New South Wales Government Architect
Encyclopedia
The New South Wales Government Architect is an officer of the New South Wales
government. Historically, the government architect was in charge of the state government's public building projects.
Today, the Government Architect continues to serve this role as the General Manager of the Government Architect's Office (GAO), which is a multi-disciplinary consultancy operating on commercial principles providing architecture, design, and engineering services. Since the 1990s, when the consultancy service began operating on commercial principles, the Government Architect has reported separately in a second capacity, as an advisor to the government, and serves on various committees and boards in relation to heritage protection, architecture, and design.
The first Government Architect was Francis Greenway
, appointed in 1816. The current, 22nd Government Architect, is Peter Mould.
in a role that would become the New South Wales Government Architect was Francis Greenway
. He was appointed in 1816 by Governor Macquarie
to be Acting Civil Architect and Assistant Engineer responsible to Captain J M Gill, Inspector of Public Works. Greenway was a convict
who had been sentenced to transportation for forgery. Greenway's works included the Macquarie Lighthouse on South Head
, the Fort on Bennelong Point and the Stables for Government House. Greenway's other major buildings include the Obelisk in Macquarie Place, the Church of St James
, St Mathews Church at Windsor and the Hyde Park Barracks
.
, to visit New South Wales and report on its administration. Bigge generally agreed with the settlers' criticisms, and elements of his reports criticised Governor Macquarie’s administration including his excessive spending on public works. Bigge's reports on the colony led to Macquarie's resignation in 1821.
When Macquarie returned to England in February 1822, Greenway was without his patron and on 15 November 1822, the recently appointed Governor Brisbane
dismissed him from the office of Civil Architect.
Brisbane's two replacement appointees lasted only short terms. Governor Darling
arrived in December 1825 and dismissed the incumbent architect, George Cookney, a few months later. Darling left the position of Civil Architect vacant for the term of his governorship while he continued the process of reviewing the structure and roles of the Departments that made up the Public Service.
Governor Bourke
succeeded Darling in 1831. Bourke initiated a major enquiry into the Department of Public Works
and suspended its Director, Charles Wilson. Bourke had received numerous allegations anonymously against Wilson and the Department. Wilson was dismissed and following him, six of the next top officers were also dismissed. In effect, the Department of Public Works ceased to function on the date of those dismissals, 13 March 1832.
Bourke established the Colonial Architect's Department in 1832 to be responsible for the planning and supervision of the construction and repair of public buildings. In general, the Colonial Architect's Department had charge of public buildings and their furniture, the duty of preparing plans and specifications for construction and repair and superintending all works executed by contract. From 1833 - 1835 the Department briefly became the Architectural Branch of the Department of the Surveyor General before the Colonial Architect's Department was again separately established.
Other than his report on the colony's public buildings, Harris's possible contribution was the completion of the new Courthouse at Sydney begun by Greenway. Harris made enlargements and prepared drawings and specifications, but there is some doubt as to whether even his design was that ultimately adopted. Harris made recommendations about the organisation of the Office for Public Works and the role of the Civil Architect, which were adopted.
George Cookney was an English architect, the son of D'arcy Wentworth's London agent. Cookney was sponsored by Wentworth and his son William Charles Wentworth. Governor Brisbane appointed him in April 1825, however, there were not a lot of projects he was asked to look at.
The only major work completed by Cookney was a memorial at the Sydney suburb of La Perouse
to Jean-François de la Pérouse
, the French explorer who visited Botany Bay
in 1788. The memorial was requested by
Baron de Bougainville, the son of the more famous French explorer, Louis Antoine de Bougainville
, who visited Sydney in 1825. At de Bougainville's request, Governor Brisbane directed Cookney to design both the monument and a tomb to be erected over the grave of one of La Pérouse's crew who had been buried at Botany Bay.
When Governor Burke succeeded Governor Darling in December 1831, he initiated an enquiry in to the Department of Public Works. Wilson and six of those who were immediately under him were dismissed in 1832. Hallen was the next most senior officer and was placed in charge of what remained of the Department on 1 April 1832; later that month he was given the title of Colonial Architect and his office was officially titled the Colonial Architects Department. The position as Town Surveyor was absorbed into the Surveyor General's Department (the role was filled by Mortimer Lewis who was later to succeed Hallen as Colonial Architect). In creating the Colonial Architect's role and Department, Governor Bourke defied directions from the Colonial Office in Whitehall, London, which had specified there was to be no such office as an entity separate from that of the Surveyor General.
The new department only had 10 officers and was operating under tighter management following the review of the Department of Public Works. Hallen was not found to providing the necessary leadership and the office became part of the Surveyor-General's office under Thomas Mitchell.
Buildings include St Brigid's school at Millers Point
.
Hallen designed the gaol at Berrima
. It was based on the radiating system of inspection. He also designed a courthouse at Berrima. However, the cost of building would have significantly exceeded the funds allocated. Hallen resigned at the end of 1834.
was appointed by Governor Bourke
whose term was completed in 1837. He served also under Governor Sir George Gipps
(1838–1846) and Governor Sir Charles Augustus FitzRoy (1846–1855).
In the mid 1830s there was seen to be an increasing need for new buildings relating to policing, including gaols, courthouses and lock-ups. Bourke negotiated with the Colonial Office in London that these buildings should be built by the Colonial Architect from the Colony's own resources and that this would give greater respect for the buildings, stating: "The attention of the Colonists will be called to them, an interest acquired in their preservation, which does not seem to attach to those works, which are defrayed at the cost of the British Treasury alone."
At the same time, responsibility for civil and military buildings was made separate. Accordingly, these roles reported direct to the governor. The Surveyor-General, Thomas Mitchell, would have supported the independence of Mortimer Lewis, who he had worked with while Lewis was Town Surveyor, and whom Mitchell had suggested would fill the role better than Hallen had. Mortimer Lewis was appointed Colonial Architect in April 1835. Final approval for the arrangements only came in September 1837, due to the delays in corresponding between New South Wales and England by ship.
One of Lewis's earliest works was the court house at Darlinghurst
. It was significant as a building as it was deliberately built in the popular Greek style fashionable in England to convey a sense of the importance of purpose of the court house. He also managed the project in a more politically astute way by getting the government to approve sequential work rather than a single large intimidating budget.
Lewis produced courthouses at Goulburn
, Bathurst
, Berrima
, and Hartley
, and gaols at Berrima, Maitland
, Bathurst and Goulburn. Most of these buildings were later replaced.
