Victoria Park landmarks given interim heritage register listing

10/10/95

The State Government has moved to protect the heritage values of two landmarks in Victoria Park.

Heritage Minister Richard Lewis said today that the Victoria Park Post Office had been placed on the State's permanent Register of Heritage Places, while the Victoria Park Primary School had been listed on an interim basis.

Mr Lewis said both buildings had played an important role in the early development of the suburb and it was vital they were preserved.

"The post office was frequently used as a community meeting place before mail was delivered to the home and the school was the first built in the area," he said.

The post office was constructed in 1913, for £1711, some time after Victoria Park was gazetted as a municipality in 1897 and post and telegraph services were first established.

The single-storey red brick building was constructed in the Federation free style and originally incorporated a three-bedroom residence at the rear.

Mr Lewis said the generous size of the building and its detailed design demonstrated the importance of postal activity in the area in the early part of the century.

"Situated on a prominent street corner on Albany Highway, the post office is a vital element in the townscape," he said.

"The building is well maintained and continues to serve the purpose for which it was built more than 80 years ago."

Opened in 1894, Victoria Park Primary School was the first school built in what was then a rapidly developing suburb.

Mr Lewis said the gold boom of the 1890s had seen many immigrants settle in the new residential subdivision of Victoria Park creating a need for a local primary school.

"Architect Clarence Wilkinson designed the original single-brick classroom with verandah on the corner of Albany Highway and Cargill Street.  However, the building underwent great change over the following 30 years," he said.

"Enrolments peaked at 692 in 1923 and the nearby Town Hall was used to accommodate classes, as the Public Works Department worked on plans to add a second storey to the primary school."

The Minister said the building was a rare example of a two-storey suburban primary school and the heritage listing would protect its high degree of authenticity.

"The school continues to be used and valued by the broader community as a venue for educational and community activities," Mr Lewis said.

Media contact:  Bronwyn Hillman 222 9595 or 221 1377