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PROPOSED ALTERATIONS TO MAIN ENTRANCE DOORS - GENERAL POST OFFICE HERITAGE IMPACT STATEMENT

June 2017

Document ID: Planning/PG 2016/716-048 Perth, 3 Forrest Place H&M DA /6 Draft Documents/1 Draft Report/2016.11.03 Perth GPO HIS

Issue Date Status Prepared by Approved by

Name Initials Name Initials

1 04.11.16 Final Nisar Dar ND Nerida Moredoundt NM

2 29.11.16 Final Nisar Dar ND Nerida Moredoundt NM

3 08.06.17 Final Nisar Dar ND

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Client without the express written authority of TPG. HERITAGE IMPACT STATEMENT Perth General Post Office

Contents

1. Introduction ...... 2 2. Subject Site ...... 3 3. Brief History and Physical Description ...... 4 4. Heritage Listings and Significance ...... 6 5. The Proposal ...... 7 6. Heritage Impact Statement ...... 7 7. Conclusion ...... 8

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HERITAGE IMPACT STATEMENT Perth General Post Office

1. Introduction

TPG+Place Match (TPG) have been engaged by H&M to prepare this Heritage Impact Statement (HIS) for the proposed alterations to some of the main entrance doors / panels to the ground floor front elevation and the proposed new façade lighting to the Perth General Post Office (subject place). This work is proposed in addition to the H&M fit out works currently underway on the site. Given the heritage significance of the General Post Office (GPO), there is a requirement that a HIS be prepared to demonstrate how any proposed alterations addresses the heritage values of the place. Accordingly, this HIS has been prepared to address the following:

• What is the heritage listing and significance of the place?

• How will the proposed works affect the significance of the place?

• What measures are proposed to ameliorate any adverse impacts?

• Will the proposal result in any heritage conservation benefits?

This HIS has been prepared with reference to the following documents: • 106revA - As existing Elevation, Floor Plan & Photos, prepared by TPG (January 2017)

• Overall Ground Floor Plan, prepared by the Buchan Group (04 November 2016)

• As existing and as proposed ground floor elevations, prepared by Valmont (30 November 2016)

• Detailed Floor Plan, Elevations and Details, prepared by Valmont (30 November 2016 and 02 February 2017)

• A100 Site Plan, prepared by Hames Sharley (19 July 2016)

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HERITAGE IMPACT STATEMENT Perth General Post Office

2. Subject Site

The General Post Office (GPO) is located at Lot 124 (No. 3) Forrest Place, Perth and is owned by Post. Refer to Figure 1 below.

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Figure 1 – Location Plan

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HERITAGE IMPACT STATEMENT Perth General Post Office

3. Brief History and Physical Description

A brief history and summary of the physical description of the Perth General Post Office is described below. This has been extracted from the Heritage Management Plan & Tenancy Fit Out Guidelines prepared by Lovell Chen Architects, April 2015.

Brief History The site for the Perth General Post Office (GPO) was acquired by the Commonwealth in November 1891 with a view to providing an independent facility for postal services, and to relieve the congestion of the Post Office at the central Government Office complex located on St Georges Terrace. The Perth GPO was designed in 1912 by Hillson Beasley (WA Public Works Department), William Hardwick (WA Public Works Department), and John Smith Murdoch (Commonwealth Department of Works and Railways). While Murdoch was ultimately responsible for the project, both Beasley and Hardwick were responsible for the preparation of working documents and supervision of works. The building was constructed over a period which extended from 1914-23. Initially, the contract for the construction was for a five-storey building and awarded to CW Arnott on 7 July 1914 for the sum of 232,700 pounds. Construction commenced later that year, but delays ensued, initially due to forming foundations in the sandy strata. Forrest Place is on the site of the drained Lake Kingsford, part of a system of natural wetlands, which once formed the Perth town site’s northern boundary. Further delays occurred as a result of the outbreak of World War I and the ensuing embargo on the use of steel. After the war, a new contract was signed to complete the building on 4 July 1921, which included the construction of two additional storeys to accommodate Commonwealth departments including Customs, Defence and Repatriation. The GPO was opened on 26 September 1923, having cost 400,000 pounds. At the time, the building was the tallest in Perth and its completion marked the beginning was to become the Forrest Place civic precinct.

Physical Description Perth GPO is sited on the northwest side of Forrest Place, adjacent to a later headquarters for the Commonwealth Bank built in 1930-33, and also attributed to John Smith Murdoch. Rendered in the Beaux-Arts style of architecture, the GPO building is steel framed with reinforced concrete fireproofing and floors. The main facade, facing southeast, is of brick with a veneer of Donnybrook freestone on the piano nobile-colonnade level, and Mahogany Creek granite fronting the ground floor and mezzanine. The design is marked by a rusticated ground floor and mezzanine level with five arches and two square flanking doorways springing from a line of connected balcony fronts. Setback behind the colonnade on the ground floor are timber framed double doors with fanlights and sidelights The flanking doorways project to either side and form a podium from the ground floor. The piano nobile level is represented as three stories linked by a giant Ionic order. These columns are placed between two rusticated piers, and are placed in four pairs with two flanking columns adjacent to the flanking piers. The upper colonnade is framed at the capitals by an entablature and dentilled cornice. The cornice is interspersed with a set of larger brackets, each corresponding to the placement of the columns directly underneath. Above that is a recessed upper level housing the two additional stories. Internally, the basement and ground floors extend to the property boundaries, while the first through to seventh floors are planned around a central light well. Service elements are arranged in the corners of the building and these comprise toilets, lifts and stairs. There is a main set of stairs and a pair of lifts at the front entrance set against the central light well. 4

HERITAGE IMPACT STATEMENT Perth General Post Office

A double-height postal hall dominates the ground floor of the building. This area has a set of roof windows below a light court. This area features dado jarrah panelling, with simple white plaster above. The building was restored and refurbished in 2007/8 to provide seven commercial office floors above the ground floor former postal hall and basement car park. The 12 ground floor retail spaces included heritage features such as jarrah parquetry floors, generous ceiling heights, and abundant natural light from the central glazed atrium. The new tenancies were also each provided with new building services.