Under Lewis, the Colonial Architect's Department of Victoria was established at what was at first the new settlement at Port Phillip. The beginnings of the Colonial Architect's Department of Queensland also occurred under Lewis.
In 1843 there was a significant change in the governance of the colony of New South Wales as the first partially representative Legislative Council was established. The new Council was concerned to minimise expenditure and the appropriation of funds for public works was reduced with a consequent reduction of quality and output of the Colonial Architect's Department.
In 1844 the duties of the Colonial Architect were expanded to cover the role previously performed by the Colonial Engineer, that is superintendence of roads, bridges, wharves and quays. From October 1848 military buildings and works were also placed under the charge of the Colonial Architect.
Lewis resigned in 1849. Major works that Lewis mentioned in his resignation statement were six gaols, eleven Courthouses, the new Government House, the Tarban Creek Lunatic Asylum, later known as the Gladesville Mental Hospital
, Customs House
, the new Treasury building, the Post Office and numerous other buildings. He also included civic works at Circular Quay and at Newcastle.
His resignation resulted from an enquiry into the building of the Australian Museum. Lewis was the fourth of the five government architects to be dismissed. If Hallen had not resigned, it was quite probable he would have been dismissed also.
(1855–1861).
(1855–1861) and Governor Young
(1861–1867).
From 1856 the Colonial Architect's Department reported to the Secretary of Lands and Public Works and from 1860, with the separation of Public Works from Lands, under the Secretary for Public Works.
Alexander Dawson constructed at least two lighthouses, Point Stephens Light
and the Hornby Lighthouse
.
James Barnet
was appointed by Governor Young
(1861–1867). He served under Somerset Lowry-Corry, 4th Earl Belmore
(1868–1872), Sir Hercules Robinson (1872–1879), Lord Augustus Loftus
(1879–1885), and Charles Wynn-Carington, 3rd Baron Carrington(1885–1890).
During Barnet's career, the Colonial Architect's office produced over 1,350 works. He listed on his retirement 169 Post and Telegraph offices, 130 Courthouses, 155 Police Stations, 110 lock ups and 20 lighthouses. During his time as Government Architect there were 20 separate Parliaments, 16 Ministers and nine different Premiers. He made more visible imact on the colony than any other public servant of his time.
Walter Liberty Vernon
was born in 1846 at High Wycombe
in England
, educated at Westminster
, and had a successful London
practice before leaving for Australia
in 1883 for medical reasons.
Vernon worked in private practice in Sydney before joining the newly named Government Architect’s Branch in 1890 as Branch Head. Funds and staff were depleted for the first years of Vernon’s term, until 1894, in response to the depression, the Government voted 136,635 pounds for the new building works.
Under Vernon's directorship the Arts and Craft style
came to be used increasingly for public buildings. Notable examples include the Fire Stations at Darlinghurst
and Pyrmont
, as well as Post Offices and country Courthouses. Using the Arts and Crafts style meant these buildings were less monumental than those built by Barnet. However, Vernon also built a number of major public buildings, such as the Mitchell wing at the State Library
, the Art Gallery of New South Wales
, Fisher Library at the University of Sydney
and Central railway station, Sydney
. These buildings maintained the classical tradition. Vernon also added to a number of the buildings designed by his predecessors including Customs House, the GPO and the Chief Secretaries building.
The office under Vernon was responsible for the design and installation of the elaborate decorations and illuminations in the city to celebrate the Federation
of the Australian colonies in 1900.
Vernon retired from the position of Government Architect on 11 August 1911.
in 1858. He arrived in Sydney
in 1884 and was appointed Assistant Architect in the City Architect’s office. He became City Architect and City Building Surveyor in 1889, a position he held until 1897 when he was appointed Principal Assistant Architect to Vernon in the Government Architect's Branch. He succeeded Vernon as Government Architect in 1911 and held the office until his death in 1923.
Works undertaken by McRae during his term as Government Architect include: the Education Dept Building, Bridge Street (1912); Parcels Post Office, Railway Square (1913); Taronga Zoo
lower entrance, top entrance, and Indian elephant house; Corporation Building, Hay Street, which is on the Register of the National Estate; additions to the Colonial Treasury Building in Bridge Street; Queen Victoria Building, George Street, also on the Register of the National Estate; and Cessnock
Court House.
From 1912 until 1937 the Government Architect's Branch was housed in the “Tin Shed”, a temporary building on the site of the first Government House
and demolished in 1970.
. He entered the Government Architect's Branch in 1895 as an architectural draughtsman. By 1912 he had become First Class Assistant Architect in charge of the drawing office, and by 1916 Principal Designing Architect.
Blair was appointed Acting Government Architect on McRae's death in 1923 and promoted to Government Architect in 1926. Blair was responsible for the design of several war memorials, additions to Katoomba Court House and Wards 24 and 25 at Callan Park.
in 1865, and his promotion to Government Architect in 1927 made him the first Australian born architect to hold that post.
Wells first joined William Kemp's office in the Department of Public Instruction in 1881, working on the design of schools. He transferred between the Department of Public Instruction and the Government Architect’s Branch for a number of years as the responsibility for school design changed between departments.
Wells designed the conversion of the Old Stables to the new Sydney Conservatorium of Music
in 1913, as directed by the Minister for Public Instruction. During Wells' term as Government architect, he supervised work on the Dixson Wing of the State Library of New South Wales
, The Travers Building at Sydney Hospital
, the Nurses’ Home at Maitland
Hospital and many additions to public schools.
Wells retired as Government Architect in 1929.
. He arrived in Australia
in 1889, and worked as a draughtsman in the Queensland
Department of Public Works and as Chief Architect in the Victorian
Department of Public Works before being appointed Government Architect of New South Wales
in 1929.
Smith reorganised the Government Architect’s Branch in 1930 to absorb the Architect’s Branch of the Department of Public Construction. During the 1930s depression, Smith initiated documentation for public buildings erected under the Unemployment Relief Council.
Works undertaken during Smith’s term of office include: University of Sydney
Blackburn Building, Tea Gardens
Court House, Quirindi Courthouse, Lismore
District Works Office, and Lismore Police Station.
Smith retired in 1935 and died in 1965, aged 95 years.
