitheatre, Kiosk and Pavilion 23 Hermes No: 206940

Statement of recommendation from the

Executive Director, Heritage Victoria to the Heritage Council of Victoria

The Fairfield Park Amphitheatre, Kiosk and Pavilion has a direct association with Paul Couch, the architect of the Pavilion.  Paul Couch has had a long career, starting as a trainee architect with Roy Grounds, Frederick Romberg and Robin Boyd in the 1959 and documenting projects throughout the 1960s. Later in his career he won awards for individual buildings from the Royal Australian Institute of Architects (1987 and 1989) and the Master Builders Association.  There is no entry in the Australian Dictionary of Biography little substantial reference to Couch in standard modern Australian architectural reference texts.13 There is little written about Couch’s work and the influence of his design practices, although a book is currently being written.  Couch has made a valuable contribution to the course of Victoria’s history in the discipline of architecture. That said, at this time, Couch’s contribution cannot be said to be strong or influential, or of the order of other architects and firms recognised under Criterion H such as Harry Seidler, Robin Boyd, Peter Macintyre, and Edmond & Corrigan. Step 1 of Criterion H is not likely to be satisfied (Paul Couch). Step 1 of Criterion H is likely to be satisfied (Maggie Edmond).

Step 2: State Level Significance Test for Criterion H The place/object allows the clear association with the person or group of persons to be READILY APPRECIATED BETTER THAN MOST OTHER PLACES OR OBJECTS IN VICTORIA.

Executive Director’s Response The Fairfield Park Amphitheatre, Kiosk and Pavilion does not allow the clear association with the architect, Maggie Edmond, to be better appreciated than most other places in Victoria by Maggie Edmond. Although the amphitheatre is Maggie Edmond’s favourite work, it represents an unusual mid-career community commission, rather than demonstrating an architecturally notable point in her design oeuvre and contribution to the discipline. Edmond is not celebrated as an architect for her work on local community projects, or on bluestone construction techniques or the amphitheatre form. The University of Melbourne Citation for Doctor of Architecture honoris causa provides an overview of Edmond’s oeuvre: Edmond’s works, including those completed as part of Edmond and Corrigan such as the Keysborough Church of the Resurrection (1977) became an important part of the contemporary debate between the prevalent regional architectural modernism and an emerging architectural post-modernism. Many of the designs worked on by Edmond are striking, and examples such as Edmond and Corrigan’s design for the Venice Biennale Pavilion (1982) and RMIT University’s Building 8 (1990-4) pursue their idea of ‘a city in a single building.’ The completion of Building 8 and the Victorian College of the Arts (VCA) Drama School also encouraged an emerging trend for free and bold designs within Melbourne’s city centre. Edmond and Corrigan have already been recognised under Criterion H for the Former Chapel of St Joseph (VHR H2351) (1976-78). That church allows the clear association between Edmond and Corrigan (and by extension Edmond herself) with the beginnings of Postmodern architecture in Victoria to be better understood than most other places in their oeuvre. Criterion H is not likely to be satisfied at the State level.

13 For example, Couch is only briefly mentioned in the entry for Dennis Carter as part of Carter Couch, Goad, Philip and Julie Willis, Encyclopedia of Australian Architecture, Cambridge University Press, November 2011.

Fairfield Park Amphitheatre, Kiosk and Pavilion 24 Hermes No: 206940

Statement of recommendation from the

Executive Director, Heritage Victoria to the Heritage Council of Victoria

Comparisons

Below, the Fairfield Park Amphitheatre, Kiosk and Pavilion is compared to other similar places in Victoria. These comparators have been chosen to enable this place to be understood in relation to the threshold for State level cultural heritage significance for the VHR.

Nurturing a vibrant arts scene (outdoor entertainment venues) There are many places in the VHR which relate to the historical theme ‘nurturing a vibrant arts scene’. Places that demonstrate this theme are not rare in Victoria. The comparisons here focus on outdoor entertainment venues because they are most relevant to the Fairfield Park Amphitheatre, Kiosk and Pavilion.