Figure 2 – View of the front elevation of the GPO showing the setback ground floor entry doors (Nearmaps, 2016).

Figure 3 – View of entry doors looking north along the colonnade (TPG, 2016).

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HERITAGE IMPACT STATEMENT Perth General Post Office

4. Heritage Listings and Significance

Perth GPO was included in the State Register of Heritage Places on an Interim basis on 22nd June 1992, and as a Permanent Entry on 16th October 1992. In addition to these listings, Australia Post entered into a Heritage Agreement with the Heritage Council of (HCWA) under the provision of the Heritage of Western Australia Act 1990. This was executed in December 1992 with the agreement remaining in place. The GPO was included in the Commonwealth List of Heritage places in June 2004. The following Statement of Significance has been reproduced from the HCWA Register Entry: The place has been assessed by the Australian Heritage Commission and has been entered in the Register of the National Estate with the following statement of significance: Perth GPO is a key element of the townscape, being the central building of Forrest Place, intended to be Perth’s major civic space. The aesthetic attributes of the GPO, which combine well with the Commonwealth Bank and the Railway Station to create the Forrest Place Precinct, are important in establishing the identity of the city of Perth. Perth GPO is a fine example of monumental civic architecture. It is of architectural significance as a rare example in Australia of a large building in the Beaux-Arts style. The characteristics of this style are well demonstrated in both the exterior and interiors of the building. The exterior is monumental in scale, symmetrical and has a facade of sculptural quality arising from the use of large scale classical motifs (e.g giant order ionic columns), and high quality local materials (Donnybrook freestone and Mahogany Creek granite) and craftsmanship. Similar neo-classical details are also evident in the interior, particularly in the significant postal hall. The interiors are noteworthy for their extensive use of Western Australian Jarrah. They are of value for their large spans: considered a radical departure from traditional construction techniques. Of particular significance is the two storey high postal hall with its large roof lights which emphasise the sense of space in this public area. Perth GPO is of historical significance for its association with architect J S Murdoch who, as Commonwealth architect, was responsible for many important Commonwealth buildings throughout Australia. The Perth GPO, together with the Commonwealth Bank and Forrest Place itself constitute an historically important civic group undertaken by the Commonwealth Government. The design concept reflects the new sense of importance and civic pride in Perth at the time. It was, at the time of construction, Perth’s tallest building and recognised by contemporary writers as its most grandiose public edifice. Its use since 1923 as the State’s principal postal facility is of considerable historical and continued social significance. The use of the GPO to accommodate other Commonwealth departments for part of its history is of some importance, particularly as this provided the motivation for the addition of the attic storey to the original design.

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HERITAGE IMPACT STATEMENT Perth General Post Office

5. The Proposal

The proposal comprises of the following:

• Careful removal of the existing doors and fixed central panels to four opening bays as indicated on the drawings and replacement with clear fixed glazing within a concealed frame. The reason for this is to maximize the window display as viewed from Forrest Place to the ground floor. The tenant has stated that the existing glazing bar fenestration reduces the visibility of these shopfronts, which are an important aspect of the new use.

• Given the GPO is a highly significant building in which the ground floor doors and windows contribute to that significance, it is proposed that the removed doors and panels be relocated to the back of the display podiums so that this original fabric will be visible through the new glazing.

6. Heritage Impact Statement

The following statement examines the potential impact of the two proposals on the heritage significance of the place.

6.1. How will the proposed works affect the significance of the place or locality?

Relocation of Doors / Panels / Sidelights This work involves relocation of original fabric that will modify the external appearance of the east elevation, which is the primary front elevation of the building. Although the proposed changes are relatively minor in nature they will detract from the original design intent of the building and have an effect on the significance of the place. The impact is somewhat lessened as these openings are setback from the front of the building behind the colonnade.

6.2. What measures are proposed to ameliorate any adverse impacts?

Relocation of Doors / Panels / Sidelights The relocation of this fabric to the back of the display podiums is intended to provide amelioration to the adverse impact of modifying the external appearance of the building. They will be located directly behind the new glazing and therefore will be able to retain some of its elevation presence, if somewhat diluted. The new glazing with the concealed frame will be fully reversible allowing for the relocated fabric to be re-instated at any time to its original position.

6.3. Will the proposal result in any heritage conservation benefits?

The on-going use of the building is considered to be a notable conservation benefit.

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HERITAGE IMPACT STATEMENT Perth General Post Office

7. Conclusion

With regards to the modification of the doors, the relocation of fabric will have a physical impact on the aesthetic significance of the place. However, it is considered that this can be ameliorated with the fabric being legible through the new glazing. It is also important to note that this proposal is considered to be a temporary measure to facilitate a new tenancy and being reversible will provide comfort that the fabric can be re-instated at a future date; this being more likely at the end of H&M’s tenancy. We note that an advice note from the Heritage Council dated 28th November 2016 supports this proposal with conditions relating to submitting further details prior to carrying out the works. These conditions were then subsequently cleared – see note from Heritage Council dated 3rd February 2017.

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HERITAGE IMPACT STATEMENT Perth General Post Office