, Cobden Parkes had been employed in the Government Architect's Branch on the re-introduction of the cadet system in 1909. He enlisted in 1914 and, following a convalescence after the war, re-entered the office in 1920.
Cobden Parkes was the first Government Architect to be fully trained within the office. Prior to World War II
, Parkes fostered design changes in hospitals which continued in the expanded building program of the war years. Defence construction, including bomb shelters for public buildings was also a feature of this period.
In the decade of post-war recovery, the office used prefabricated aluminium buildings imported from Great Britain
in the building of schools and hospitals. The range of public buildings broadened from the 1950s, with financial provision for a substantial increase in construction of educational institutions – universities and technological institutes and residential colleges – and in recreational and welfare buildings and markets.
Parkes retired in 1958, almost 50 years after his appointment to the Government Architect's Branch.
, joined the NSW Government Architect's Office in 1939, and was appointed Government Architect in 1958.
Under his leadership the work of the Government Architect's Office flourished, winning four Sulman Medals, two Blacket awards and one RIBA Bronze Medal
. Farmer himself was awarded the RAIA Gold Medal in 1972.
Notable buildings from Farmer's 16 years as Government Architect, with Harry Rembert as Chief Design Architect, were St. Margaret’s Hospital Chapel and nurses’ home, the Chemistry School and new Fisher Library at the University of Sydney
, the residential colleges at the University of NSW and the University of New England
, Belmont
Primary School, Heathcote
High School, Taree
Technical College, and the Mona Vale
Hospital. This was also the period in which the Sydney Opera House
was completed.
Under Farmer, restoration and heritage planning achieved prominence as a function of the Government Architect's Branch.
The Special Projects Section included a Historic Buildings Group and a Landscape Group. At this time the Government Architect’s Office was one of the largest architectural offices in Australia with a staff of 800 spread between Head Office and six District Offices throughout the state.
Peter Webber left the Government Architect’s Branch in 1974 to take up a position as full-time Commissioner in the New South Wales Planning and Environment Commission.
Charles Weatherburn had a close involvement with the Opera House, and contributed to the successful completion of the project.
Other major projects he was associated with include the Institute of Technology, Goodsell Building, Mckell Building at Rawson Place, Parliament House, Westmead Hospital and an ever increasing and highly sophisticated schools and building program.
John Whyte (Ian) Thomson was born in Lancashire in 1928. He moved to Sydney in 1960 and joined the Government Architects Branch of the Public Works Department in the same year.
From 1960 to 1965 he assisted in the design and documentation of the Fisher Library at the University of Sydney. In 1978 when Ian Thomson became Government Architect, he ushered in a period of unparalleled growth and building activity, which culminated in the completion of many projects for the 1988 Bicentennial Celebrations.
Work completed during this period includes: The Powerhouse Museum, Ballina Police Station, new Parliament House Sydney, the Western Plains Zoo, the Gardens Restaurant in the Royal Botanic Gardens, the Federation Pavilion at Centennial Park, the redesign of the foreshore areas at Circular Quay, the Macquarie Street upgrade, and a wide variety of conservation and heritage work.
In 1987 the Government Architects Branch, first named in 1890, was renamed the Architectural Division of the Public Works Department.
Ian Thomson retired as a Government Architect in 1988.
On 15th November 1991, the Minister for Public Works announced that Public Works had been entrusted with a new Government Services Charter. Under this Charter, new responsibilities were given to Division Heads, and the title of Government Architect was changed to “Director of Client Services and Government Architect” to reflect the new responsibilities.
Considering the tasks ahead. Linday has commented: “While responding to the commercial aims of Government my office will continue to provide a strong cultural dimension in Architecture.”
During his term as Government Architect, Johnson strengthened the profile of the role in the public perception. During the Olympic Games in Sydney in 2000 he established a design review panel and a design directorate to oversee the design and procurement of the public domain for Sydney Olympic Park and other significant projects.
A range of important projects were designed in the office, most noticeably the Conservatorium of Music (2002), the upgrade of Circular Quay (2002) and the upgrading of George Street and Railway Square (2000).
Another major achievement was the "Houses of the Future Exhibition" during the Year of the Built Environment (2004). Johnson retired as Government Architect in July 2005.
Peter Mould has extensive experience in both the private and government sector and is well placed to work with government, industry and the design profession.
Peter is the 22nd Government Architect in NSW.
New South Wales
New South Wales is a state of :Australia, located in the east of the country. It is bordered by Queensland, Victoria and South Australia to the north, south and west respectively. To the east, the state is bordered by the Tasman Sea, which forms part of the Pacific Ocean. New South Wales...
government. Historically, the government architect was in charge of the state government's public building projects.
Today, the Government Architect continues to serve this role as the General Manager of the Government Architect's Office (GAO), which is a multi-disciplinary consultancy operating on commercial principles providing architecture, design, and engineering services. Since the 1990s, when the consultancy service began operating on commercial principles, the Government Architect has reported separately in a second capacity, as an advisor to the government, and serves on various committees and boards in relation to heritage protection, architecture, and design.
The first Government Architect was Francis Greenway
Francis Greenway
-References:* *...
, appointed in 1816. The current, 22nd Government Architect, is Peter Mould.
Francis Greenway 1816-1822
The first official architect for the colony of New South WalesNew South Wales
New South Wales is a state of :Australia, located in the east of the country. It is bordered by Queensland, Victoria and South Australia to the north, south and west respectively. To the east, the state is bordered by the Tasman Sea, which forms part of the Pacific Ocean. New South Wales...
in a role that would become the New South Wales Government Architect was Francis Greenway
Francis Greenway
-References:* *...
. He was appointed in 1816 by Governor Macquarie
Lachlan Macquarie
Major-General Lachlan Macquarie CB , was a British military officer and colonial administrator. He served as the last autocratic Governor of New South Wales, Australia from 1810 to 1821 and had a leading role in the social, economic and architectural development of the colony...
to be Acting Civil Architect and Assistant Engineer responsible to Captain J M Gill, Inspector of Public Works. Greenway was a convict
Convict
A convict is "a person found guilty of a crime and sentenced by a court" or "a person serving a sentence in prison", sometimes referred to in slang as simply a "con". Convicts are often called prisoners or inmates. Persons convicted and sentenced to non-custodial sentences often are not termed...
who had been sentenced to transportation for forgery. Greenway's works included the Macquarie Lighthouse on South Head
Macquarie Lighthouse
The Macquarie Lighthouse, also known as South Head Upper Light, was the first, and is the longest serving, lighthouse site in Australia. It is located on Dunbar Head, Vaucluse near the entrance to Sydney Harbour. There has been a navigational aid in this vicinity since 1791 and a lighthouse near...