Beaufort Band Rotunda, Beaufort (VHR H2253) The Beaufort Band Rotunda is one of the state’s most elaborate rotundas (band stands) and its design is finely executed. It is architecturally significant to Victoria as an outstanding example of an early twentieth century band rotunda. Designed by the Ballarat architectural firm Clegg & Miller. It is unusual for the incorporation of elements of various styles: Federation in the base, Art Nouveau in the cast iron decoration, and Edwardian Baroque in the clock tower. It is historically significant as one of the first memorials built in Victoria following the death of Queen Victoria in 1901. The elaborate structure reflects the importance of such outdoor entertainment structures in the social life of Victorian towns in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries and has served as the focal point of musical and other cultural activities in the town since its opening in 1903. Image source: https://vhd.heritagecouncil.vic.gov.au/places/4157

Fairfield Park Amphitheatre, Kiosk and Pavilion 25 Hermes No: 206940

Statement of recommendation from the

Executive Director, Heritage Victoria to the Heritage Council of Victoria

Sidney Myer Music Bowl, Melbourne (VHR H1772) The Sidney Myer Music Bowl, Melbourne is of historic, cultural, architectural and technical significance to the State of Victoria. Opening in 1959, it is of architectural significance and rarity as the largest, purpose built, permanent outdoor performance venue in Australia. Constructed during a period of building experimentation, its tensile structural system has not been surpassed in scale or complexity. The Bowl is of technical significance for its contribution to the development of engineering and construction techniques which Image source: were required to complete this large scale and technically unusual project. It is of historical http://www.lovellchen.com.au/lc/sidney-myer-music-bowl- importance for its association with the Myer family. hmp/ It is of cultural importance to Victoria as a major and long serving location for a wide range of open- air cultural events and performances and is a well- known venue through-out Victoria and Australia.

Rosebud Sound Shell, Rosebud (VHR H2299)

The Rosebud Sound Shell, Rosebud, is of architectural significance to the State of Victoria as an outstanding example of the dynamic design forms popular in the post-World War II period. It is of scientific (technical) significance as a rare example of a structure with a hyperbolic paraboloid form, a motif in international architecture from the early 1950s to the late 1960s. It is the only known example in Victoria of this form executed in reinforced concrete. It is significant as one of the first concrete structures in Australia designed with the aid of a computer program for structural analysis. Designed in 1967 by architect Ronald Murcott, it was completed in 1969 with the assistance of engineers Dr John Brotchie and Jan Image source: van der Molen of the CSIRO Division of Building https://www.flickr.com/photos/phunnyfotos/22548634160 Research, experts in the analysis of concrete shell structures.

The Rosebud Sound Shell is a local performance venue. It is included in the VHR for the pivotal and influential techniques involved in its design, not for its historical or social significance to the State of Victoria as an outdoor performance venue.

Fairfield Park Amphitheatre, Kiosk and Pavilion 26 Hermes No: 206940

Statement of recommendation from the

Executive Director, Heritage Victoria to the Heritage Council of Victoria

Amphitheatre (adjacent to Henderson House, now known as the Footscray Community Arts Centre (VHR H0183) and on land registered as part of the Saltwater River Crossing Site and Footscray Wharves Precinct VHR H1397) This amphitheatre was built after 1978 when this 1870s riverside heritage complex was adaptively reused as the Footscray Community Arts Centre. Although this amphitheatre is on registered land, it is a much later addition to the place and is not part of the original fabric. Henderson House is included in the VHR for its architectural significance as a rare and partly extant example of a combined residential and industrial complex from the 1870s. The Saltwater River Crossing Site and Footscray Wharves Precinct is included in the VHR for its Image source: associations with the earliest stages of the history of Victoria and the development of Footscray. The small Heritage Victoria, March 2021 1978 bluestone amphitheatre consists of six tiers of seating cut into layers of earth around a grassed circle at ground level. This amphitheatre is not of State level cultural heritage significance in its own right but is part of the land associated with the Saltwater Crossing Site and Footscray Wharves Precinct.

Moat Theatre, La Trobe University (not in VHR or HO)

The Moat Theatre at La Trobe University was built in 1977. Its design was inspired by the amphitheatres of the ancient world. It is used for student theatre productions, lectures, concerts and orientation week events.

