The National Capital Authority (NCA) is a

statutory authority A statutory body or statutory authority is a body set up by law (statute) that is authorised to implement certain legislation on behalf of the relevant country or state, sometimes by being empowered or delegated to set rules (for example re ...

of the

Australian Government The Australian Government, also known as the Commonwealth Government, is the national government of Australia, a federal parliamentary constitutional monarchy. Like other Westminster-style systems of government, the Australian Governmen ...

that was established to manage the Commonwealth's interest in the planning and development of

Canberra Canberra ( ) is the capital city of Australia. Founded following the federation of the colonies of Australia as the seat of government for the new nation, it is Australia's largest inland city and the eighth-largest city overall. The ci ...

as the capital city of

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands. With an area of , Australia is the largest country by ...

. Timeline of the NCA and preceding bodies: * 1921–1924: Federal Capital Advisory Committee (FCAC) * 1925–1930: Federal Capital Commission (FCC) * 1930–1938: No body in existence * 1938–1957: National Capital Planning and Development Committee (NCPDC) * 1958–1989: National Capital Development Commission (NCDC) * 1989–present: National Capital Authority (NCA)

1921–1924: Federal Capital Advisory Committee (FCAC)

The FCAC oversaw the construction of Canberra from 1921 to 1924 following the termination of the contract of architect

Walter Burley Griffin Walter Burley Griffin (November 24, 1876February 11, 1937) was an American architect and landscape architect. He is known for designing Canberra, Australia's capital city and the New South Wales towns of Griffith and Leeton. He has been cr ...

. The Committee was chaired by Australian architect Sir

John Sulman Sir John Sulman (29 August 1849 – 18 August 1934) was an Australian architect. Born in Greenwich, England, he emigrated to Sydney in 1885. From 1921 to 1924 he was chairman of the Federal Capital Advisory Committee and influenced the develop ...

, and advised the Minister of Home Affairs on the Construction of Canberra and conducted a review of the Griffin Plan. The Committee proposed that development should take place in three stages: * Stage one, which was to take three years, would see the transfer of Parliament and key administrative staff moved from Melbourne to Canberra. * Stage two, also to take three years, would include the construction of railways in addition to other key buildings * Stage three would create character and permanence in the capital. The Committee was largely unsuccessful in achieving its aims, for example Parliament did not move to Canberra until 1927, and no permanent rail connection between

Sydney Sydney ( ) is the capital city of the state of New South Wales, and the most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Sydney Harbour and extends about towards the Blue Mounta ...

, Canberra and

Melbourne Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/ Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a metro ...

was ever completed. However Sulman was instrumental in developing the garden city aspects of Canberra, he declared that the development of Canberra should take the form of ‘a garden town, with simple, pleasing, but unpretentious buildings’. In 1924 the Committee was abolished due to the slow pace of development, it was replaced by the more successful Federal Capital Commission in 1925.

1925–1930: Federal Capital Commission (FCC)

The FCC was formed to construct and administer Canberra from 1 January 1925. The Chief Commissioner of the body was Sir

John Butters Sir John Henry Butters, CMG, MBE (23 December 188529 July 1969) was an Australian electrical engineer notable for his role in the Tasmanian Hydro-electric Department from 1914 to 1924, and as the head of the Federal Capital Commission, whic ...

. The FCC was to prepare Canberra for the arrival of 1,100 civil servants and their families. During the first 2 years of FCC operation Parliament House, The Lodge, the

Albert Hall The Royal Albert Hall is a concert hall on the northern edge of South Kensington, London. One of the UK's most treasured and distinctive buildings, it is held in trust for the nation and managed by a registered charity which receives no governm ...

, the Institute of Anatomy, and the Australian School of Forestry and an Observatory on Mount Stromlo were completed. The FCC also oversaw construction of the Sydney and Melbourne commercial buildings in the

City A city is a human settlement of notable size.Goodall, B. (1987) ''The Penguin Dictionary of Human Geography''. London: Penguin.Kuper, A. and Kuper, J., eds (1996) ''The Social Science Encyclopedia''. 2nd edition. London: Routledge. It can be def ...

and significant residential development. The FCC was disbanded on 1 May 1930 following the start of the

Great Depression The Great Depression (19291939) was an economic shock that impacted most countries across the world. It was a period of economic depression that became evident after a major fall in stock prices in the United States. The economic contagio ...

in 1929. Development after this point was not centrally planned until the establishment of the National Capital Planning and Development Committee in 1938.