, the Fort on Bennelong Point and the Stables for Government House. Greenway's other major buildings include the Obelisk in Macquarie Place, the Church of St James
St. James Church, Sydney
St James' Church is an Anglican church in King Street in Sydney, Australia. Consecrated on 11 February 1824, the church was designed by the transported convict architect Francis Greenway during the governorship of Lachlan Macquarie, and is part of the historical precinct of Macquarie Street...
, St Mathews Church at Windsor and the Hyde Park Barracks
Hyde Park Barracks, Sydney
The Hyde Park Barracks is an internationally significant, impressive brick building and compound designed by convict architect Francis Greenway between 1818–19; originally built at the head of Macquarie Street to house convict men and boys....
.
Colonial Architects 1822 - 1835 under Governors Brisbane, Darling and Bourke
Leaders of the free settler community in New South Wales, such as Wentworth and Macarthur, complained to London about Macquarie's policies, and in 1819 the government appointed an English judge, John BiggeJohn Bigge
John Thomas Bigge was an English judge and royal commissioner.Bigge was born at Benton House, Northumberland, England, the second son of Thomas Charles Bigge, High Sheriff of Northumberland in 1771...
, to visit New South Wales and report on its administration. Bigge generally agreed with the settlers' criticisms, and elements of his reports criticised Governor Macquarie’s administration including his excessive spending on public works. Bigge's reports on the colony led to Macquarie's resignation in 1821.
When Macquarie returned to England in February 1822, Greenway was without his patron and on 15 November 1822, the recently appointed Governor Brisbane
Thomas Brisbane
Major-General Sir Thomas Makdougall Brisbane, 1st Baronet GCH, GCB, FRS, FRSE was a British soldier, colonial Governor and astronomer.-Early life:...
dismissed him from the office of Civil Architect.
Brisbane's two replacement appointees lasted only short terms. Governor Darling
Ralph Darling
General Sir Ralph Darling, GCH was a British colonial Governor and Governor of New South Wales from 1825 to 1831.-Early career:...
arrived in December 1825 and dismissed the incumbent architect, George Cookney, a few months later. Darling left the position of Civil Architect vacant for the term of his governorship while he continued the process of reviewing the structure and roles of the Departments that made up the Public Service.
Governor Bourke
Richard Bourke
General Sir Richard Bourke, KCB was Governor of the Colony of New South Wales, Australia between 1831 and 1837.-Early life and career:...
succeeded Darling in 1831. Bourke initiated a major enquiry into the Department of Public Works
New South Wales Office of Public Works & Services
NSW Public Works , an agency of the Government of New South Wales, is responsible for providing expert advice to government and professional services to enable government agency clients to deliver their services to the community.NSW Public Works has expertise and experience in planning, design,...
and suspended its Director, Charles Wilson. Bourke had received numerous allegations anonymously against Wilson and the Department. Wilson was dismissed and following him, six of the next top officers were also dismissed. In effect, the Department of Public Works ceased to function on the date of those dismissals, 13 March 1832.
Bourke established the Colonial Architect's Department in 1832 to be responsible for the planning and supervision of the construction and repair of public buildings. In general, the Colonial Architect's Department had charge of public buildings and their furniture, the duty of preparing plans and specifications for construction and repair and superintending all works executed by contract. From 1833 - 1835 the Department briefly became the Architectural Branch of the Department of the Surveyor General before the Colonial Architect's Department was again separately established.
Standish Lawrence Harris 1822 - 1824
To replace Greenway, Brisbane appointed Standish Lawrence Harris, a recently arrived free settler as Civil Architect in late 1822. Harris' main achievement seems to be in preparing a report on the condition of the Colony's public buildings requested by the Governor. Harris criticised his predecessor's works. Governor Brisbane found Harris's fees to be excessive. The Civil Architect reported to the Chief Engineer, Major John Ovens. Ovens had stated that Harris' services "can no longer be useful to me" and Harris was dismissed in October 1824.Other than his report on the colony's public buildings, Harris's possible contribution was the completion of the new Courthouse at Sydney begun by Greenway. Harris made enlargements and prepared drawings and specifications, but there is some doubt as to whether even his design was that ultimately adopted. Harris made recommendations about the organisation of the Office for Public Works and the role of the Civil Architect, which were adopted.
George Cookney 1825 - 1826
The only major work completed by Cookney was a memorial at the Sydney suburb of La Perouse
La Perouse, New South Wales
Lapérouse is a suburb in south-eastern Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. The suburb of Lapérouse is located about 14 kilometres south-east of the Sydney central business district, in the City of Randwick....
to Jean-François de la Pérouse
Jean-François de Galaup, comte de La Pérouse
Jean François de Galaup, comte de Lapérouse was a French Navy officer and explorer whose expedition vanished in Oceania.-Early career:...
, the French explorer who visited Botany Bay
Botany Bay
Botany Bay is a bay in Sydney, New South Wales, a few kilometres south of the Sydney central business district. The Cooks River and the Georges River are the two major tributaries that flow into the bay...
in 1788. The memorial was requested by
Baron de Bougainville, the son of the more famous French explorer, Louis Antoine de Bougainville
Louis Antoine de Bougainville
Louis-Antoine, Comte de Bougainville was a French admiral and explorer. A contemporary of James Cook, he took part in the French and Indian War and the unsuccessful French attempt to defend Canada from Britain...
, who visited Sydney in 1825. At de Bougainville's request, Governor Brisbane directed Cookney to design both the monument and a tomb to be erected over the grave of one of La Pérouse's crew who had been buried at Botany Bay.
Ambrose Hallen 1832 - 1834
From 1827 Ambrose Hallen had been the Town Surveyor within the Public Works Department. Within the Department of Public Works, Hallen took on the role of Architect and Town Surveyor under Charles Wilson, the Director of Public Works; under Wilson's directorship, Hallen having become increasingly engaged in minor architectural matters.When Governor Burke succeeded Governor Darling in December 1831, he initiated an enquiry in to the Department of Public Works. Wilson and six of those who were immediately under him were dismissed in 1832. Hallen was the next most senior officer and was placed in charge of what remained of the Department on 1 April 1832; later that month he was given the title of Colonial Architect and his office was officially titled the Colonial Architects Department. The position as Town Surveyor was absorbed into the Surveyor General's Department (the role was filled by Mortimer Lewis who was later to succeed Hallen as Colonial Architect). In creating the Colonial Architect's role and Department, Governor Bourke defied directions from the Colonial Office in Whitehall, London, which had specified there was to be no such office as an entity separate from that of the Surveyor General.