Image source: www.libseira.com/blog

Some sporting stadiums (amphitheatres) in Victoria that have been used for outdoor performances, especially to cater for large audiences  Melbourne Cricket Ground (VHR H1928)  Waverley Park (formerly VFL Park) (VHR H1883)  Olympic Swimming Stadium (VHR H1977).  Kooyong Tennis Stadium (City of Boroondara HO263, nominated for the VHR).

Fairfield Park Amphitheatre, Kiosk and Pavilion 27 Hermes No: 206940

Statement of recommendation from the

Executive Director, Heritage Victoria to the Heritage Council of Victoria

Performing Arts Precincts (in the VHR) There is one performing arts precinct in the VHR. It has a unified architectural design and is an example of the ‘international arts centre movement’ of the post-war period which saw the building of such complexes.

Victorian Arts Centre (VHR H1500) The Victorian Arts Centre is of aesthetic, architectural, historical, scientific and social significance to the State of Victoria. It is of historical significance as a major cultural institution and an expression of the international arts centre movement of the post-war period. It is of architectural and aesthetic significance for its design by pre-eminent Victorian architect Roy Grounds as a notable example of his work. It is a rare example of an accomplished 1980s interior design scheme and a rare example of the work of Academy Award winning designer John Truscott. It is scientifically significant for the level of technical accomplishment in addressing the difficulties of the site, including the innovative engineering solutions in relation to the substructure of the buildings. It is socially significant as Image source: the pre-eminent performing arts centre in Victoria and is www.visitmelbourne.com valued by many Victorians who have a shared experience of the place since its opening in 1984.

Concrete buildings (in the VHR) There are many concrete buildings in the VHR from the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. A range of comparators has been selected to demonstrate the State level threshold.

Warehouses, 18 & 30 Oliver Lane, Melbourne (VHR H1135) The Warehouses, Oliver Lane, Melbourne (1907) are of historical, scientific (technological) and architectural significance to Victoria. They were designed and built by noted engineer John Monash and noted builder David Mitchell. Monash was an important figure as a civil engineer, being a leader in the field of reinforced concrete who rose to the rank of Major General on the Western Front during World War I. David Mitchell was a successful builder and entrepreneur during the latter half of the nineteenth century being responsible for such places as Scots Church and the Royal Exhibition Building, In 1905 Mitchell and Monash collaborated to exploit the Monier reinforced concrete system. The Warehouses are of historical significance for their association with Monash and Mitchell. They are of architectural significance as the first conventional buildings in Australia constructed wholly of reinforced concrete and are of scientific (technological) significance for their role in the development of Image source: reinforced concrete building construction. https://vhd.heritagecouncil.vic.gov.au/place s/5975

Fairfield Park Amphitheatre, Kiosk and Pavilion 28 Hermes No: 206940

Statement of recommendation from the

Executive Director, Heritage Victoria to the Heritage Council of Victoria

Harold Holt Memorial Swimming Centre, Glen Iris (VHR H0069) The Harold Holt Memorial Swim Centre (1969) is architecturally significant to the State of Victoria being amongst the most notable, expressive, early and intact examples of the Brutalist movement that emerged in Victoria in the late-1960s. It was designed by local architects Kevin Borland and Daryl Jackson and is one of the earliest buildings in Victoria of the Brutalist style. The bold articulation of forms in textured off-form concrete, concrete blocks and glass, provide a sculptural imagery which is fundamental to Brutalist architecture. In addition, natural lighting has been maximised to be effective dramatic chiascurio, as well as providing transparency Image source: through the entire site. The Harold Holt Swim Centre is of https://www.flickr.com/photos/gervo1865/6194085 some historical and social significance as a memorial to 577 the local member and then incumbent Australian Prime Minister, Harold Holt who disappeared, presumed drowned at Cheviot beach near Portsea, prior to the opening of the complex.

Plumbers and Gasfitters Union Building, Melbourne (VHR H2307) The Plumbers and Gasfitters Union Building (1969-71) is of architectural and historical significance to the state of Victoria. It is one of the earliest, finest and most influential examples of the Brutalist style in Victoria. It is notable for its use of bold forms constructed in off-form concrete and its tough exterior provides the client with an identity signifying union power. It is recognised as a major work of the Melbourne architect Graeme Gunn, who has remained highly influential in the architectural profession. The Plumbers and Gasfitters Union Building is of historical significance as a substantial physical reminder of the strength and influence of the union movement in the 1970s.