Federal Capital Architectural Style

Federal Capital Commission architects designed houses in the new city and public buildings using a mixture of elements from the Arts and Crafts movement,

Mediterranean The Mediterranean Sea is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Mediterranean Basin and almost completely enclosed by land: on the north by Western and Southern Europe and Anatolia, on the south by North Africa, and on ...

and Georgian styles. The result is known as the FCC style and is unique to Canberra. FCC style houses can be found in the suburbs of Barton, Braddon, Forrest and Reid. Sir

began the development of Federal Capital Architecture. Before emigrating to Australia in 1885, he had been a friend of

William Morris William Morris (24 March 1834 – 3 October 1896) was a British textile designer, poet, artist, novelist, architectural conservationist, printer, translator and socialist activist associated with the British Arts and Crafts Movement. He w ...

and active in the Arts and Crafts movement. Other than Sulman's leadership, the influences on the architects employed by the Federal Capital Authority and Commission were reflecting the thinking after the peak of the nationalistic Australian Federation style and looking to America for inspiration and seeking to practically respond to the Australian climate. By the time Canberra was being built, the popularity of the uniquely Australian Federation style architecture was waning. The architect

William Hardy Wilson William Hardy Wilson (14 February 1881 – 16 December 1955) was an Australian architect, artist and author. He "is regarded as one of the most outstanding architects of the twentieth century". Early years Wilson was born in Campbelltown ...

led the reaction against the ornateness of the Federation style and advocated adopting approaches from the United States. When

Leslie Wilkinson Leslie Wilkinson , FRAIA, (12 October 1882 – 20 September 1973) was a UK-born Australian architect and academic. He was the founding dean of the faculty of architecture at University of Sydney in 1920. A traditionalist, he is known for his r ...

arrived in Australia in 1918 to take up his position as the first Professor of Architecture at an Australian university, he reinforced Wilson's view and advocated building appropriately for the climate, suggesting the

Spanish Mission style The Mission Revival style was part of an architectural movement, beginning in the late 19th century, for the revival and reinterpretation of American colonial styles. Mission Revival drew inspiration from the late 18th and early 19th century ...

of architecture in California and Mexico as being an appropriate style for Australia. When

arrived in 1913, there was interest in the

Prairie Style Prairie School is a late 19th- and early 20th-century architectural style, most common in the Midwestern United States. The style is usually marked by horizontal lines, flat or hipped roofs with broad overhanging eaves, windows grouped ...

of mid-western America with which Griffin was associated. The Classical revival style was popular in America, reflected in

Beaux-Arts architecture Beaux-Arts architecture ( , ) was the academic architectural style taught at the École des Beaux-Arts in Paris, particularly from the 1830s to the end of the 19th century. It drew upon the principles of French neoclassicism, but also incorpo ...

. There was also interest in

Classicism Classicism, in the arts, refers generally to a high regard for a classical period, classical antiquity in the Western tradition, as setting standards for taste which the classicists seek to emulate. In its purest form, classicism is an aesthet ...

by English architects, including

Edwin Lutyens Sir Edwin Landseer Lutyens ( ; 29 March 1869 – 1 January 1944) was an English architect known for imaginatively adapting traditional architectural styles to the requirements of his era. He designed many English country houses, war memor ...

, who was responsible for many of the public buildings in

New Delhi New Delhi (, , ''Naī Dillī'') is the capital of India and a part of the National Capital Territory of Delhi (NCT). New Delhi is the seat of all three branches of the government of India, hosting the Rashtrapati Bhavan, Parliament Hous ...

built from 1912 to 1929 in the wake of the decision to replace Calcutta as the seat of the British Indian government.

Examples of FCC style

Image:Old Parliament House.jpg, Provisional Parliament House Image:Hotel Canberra.JPG, Hotel Canberra Image:Calthorpes House.jpg, Calthorpes' House Image:AlbertHallMildenhall.jpg, Albert Hall Image:CapitolTheatreManukapic583Alb827.jpg, Capitol Theatre, Manuka Image:ManukaPoolNLApic583alb827.jpg, Manuka Pool File:Telopea park school-NLA01.jpg, Telopea Park school File:ANU School of Art.jpg, Former Canberra High School (now the ANU School of Art) Image:SydneyAndMelbourneBuildingsCivic1929.jpg, Sydney and Melbourne buildings, Civic

1938–1957: National Capital Planning and Development Committee (NCPDC)

The NCPDC was formed in 1938 to oversee the development of Canberra. The NCPDC was to advise the Minister of the Interior to safeguard the Griffin plan and maintain high aesthetic and architectural standards worthy of a National Capital. The Committee had no executive power, and was unable to direct development of the Capital. Dissatisfied with progress, the government established a Senate Select Committee in 1954 to inquire into Canberra's development. In 1958 it was replaced by the well funded and authoritative National Capital Development Commission.