The new department only had 10 officers and was operating under tighter management following the review of the Department of Public Works. Hallen was not found to providing the necessary leadership and the office became part of the Surveyor-General's office under Thomas Mitchell.
Buildings include St Brigid's school at Millers Point
Millers Point, New South Wales
Millers Point is an urban locality within Sydney's city centre, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Millers Point is located on the north-western edge of the Sydney central business district, adjacent to The Rocks and is part of the local government area of the City of Sydney.Millers Point...
.
Hallen designed the gaol at Berrima
Berrima, New South Wales
Berrima is an historic village in the Southern Highlands of New South Wales, Australia, in Wingecarribee Shire. The village, once a major town, is located on the Old Hume Highway between Canberra and Sydney. It was previously known officially as the Town of Berrima...
. It was based on the radiating system of inspection. He also designed a courthouse at Berrima. However, the cost of building would have significantly exceeded the funds allocated. Hallen resigned at the end of 1834.
Mortimer Lewis 1835 - 1849
Mortimer LewisMortimer Lewis
Mortimer William Lewis , was an English architect and surveyor who migrated to Australia and became Colonial Architect in the state of New South Wales from 1835 to 1849. Lewis was responsible for designing and overseeing many government buildings in Sydney and rural New South Wales, many of which...
was appointed by Governor Bourke
Richard Bourke
General Sir Richard Bourke, KCB was Governor of the Colony of New South Wales, Australia between 1831 and 1837.-Early life and career:...
whose term was completed in 1837. He served also under Governor Sir George Gipps
George Gipps
Sir George Gipps was Governor of the colony of New South Wales, Australia, for eight years, between 1838 and 1846. His governorship was during a period of great change for New South Wales and Australia, as well as for New Zealand, which was administered as part of New South Wales for much of this...
(1838–1846) and Governor Sir Charles Augustus FitzRoy (1846–1855).
In the mid 1830s there was seen to be an increasing need for new buildings relating to policing, including gaols, courthouses and lock-ups. Bourke negotiated with the Colonial Office in London that these buildings should be built by the Colonial Architect from the Colony's own resources and that this would give greater respect for the buildings, stating: "The attention of the Colonists will be called to them, an interest acquired in their preservation, which does not seem to attach to those works, which are defrayed at the cost of the British Treasury alone."
At the same time, responsibility for civil and military buildings was made separate. Accordingly, these roles reported direct to the governor. The Surveyor-General, Thomas Mitchell, would have supported the independence of Mortimer Lewis, who he had worked with while Lewis was Town Surveyor, and whom Mitchell had suggested would fill the role better than Hallen had. Mortimer Lewis was appointed Colonial Architect in April 1835. Final approval for the arrangements only came in September 1837, due to the delays in corresponding between New South Wales and England by ship.
One of Lewis's earliest works was the court house at Darlinghurst
Darlinghurst, New South Wales
Darlinghurst is an inner-city, eastern suburb of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Darlinghurst is located immediately east of the Sydney central business district and Hyde Park, within the local government area of the City of Sydney...
. It was significant as a building as it was deliberately built in the popular Greek style fashionable in England to convey a sense of the importance of purpose of the court house. He also managed the project in a more politically astute way by getting the government to approve sequential work rather than a single large intimidating budget.
Lewis produced courthouses at Goulburn
Goulburn, New South Wales
Goulburn is a provincial city in the Southern Tablelands of New South Wales, Australia in Goulburn Mulwaree Council Local Government Area. It is located south-west of Sydney on the Hume Highway and above sea-level. On Census night 2006, Goulburn had a population of 20,127 people...
, Bathurst
Bathurst, New South Wales
-CBD and suburbs:Bathurst's CBD is located on William, George, Howick, Russell, and Durham Streets. The CBD is approximately 25 hectares and surrounds two city blocks. Within this block layout is banking, government services, shopping centres, retail shops, a park* and monuments...
, Berrima
Berrima, New South Wales
Berrima is an historic village in the Southern Highlands of New South Wales, Australia, in Wingecarribee Shire. The village, once a major town, is located on the Old Hume Highway between Canberra and Sydney. It was previously known officially as the Town of Berrima...
, and Hartley
Hartley, New South Wales
Hartley is a historical village in New South Wales, Australia, in the City of Lithgow, located approximately 150 kilometres west of Sydney. It is below the western escarpment of the Blue Mountains....
, and gaols at Berrima, Maitland
Maitland, New South Wales
Maitland is a city in the Lower Hunter Valley of New South Wales, Australia and the seat of Maitland City Council, situated on the Hunter River approximately by road north of Sydney and north-west of Newcastle...
, Bathurst and Goulburn. Most of these buildings were later replaced.
Under Lewis, the Colonial Architect's Department of Victoria was established at what was at first the new settlement at Port Phillip. The beginnings of the Colonial Architect's Department of Queensland also occurred under Lewis.
In 1843 there was a significant change in the governance of the colony of New South Wales as the first partially representative Legislative Council was established. The new Council was concerned to minimise expenditure and the appropriation of funds for public works was reduced with a consequent reduction of quality and output of the Colonial Architect's Department.
In 1844 the duties of the Colonial Architect were expanded to cover the role previously performed by the Colonial Engineer, that is superintendence of roads, bridges, wharves and quays. From October 1848 military buildings and works were also placed under the charge of the Colonial Architect.
Lewis resigned in 1849. Major works that Lewis mentioned in his resignation statement were six gaols, eleven Courthouses, the new Government House, the Tarban Creek Lunatic Asylum, later known as the Gladesville Mental Hospital
Gladesville Mental Hospital
Gladesville Mental Hospital was a psychiatric hospital established in 1838 in the suburb of Gladesville, Sydney, Australia, its original name was Tarban Creek Lunatic Asylum.-Description and history:...
, Customs House
Customs House, Sydney
The Customs House is an historic Sydney landmark located in the city's Circular Quay area. Constructed initially in 1844-1845, the building served as the headquarters of the Customs Service until 1990. Ownership was then transferred from the Commonwealth Government of Australia to the City of...