Source: https://vhd.heritagecouncil.vic.gov.au/places/45055

Fairfield Park Amphitheatre, Kiosk and Pavilion 29 Hermes No: 206940

Statement of recommendation from the

Executive Director, Heritage Victoria to the Heritage Council of Victoria

Works by Maggie Edmond (as part of Edmond & Corrigan)

Former Chapel of St Joseph, Mont Albert North (VHR H2351) The Former Chapel of St Joseph is architecturally significant as one of the first examples of Postmodern architecture in Victoria. Completed in 1978, it is an early work of architects Edmond & Corrigan, and its small scale, materials and architectural style are reminiscent of local vernacular architecture. The Former Chapel of St Joseph won the 1983 RAIA (Victorian Chapter) award for Outstanding Architecture in the New Buildings Category, and the RAIA (Victorian Chapter) 25 Year Architectural Award in 2003, demonstrating its architectural significance and its enduring architectural merit. [Criterion D] The

Former Chapel of St Joseph is historically significant for its connection with nationally and internationally recognised Source: architects Maggie Edmond & Peter Corrigan (Edmond & Victorian Heritage Database Corrigan). One of the pivotal buildings associated with the beginning of Postmodern architecture in Victoria, the Former Chapel of St Joseph was at the centre of debate for its provocation of conventional architectural thinking.

Church of the Resurrection, Keysborough (VHR H2293) The Church of the Resurrection is architecturally significant as the first Victorian church built in the post-war period which influenced Australian architectural thinking. It is historically significant as an early and emphatic response to the Roman Catholic Church's post-Vatican II reforms, which took place in Australia from 1962. Its association with its suburban context made it the first example in Victoria of the pluralist architectural thinking of the 1970s, more commonly described as Post Modernism. The church is one of the most influential, well-recognised, discussed and published Australian post-war church designs and continues to be

valued by the architectural profession for its originality and polemical value. It was the first completed and most Source: important ecclesiastical work of the architectural firm of Victorian Heritage Database Edmond & Corrigan, which is nationally and internationally recognised for its contribution to Australian architecture since the 1960s. The church was awarded the Royal Australian Institute of Architects 1981 Victorian Architecture Award for New Building.

Fairfield Park Amphitheatre, Kiosk and Pavilion 30 Hermes No: 206940

Statement of recommendation from the

Executive Director, Heritage Victoria to the Heritage Council of Victoria

Works by Paul Couch No buildings designed by Paul Couch are included in the VHR. Paul Couch’s oeuvre includes around fifty small scale concrete buildings. In Couch’s own view, his best works are the Murdoch House (at Brougham Street, Mt Macedon) and his family home, Toolern Vale House.14 Couch’s award-winning projects include:  Precast Concrete House – 8 Claremont Road, Bulleen Master Builders Award, The Age Building Award

 Derby Hill, 16 Phoenix Street, Maldon, 1987 (Carter Couch) Now Blue Light Youth Camp, RAIA Commercial Award

 Offices at 61 Victoria Street, Fitzroy, 1989 (Carter Couch) RAIA Commercial Award

Precast Concrete House (8 Claremont Road, Bulleen) This two-storey concrete house has a sense of light and space. There is floor to ceiling glass, high pitched ceilings, and an internal glass framed courtyard to which all rooms open.

Cremasco House, Mt Macedon Cremasco House is a concrete house set within the five-hectare Mount Towrong Vineyard. It is defined by a tower, the highest point of the structure. The mass of the tower and adjoining upper volume creates a sense of compression of the spaces below, which are read as a result of the glazing that spans the majority of the length of the ground level.

14Interview with Paul Couch, 24 February 2021.

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Executive Director, Heritage Victoria to the Heritage Council of Victoria

Toolern Vale House Situated at the centre of a fifty-acre block of bushland, the single storey building is located in a bush setting. Designed by Paul Couch as a home for his family, the house is illustrative of the architect’s feeling for concrete and construction. It was built by hand over a period of twenty years.

