The Old Customs House is a building in
Fremantle, Western Australia that was built in 1908 to house the main branch of the Customs Department of Western Australia.
It is one of only a handful of extant Customs Houses in the state; others are in Albany, Broome, Cossack, and Geraldton.
History
It was built on the corner of
Cliff Street and
Phillimore Streets on the site of the
old railway station, a location selected by
William Lyne (and recommended by the Fremantle Citizens League
).
William Hedges also lobbied in support of the location.
An earlier idea of renovating the old Post Office building for Customs' use was scrapped.
On 18 September 1907, the state government allocated £7,500 (of the total projected cost of £10,000) to be spent on construction in the following year.
The architectural plans were prepared by the State's
Public Works Department under the supervision of the
Principal Architect,
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 building construction was undertaken by a local firm, Ashman and Warner, under the supervision of Mr Sefton of the Public Works Department.
The two storey building is constructed of brick on a base of Cottesloe
limestone.
The heavily moulded
cornice
In architecture, a cornice (from the Italian ''cornice'' meaning "ledge") is generally any horizontal decorative moulding that crowns a building or furniture element—for example, the cornice over a door or window, around the top edge of a ...
s and facings were constructed from
Donnybrook stone, which was chosen in preference (due to lower cost, and better weather resistance) to Sydney freestone. Western Australian timbers were also used.
The Postmaster-General decided not to open a telegraph office in the new building, because one already existed close by.
Current use
In 1986 the building was used to house the Fremantle Arts Foundation (FAF), with the creation of eight artist's studios. The FAF was established by the State Government to provide a cultural component to
1987 America's Cup
The 1987 America's Cup was the twenty-sixth challenge for the America's Cup.
The American challenger '' Stars & Stripes 87'', sailed by Dennis Conner, beat the Australian defender '' Kookaburra III'', sailed by Iain Murray, in a four-race swee ...
Defence.
The building was subsequently purchased by the State and managed by the Foundation. In 1992 FAF changed its name to the Artists Foundation of Western Australia Ltd (AFWA), providing support for visual artists through statewide delivery of professional development, support and advocacy services. In 2004 AFWA was rebranded and now trades as Artsource. The building housed the WA Circus School until 2017, and currently accommodates 24 artist's studios.
Heritage value
The building was classified by the
National Trust of Australia (WA) on 28 October 1974 and was placed on the
Register of the National Estate
The Register of the National Estate was a heritage register that listed natural and cultural heritage places in Australia that was closed in 2007. Phasing out began in 2003, when the Australian National Heritage List and the Commonwealth Heritag ...
on 21 March 1978.
The building was formally listed on the State Register of Heritage Places by the
Heritage Council of Western Australia
The Heritage Council of Western Australia is the Government of Western Australia agency created to identify, conserve and promote places of cultural heritage significance in the state.
Prior to its creation, considerable variance in policy and ...
on 23 April 1999. It is also listed on the
City of Fremantle's municipal heritage list.
See also
*
List of heritage places in Fremantle
References
{{Commons category, Old Customs House, Fremantle
Phillimore Street, Fremantle
Cliff Street, Fremantle
Customs houses in Australia
Buildings and structures in Fremantle
State Register of Heritage Places in the City of Fremantle