, the new Treasury building, the Post Office and numerous other buildings. He also included civic works at Circular Quay and at Newcastle.
His resignation resulted from an enquiry into the building of the Australian Museum. Lewis was the fourth of the five government architects to be dismissed. If Hallen had not resigned, it was quite probable he would have been dismissed also.
Edmund Thomas Blacket 1849 - 1854
Edmund Thomas Blacket was appointed by Governor Sir Charles Augustus FitzRoy (1846–1855).William Weaver 1854 - 1856
William Weaver was appointed by Governor Sir William DenisonWilliam Denison
Sir William Thomas Denison, KCB was Lieutenant Governor of Van Diemen's Land from 1847 to 1855, Governor of New South Wales from 20 January 1855 to 22 January 1861, and Governor of Madras from 1861 to 1866....
(1855–1861).
Alexander Dawson 1856 - 1862
Alexander Dawson served under Governor Sir William DenisonWilliam Denison
Sir William Thomas Denison, KCB was Lieutenant Governor of Van Diemen's Land from 1847 to 1855, Governor of New South Wales from 20 January 1855 to 22 January 1861, and Governor of Madras from 1861 to 1866....
(1855–1861) and Governor Young
John Young, 1st Baron Lisgar
John Young, 1st Baron Lisgar, Bt, GCB, GCMG, PC was the second Governor General of Canada, in office from 1869 to 1872.-Biography:...
(1861–1867).
From 1856 the Colonial Architect's Department reported to the Secretary of Lands and Public Works and from 1860, with the separation of Public Works from Lands, under the Secretary for Public Works.
Alexander Dawson constructed at least two lighthouses, Point Stephens Light
Point Stephens Light
Point Stephens Light is an active lighthouse located on Point Stephens, a point on an unnamed headland at the east of Fingal Bay, south of the entrance of Port Stephens, New South Wales, Australia. It serves in assisting vessels entering Port Stephens. It is considered an endangered lighthouse due...
and the Hornby Lighthouse
Hornby Lighthouse
Hornby Lighthouse, also known as South Head Lower Light, is an active lighthouse located on the tip of South Head, New South Wales, Australia, a headland to the north of the suburb Watsons Bay. It marks the southern entrance to Port Jackson and Sydney Harbour, as well as lighting the South Reef, a...
.
James Barnet 1862 - 1890
- see main article James BarnetJames BarnetJames Johnstone Barnet was the Colonial Architect for New South Wales from 1862 - 1890.-Life and career:Barnet was born at Almericlose, Arbroath, Scotland. The son of a builder, he was educated at the local high school...
James Barnet
James Barnet
James Johnstone Barnet was the Colonial Architect for New South Wales from 1862 - 1890.-Life and career:Barnet was born at Almericlose, Arbroath, Scotland. The son of a builder, he was educated at the local high school...
was appointed by Governor Young
John Young, 1st Baron Lisgar
John Young, 1st Baron Lisgar, Bt, GCB, GCMG, PC was the second Governor General of Canada, in office from 1869 to 1872.-Biography:...
(1861–1867). He served under Somerset Lowry-Corry, 4th Earl Belmore
Somerset Lowry-Corry, 4th Earl Belmore
Somerset Richard Lowry-Corry, 4th Earl Belmore GCMG, PC , styled as Viscount Corry from 1841 to 1845, was an Irish nobleman and Conservative politician.-Background and education:...
(1868–1872), Sir Hercules Robinson (1872–1879), Lord Augustus Loftus
Augustus Loftus
Lord Augustus William Frederick Spencer Loftus GCB, PC was a British diplomat and colonial administrator.Loftus was the fourth son of John Loftus, 2nd Marquess of Ely...
(1879–1885), and Charles Wynn-Carington, 3rd Baron Carrington(1885–1890).
During Barnet's career, the Colonial Architect's office produced over 1,350 works. He listed on his retirement 169 Post and Telegraph offices, 130 Courthouses, 155 Police Stations, 110 lock ups and 20 lighthouses. During his time as Government Architect there were 20 separate Parliaments, 16 Ministers and nine different Premiers. He made more visible imact on the colony than any other public servant of his time.
Walter Liberty Vernon 1890 - 1911
Walter Liberty Vernon
Walter Liberty Vernon was an English architect who migrated to the state of New South Wales, Australia and pursued his career as an architect in Sydney...
was born in 1846 at High Wycombe
High Wycombe
High Wycombe , commonly known as Wycombe and formally called Chepping Wycombe or Chipping Wycombe until 1946,is a large town in Buckinghamshire, England. It is west-north-west of Charing Cross in London; this figure is engraved on the Corn Market building in the centre of the town...
in England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, educated at Westminster
Westminster School
The Royal College of St. Peter in Westminster, almost always known as Westminster School, is one of Britain's leading independent schools, with the highest Oxford and Cambridge acceptance rate of any secondary school or college in Britain...
, and had a successful London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
practice before leaving for Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
in 1883 for medical reasons.
Vernon worked in private practice in Sydney before joining the newly named Government Architect’s Branch in 1890 as Branch Head. Funds and staff were depleted for the first years of Vernon’s term, until 1894, in response to the depression, the Government voted 136,635 pounds for the new building works.
Under Vernon's directorship the Arts and Craft style
Arts and Crafts movement
Arts and Crafts was an international design philosophy that originated in England and flourished between 1860 and 1910 , continuing its influence until the 1930s...
came to be used increasingly for public buildings. Notable examples include the Fire Stations at Darlinghurst
Darlinghurst, New South Wales
Darlinghurst is an inner-city, eastern suburb of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Darlinghurst is located immediately east of the Sydney central business district and Hyde Park, within the local government area of the City of Sydney...
and Pyrmont
Pyrmont, New South Wales
Pyrmont is an inner-city suburb of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Pyrmont is located 2 kilometres south-west of the Sydney central business district in the local government area of the City of Sydney...
, as well as Post Offices and country Courthouses. Using the Arts and Crafts style meant these buildings were less monumental than those built by Barnet. However, Vernon also built a number of major public buildings, such as the Mitchell wing at the State Library
State Library of New South Wales
The State Library of New South Wales is a large public library owned by the state of New South Wales, Australia. It is located in Macquarie Street, Sydney near Shakespeare Place...