Photographer: Tom Ross. Source: https://tomross.xyz/

Summary of Comparisons The most culturally significant amphitheatre in Victoria is the Sidney Myer Music Bowl (1959) (VHR H1772). As one of the state’s premier venues of social significance across the state, it is a cultural, architectural and engineering icon. By contrast, Fairfield Park Amphitheatre, Kiosk and Pavilion reflects the history of Fairfield, Northcote and its communities. Built with input from the local Greek community and Stork Theatre Company it is a much-valued municipal asset. Its construction reflects the Northcote Council’s desire to demonstrate its commitment to community theatre and multiculturalism in the municipality, as well as a desire to revitalise Fairfield Park in the 1980s. It should be noted that while the Rosebud Sound Shell (VHR H2299) (also a local performance venue) is included in the VHR, this is for its ground-breaking engineering techniques, not for its cultural significance to the State of Victoria as an outdoor performance venue. While the Fairfield Park Amphitheatre, Kiosk and Pavilion is an interesting venue with pleasing park and river views, it cannot be considered a fine, influential or pivotal example of a performing arts centre. Separately and together, the Fairfield Park Amphitheatre, Kiosk and Pavilion are representative examples within their heritage classes. They contain no features that could be considered to be unusual or rare in their class. The classically derived architectural adaptation of the amphitheatre is interesting: but is not fine. While a good example of a local

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Statement of recommendation from the

Executive Director, Heritage Victoria to the Heritage Council of Victoria community arts project, the builders were unskilled ‘work for the dole’ labourers and the execution of the build is somewhat rough. The pavilion is a good example of the work of Paul Couch and demonstrates his proficiency and creativity with concrete construction in a small space. However, the pavilion cannot be considered fine in the context of late twentieth-century concrete construction and architecture in Victoria. The pavilion is one of many tilt-slab buildings in Victoria and has not received critical acclaim or been published, like other concrete buildings in the VHR (see comparisons above). In the 1980s, the design vocabulary, materials construction techniques for Fairfield Park Amphitheatre, Kiosk and Pavilion (separately and together) were well established. The place does not contain physical evidence which clearly demonstrates creative or technical achievement for the era of its construction, and the place has not subsequently been influential across the state. Although the amphitheatre was designed by eminent architect, Maggie Edmond, it cannot be considered one of the places that best represents her oeuvre in the VHR. It represents an unusual mid-career community commission, (and favourite project) rather than representing an architecturally notable point in her design oeuvre and contribution to the discipline. Edmond and Corrigan are already recognised under Criterion H for their association with other more ground-breaking architectural designs in the VHR.

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Executive Director, Heritage Victoria to the Heritage Council of Victoria

Appendix 1

Heritage Council of Victoria determination (section 41) The Heritage Council of Victoria is an independent statutory body that will make a determination on this recommendation under section 49 of the Act. It will consider the recommendation after a period of 60 days from the date the notice of recommendation is published on its website under section 41.

Making a submission to the Heritage Council (section 44) Within the period of 60 days, any person or body with a real and substantial interest in the place or object may make a submission to the Heritage Council regarding the recommendation and request a hearing in relation to that submission. Information about making a submission and submission forms are available on the Heritage Council’s website.

Consideration of submissions to the Heritage Council (section 46) (1) The Heritage Council must consider— (a) any written submission made to it under section 44; and (b) any further information provided to the Heritage Council in response to a request under section 45. (2) The Heritage Council must conduct a hearing in relation to a submission if— (a) the submission includes a request for a hearing before the Heritage Council; and (b) the submission is made by a person or body with a real or substantial interest in the place or object that is the subject of the submission. (3) Despite subsection (2), the Heritage Council may conduct a hearing in relation to a submission in any other circumstances the Heritage Council considers appropriate.

