Fremantle Technical School foundation stone

The Fremantle Technical School building, also known as the Fremantle Technical College building, is a two-storey building of red brick construction located at the corner of

South Terrace South Terrace may refer to: *South Terrace, Adelaide, Australia *South Terrace, Fremantle, Australia {{Road disambiguation ...

and Essex Street in

Fremantle Fremantle () () is a port city in Western Australia, located at the mouth of the Swan River in the metropolitan area of Perth, the state capital. Fremantle Harbour serves as the port of Perth. The Western Australian vernacular diminutive for ...

. The building adjoins the single storey former Infants and Girls School, which was built from 1877 to 1878; a small forecourt is formed by the recessed central bay former Infants and Girls School and the technical school building, which terminates the north end of the site. The public school was later transformed into a technical school, in 1902.

Hillson Beasley Hillson Beasley (30 April 1855 – 7 October 1936) was an English-trained architect who relocated to Australia, executing his major buildings in Melbourne (1886–96) and Perth (1896–1917). In his later career he was the Principal Architect of ...

, the chief architect of the Public Works Department of Western Australia, approved the plans for the Fremantle Technical School on 20 July 1912. Planned as the western wing of the old school, the building was estimated to cost £5,000. It has of frontage along South Terrace and was made from brick with a local

limestone Limestone ( calcium carbonate ) is a type of carbonate sedimentary rock which is the main source of the material lime. It is composed mostly of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of . Limestone forms whe ...

base. It features a Donnybrook plinth and facings, and a roof of Marseilles tiling. Designed to have ten new classrooms each to hold 30 students it provided access to the first floor via a wide stairway opening onto a large landing. Each floor had five classroom with the rooms on the ground floor surrounding a large open hall space. The foundation stone was laid by the then Minister for Education, Thomas Walker, on 31 October 1912. The brick and tile building was built in the

Federation Free Style Federation architecture is the architectural style in Australia that was prevalent from around 1890 to 1915. The name refers to the Federation of Australia on 1 January 1901, when the Australian colonies collectively became the Commonwealth of Au ...

with banded stucco and stone. The official opening of the building was held on 16 July 1913, although classes had been held in some classrooms prior to the event. It was opened by Thomas Walker together with the

Mayor of Fremantle Fremantle, Western Australia Fremantle () () is a port city in Western Australia, located at the mouth of the Swan River in the metropolitan area of Perth, the state capital. Fremantle Harbour serves as the port of Perth. The Western Austr ...

, Frederick James McLaren, in attendance.

References

{{reflist Heritage places in Fremantle Federation style architecture South Terrace, Fremantle State Register of Heritage Places in the City of Fremantle

See also

References