, the Art Gallery of New South Wales
Art Gallery of New South Wales
The Art Gallery of New South Wales , located in The Domain in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, was established in 1897 and is the most important public gallery in Sydney and the fourth largest in Australia...
, Fisher Library at the University of Sydney
University of Sydney Library
The University of Sydney Library is the library system of the University of Sydney. According to its publications, it is the largest academic library in the southern hemisphere, with a print collection of over 5.1 million items . It is composed of twelve libraries across eight campuses of the...
and Central railway station, Sydney
Central railway station, Sydney
Central Railway Station, the largest railway station in Australia, is at the southern end of the Sydney CBD. It services almost all the lines on the CityRail network, and is the major terminus for interurban and interstate rail services...
. These buildings maintained the classical tradition. Vernon also added to a number of the buildings designed by his predecessors including Customs House, the GPO and the Chief Secretaries building.
The office under Vernon was responsible for the design and installation of the elaborate decorations and illuminations in the city to celebrate the Federation
Federation
A federation , also known as a federal state, is a type of sovereign state characterized by a union of partially self-governing states or regions united by a central government...
of the Australian colonies in 1900.
Vernon retired from the position of Government Architect on 11 August 1911.
George McRae 1911 - 1923
George McRae was born in EdinburghEdinburgh
Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland, the second largest city in Scotland, and the eighth most populous in the United Kingdom. The City of Edinburgh Council governs one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas. The council area includes urban Edinburgh and a rural area...
in 1858. He arrived in Sydney
Sydney
Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
in 1884 and was appointed Assistant Architect in the City Architect’s office. He became City Architect and City Building Surveyor in 1889, a position he held until 1897 when he was appointed Principal Assistant Architect to Vernon in the Government Architect's Branch. He succeeded Vernon as Government Architect in 1911 and held the office until his death in 1923.
Works undertaken by McRae during his term as Government Architect include: the Education Dept Building, Bridge Street (1912); Parcels Post Office, Railway Square (1913); Taronga Zoo
Taronga Zoo
Taronga Zoo is the city zoo of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. Officially opened on 7 October 1916, it is located on the shores of Sydney Harbour in the suburb of Mosman...
lower entrance, top entrance, and Indian elephant house; Corporation Building, Hay Street, which is on the Register of the National Estate; additions to the Colonial Treasury Building in Bridge Street; Queen Victoria Building, George Street, also on the Register of the National Estate; and Cessnock
Cessnock
Cessnock can refer to:*Cessnock, New South Wales** Electoral district of Cessnock, an electoral district in the New South Wales Legislative Assembly, based around the area** City of Cessnock, the Local Government Area...
Court House.
From 1912 until 1937 the Government Architect's Branch was housed in the “Tin Shed”, a temporary building on the site of the first Government House
Museum of Sydney
The Museum of Sydney, on the Site of First Government House is built on the ruins of the house of New South Wales' first Governor, Arthur Phillip on the present-day corner of Phillip and Bridge Street, Sydney. The original house, which was Australia's first Government House, was built in 1788 and...
and demolished in 1970.
Gorrie McLeish Blair 1923 - 1926
Gorrie McLeish Blair was born in 1862 in ScotlandScotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
. He entered the Government Architect's Branch in 1895 as an architectural draughtsman. By 1912 he had become First Class Assistant Architect in charge of the drawing office, and by 1916 Principal Designing Architect.
Blair was appointed Acting Government Architect on McRae's death in 1923 and promoted to Government Architect in 1926. Blair was responsible for the design of several war memorials, additions to Katoomba Court House and Wards 24 and 25 at Callan Park.
Richard McDonald Seymour Wells 1927 - 1929
Richard McDonald Seymour Wells was born in AustraliaAustralia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
in 1865, and his promotion to Government Architect in 1927 made him the first Australian born architect to hold that post.
Wells first joined William Kemp's office in the Department of Public Instruction in 1881, working on the design of schools. He transferred between the Department of Public Instruction and the Government Architect’s Branch for a number of years as the responsibility for school design changed between departments.
Wells designed the conversion of the Old Stables to the new Sydney Conservatorium of Music
Sydney Conservatorium of Music
The Sydney Conservatorium of Music is one of the oldest and most prestigious music schools in Australia...
in 1913, as directed by the Minister for Public Instruction. During Wells' term as Government architect, he supervised work on the Dixson Wing of the State Library of New South Wales
State Library of New South Wales
The State Library of New South Wales is a large public library owned by the state of New South Wales, Australia. It is located in Macquarie Street, Sydney near Shakespeare Place...
, The Travers Building at Sydney Hospital
Sydney Hospital
Sydney Hospital is a major hospital in Sydney, Australia, located on Macquarie Street in the Sydney central business district. It is the oldest hospital in Australia, dating back to 1788, and has been at its current location since 1811. It first received the name Sydney Hospital in 1881.Currently...
, the Nurses’ Home at Maitland
Maitland, New South Wales
Maitland is a city in the Lower Hunter Valley of New South Wales, Australia and the seat of Maitland City Council, situated on the Hunter River approximately by road north of Sydney and north-west of Newcastle...
Hospital and many additions to public schools.
Wells retired as Government Architect in 1929.
Edwin Smith 1929 - 1935
Edwin Smith was born in 1870 in ScotlandScotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
. He arrived in Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
in 1889, and worked as a draughtsman in the Queensland
Queensland
Queensland is a state of Australia, occupying the north-eastern section of the mainland continent. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Australia and New South Wales to the west, south-west and south respectively. To the east, Queensland is bordered by the Coral Sea and Pacific Ocean...
Department of Public Works and as Chief Architect in the Victorian
Victoria (Australia)
Victoria is the second most populous state in Australia. Geographically the smallest mainland state, Victoria is bordered by New South Wales, South Australia, and Tasmania on Boundary Islet to the north, west and south respectively....
Department of Public Works before being appointed Government Architect of New South Wales
New South Wales
New South Wales is a state of :Australia, located in the east of the country. It is bordered by Queensland, Victoria and South Australia to the north, south and west respectively. To the east, the state is bordered by the Tasman Sea, which forms part of the Pacific Ocean. New South Wales...
in 1929.
Smith reorganised the Government Architect’s Branch in 1930 to absorb the Architect’s Branch of the Department of Public Construction. During the 1930s depression, Smith initiated documentation for public buildings erected under the Unemployment Relief Council.