Determinations of the Heritage Council (section 49) (1) After considering a recommendation that a place or object should or should not be included in the Heritage Register and any submissions in respect of the recommendation and conducting any hearing into the submissions, the Heritage Council may— (a) determine that the place or part of the place, or object, is of State-level cultural heritage significance and is to be included in the Heritage Register; or (b) determine that the place or part of the place, or object, is not of State-level cultural heritage significance and is not to be included in the Heritage Register; or (c) in the case of a recommendation in respect of a place, determine that the place is not to be included in the Heritage Register but— (i) refer the recommendation and any submissions to the relevant planning authority for consideration for an amendment to a planning scheme; or (ii) determine that it is more appropriate for steps to be taken under the Planning and Environment Act 1987 or by any other means to protect or conserve the place; or (d) in the case of a recommendation in respect of additional land which has been nominated to be included in the Heritage Register as part of a registered place in accordance with section 32, determine that the land be included in the Heritage Register if—

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(i) the State-level cultural heritage significance of the place would be substantially less if the land or any part of the land which is or has been used in conjunction with the place were developed; or (ii) the land surrounding the place is important to the protection or conservation of the place or contributes to the understanding of the place; or (e) determine that the object is integral to understanding the cultural heritage significance of a registered place or a place the Heritage Council has determined to be included in the Heritage Register. (2) The Heritage Council must make a determination under subsection (1)— (a) within 40 days after the date on which written submissions may be made under section 44; or (b) if any hearing is conducted into the written submissions, within 90 days after the completion of the hearing. (3) A determination that a place or part of a place, or object, should be included in the Heritage Register may include categories of works or activities which may be carried out in relation to the place or object for which a permit under this Act is not required, if the Heritage Council considers that the works or activities would not harm the cultural heritage significance of the place or object. (4) If the Heritage Council determines to include a place in the Heritage Register, with the consent of the owner of the place, the Heritage Council may determine to include in the Heritage Register additional land of the owner that is ancillary to the place. (5) If a member of the Heritage Council makes a submission under section 44 in respect of a recommendation, the member must not take part in the consideration or determination of the Heritage Council. (6) The Heritage Council must notify the Executive Director of any determination under this section as soon as practicable after the determination.

Obligations of owners of places and objects (section 42) (1) The owner of a place or object to whom a statement of recommendation has been given must advise the Executive Director in writing of— (a) any works or activities that are being carried out in relation to the place or object at the time the statement is given; and (b) any application for a planning permit or a building permit, or for an amendment to that permit, that has been made in relation to the place but not determined at the time the statement is given; and (c) any works or activities that are proposed to be carried out in relation to the place or object at the time the statement is given. (2) An advice under subsection (1) must be given within 10 days after the statement of recommendation is given under section 40. (3) The owner of a place to whom a statement of recommendation has been given must advise the Executive Director in writing of an application, permit or amendment if, before a determination under section 49 or 52 in respect of a place— (a) an application for a planning permit or a building permit or for an amendment to that permit in relation to the place is made; or (b) a planning permit or building permit or an amendment to that permit in relation to the place is granted. (4) An advice under subsection (3) must be given within 10 days after the making of the application or the grant of the permit or amendment. (5) The owner of a place or object to whom a statement of recommendation has been given must advise the Executive Director in writing of the following activities or proposals if, before a determination is made under section 49 or 52 in respect of a place or object— (a) any activities are carried out in relation to the place or object that could harm the place or object;

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(b) any activities are proposed to be carried out in relation to the place or object that could harm the place or object. (6) An advice under subsection (5) must be given within 10 days after the owner becomes aware of the activity or the proposal, as the case requires. (7) If, before a determination is made under section 49 or 52 in respect of a place or object, a proposal is made to dispose of the whole or any part of the place or object, the owner of the place or object must advise the Executive Director in writing of that proposal. (8) An advice under subsection (7) must be given at least 10 days before entering into the contract for the disposal of the place or object. (9) The owner of a place or object who proposes to dispose of the whole or any part of the place or object before a determination is made under section 49 or 52 in respect of the place or object must, before entering into a contract for that disposal, give a copy of the statement of proposed contract, is to acquire the place or object or part of the place or object.

Owners of places and objects must comply with obligations (section 43) An owner of a place or object to whom section 42 applies must comply with that section.

Penalty: In the case of a natural person, 120 penalty units; In the case of a body corporate, 240 penalty units.

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