1958–1989: National Capital Development Commission (NCDC)

The NCDC was created to complete the establishment of Canberra as the seat of government. It was created in 1957 through the ''National Capital Development Commission Act 1957''. Under the control of the NCDC Canberra grew from a population of 40,000 to 300,000. The NCDC was responsible for the development of Canberra's satellite cities;

Woden Valley The District of Woden Valley () is one of the original eighteen districts of the Australian Capital Territory used in land administration. The district is subdivided into divisions ( suburbs), sections and blocks. The district of Woden Valley ...

Belconnen The District of Belconnen () is one of the original eighteen districts of the Australian Capital Territory (ACT), used in land administration. The district is subdivided into 27 divisions (suburbs), sections and blocks. The district of Belconn ...

Tuggeranong The District of Tuggeranong () is one of the original eighteen districts of the Australian Capital Territory used in land administration. The district is subdivided into divisions (suburbs), sections and blocks and is the southernmost town cent ...

and

Gungahlin The District of Gungahlin () is one of the original eighteen districts of the Australian Capital Territory used in land administration. The Gungahlin Region is one of fastest growing regions within Australia. The district is subdivided into div ...

. The NCDC also oversaw construction of

Lake Burley Griffin Lake Burley Griffin is an artificial lake in the centre of Canberra, the capital of Australia. It was completed in 1963 after the Molonglo River, which ran between the city centre and Parliamentary Triangle, was dammed. It is named after Wal ...

and New Parliament House. The NCDC had four Commissioners: * Sir John Overall, Commissioner, 1958–1972 * W.C. Andrews, Commissioner, 1972–1974 * Tony Powell, Commissioner, 1974–1985 * Malcolm Latham, Commissioner, 1985–1989 The NCDC was advised by the National Capital Planning Committee which was chaired by the NCDC Commissioner and composed of six nominated representatives of the

Royal Australian Institute of Architects (United we advance architecture) , predecessor = , merged = , successor = , formation = , extinction = , status = Professional body; members association , headquarters = L1/41 Exhibition St, Melbourne , leader_title = CEO , leader_ ...

, the Institution of Engineers, Australia and the

Royal Australian Planning Institute Planning Institute of Australia (PIA) is the peak national body representing town planning and the planning profession in Australia. PIA represents approximately 5000 members nationally and internationally. It is governed by a National Board of D ...

plus two other members with special knowledge and experience in cultural matters. The NCDC was abolished after the ''

Australian Capital Territory (Self-Government) Act 1988 The Australian Capital Territory (Self-Government) Act 1988 is an Act of the Parliament of Australia enacted on 6 December 1988, that establishes ‘a body politic under the Crown by the name of the Australian Capital Territory’ and is the Ter ...

'', and most of its functions passed to the new ACT government and the National Capital Authority.

1989–Present: National Capital Authority (NCA)

The National Capital Authority was established in 1989 when the

Australian Capital Territory The Australian Capital Territory (commonly abbreviated as ACT), known as the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) until 1938, is a landlocked federal territory of Australia containing the national capital Canberra and some surrounding township#Aust ...

was granted self-government. The Authority consists of a Chairman and four other members, all members are appointed by the

Governor-General Governor-general (plural ''governors-general''), or governor general (plural ''governors general''), is the title of an office-holder. In the context of governors-general and former British colonies, governors-general are appointed as viceroy t ...

. Under the '' Australian Capital Territory (Planning and Land Management) Act 1988'', the NCA has the authority to prepare and administer a National Capital Plan.

References

*National Capital Authority
– 1924: Federal Capital Advisory Committee 1921 – 1924 Federal Capital Advisory Committee
*National Capital Authority
– 1924: Federal Capital Advisory Committee 1925 – 1930 Federal Capital Commission
*National Capital Authority
– 1957: National Capital Planning and Development Committee 1938 – 1957 National Capital Planning and Development Committee
*National Archives of Australi
Documenting a Democracy – National Capital Development Commission Act 1957
*National Capital Authority
– 1989: National Capital Development Commission and the National Capital Planning Committee 1958 – 1989 National Capital Development Commission
*National Capital Authority
– Present Day: National Capital Authority 1989 – Present Day: National Capital Authority

External links

National Capital Authority
{{Authority control Organisations based in Canberra Commonwealth Government agencies of Australia History of the Australian Capital Territory de:Federal Capital Advisory Committee de:Federal Capital Commission de:National Capital Development Commission de:National Capital Planning and Development Committee