Works undertaken during Smith’s term of office include: University of Sydney
University of Sydney
The University of Sydney is a public university located in Sydney, New South Wales. The main campus spreads across the suburbs of Camperdown and Darlington on the southwestern outskirts of the Sydney CBD. Founded in 1850, it is the oldest university in Australia and Oceania...
Blackburn Building, Tea Gardens
Tea Gardens, New South Wales
Tea Gardens is a locality in the Great Lakes Council Local Government Area, located near the southern extremity of the Mid North Coast and the northern extremity of the Hunter Region in New South Wales, Australia....
Court House, Quirindi Courthouse, Lismore
Lismore, New South Wales
Lismore is a subtropical town in northeastern New South Wales, Australia. Lismore is the main population centre in the City of Lismore local government area. Lismore is a regional centre in the Northern Rivers region of the State.-History:...
District Works Office, and Lismore Police Station.
Smith retired in 1935 and died in 1965, aged 95 years.
Cobden Parkes 1935 - 1958
The youngest son of Sir Henry ParkesHenry Parkes
Sir Henry Parkes, GCMG was an Australian statesman, the "Father of Federation." As the earliest advocate of a Federal Council of the colonies of Australia, a precursor to the Federation of Australia, he was the most prominent of the Australian Founding Fathers.Parkes was described during his...
, Cobden Parkes had been employed in the Government Architect's Branch on the re-introduction of the cadet system in 1909. He enlisted in 1914 and, following a convalescence after the war, re-entered the office in 1920.
Cobden Parkes was the first Government Architect to be fully trained within the office. Prior to World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, Parkes fostered design changes in hospitals which continued in the expanded building program of the war years. Defence construction, including bomb shelters for public buildings was also a feature of this period.
In the decade of post-war recovery, the office used prefabricated aluminium buildings imported from Great Britain
Great Britain
Great Britain or Britain is an island situated to the northwest of Continental Europe. It is the ninth largest island in the world, and the largest European island, as well as the largest of the British Isles...
in the building of schools and hospitals. The range of public buildings broadened from the 1950s, with financial provision for a substantial increase in construction of educational institutions – universities and technological institutes and residential colleges – and in recreational and welfare buildings and markets.
Parkes retired in 1958, almost 50 years after his appointment to the Government Architect's Branch.
Edward Herbert (Ted) Farmer 1958 - 1973
Ted Farmer was born in 1909, educated at the University of MelbourneUniversity of Melbourne
The University of Melbourne is a public university located in Melbourne, Victoria. Founded in 1853, it is the second oldest university in Australia and the oldest in Victoria...
, joined the NSW Government Architect's Office in 1939, and was appointed Government Architect in 1958.
Under his leadership the work of the Government Architect's Office flourished, winning four Sulman Medals, two Blacket awards and one RIBA Bronze Medal
Royal Institute of British Architects
The Royal Institute of British Architects is a professional body for architects primarily in the United Kingdom, but also internationally.-History:...
. Farmer himself was awarded the RAIA Gold Medal in 1972.
Notable buildings from Farmer's 16 years as Government Architect, with Harry Rembert as Chief Design Architect, were St. Margaret’s Hospital Chapel and nurses’ home, the Chemistry School and new Fisher Library at the University of Sydney
University of Sydney
The University of Sydney is a public university located in Sydney, New South Wales. The main campus spreads across the suburbs of Camperdown and Darlington on the southwestern outskirts of the Sydney CBD. Founded in 1850, it is the oldest university in Australia and Oceania...
, the residential colleges at the University of NSW and the University of New England
University of New England, Australia
The University of New England is an Australian public university with approximately 18,000 higher education students. Its original and main campus is located in the city of Armidale in northern New South Wales....
, Belmont
Belmont, New South Wales
Belmont is a suburb in the Hunter Region of New South Wales, Australia, located 20 kilometres from Newcastle's central business district on the eastern side of Lake Macquarie and is part of the City of Lake Macquarie....
Primary School, Heathcote
Heathcote, New South Wales
Heathcote is a suburb, in southern Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Heathcote is located 36 km south of the Sydney central business district in the Sutherland Shire....
High School, Taree
Taree, New South Wales
Taree is a city on the Mid North Coast, New South Wales, Australia. Taree and nearby Cundletown were settled in 1831 by William Wynter. Since then Taree has grown to a population of around 20,000 people and is the centre of a significant agricultural district. It is 16 km from the sea coast,...
Technical College, and the Mona Vale
Mona Vale, New South Wales
Mona Vale is a suburb in northern Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. It is located 28 kilometres north of the Sydney central business district and is the administrative centre of the local government area of Pittwater Council. Mona Vale is also part of the Northern Beaches region.-...
Hospital. This was also the period in which the Sydney Opera House
Sydney Opera House
The Sydney Opera House is a multi-venue performing arts centre in the Australian city of Sydney. It was conceived and largely built by Danish architect Jørn Utzon, finally opening in 1973 after a long gestation starting with his competition-winning design in 1957...
was completed.
Under Farmer, restoration and heritage planning achieved prominence as a function of the Government Architect's Branch.
Peter Webber 1973 - 1974
When Geoffrey (Peter) Webber became Government Architect, the Department was rearranged in to six specialist sections; Schools, Health Buildings, Tertiary Education, Public Buildings, Special Projects and Services. The Special Projects section at this time was undertaking work at Taronga Park Zoo, Parliament House, Ryde Food School, the Art Gallery and Library of NSW.The Special Projects Section included a Historic Buildings Group and a Landscape Group. At this time the Government Architect’s Office was one of the largest architectural offices in Australia with a staff of 800 spread between Head Office and six District Offices throughout the state.
Peter Webber left the Government Architect’s Branch in 1974 to take up a position as full-time Commissioner in the New South Wales Planning and Environment Commission.
Charles Weatherburn 1974 - 1978
Charles Weatherburn’s career with the Government Architects Branch spanned almost 40 years. He joined the Department of Public Works in 1938 as an architect and up until the outbreak of World War 2 was involved in hospital design. Four years in the army was followed by service in Narrabi, 3 years as District Architect in Cootamundra, 8 years as Architect-in-Charge of the drawing office, Research Architect, executive assistant to the Government Architect, Assistant Government Architect, and finally Government Architect in 1974.Charles Weatherburn had a close involvement with the Opera House, and contributed to the successful completion of the project.
Other major projects he was associated with include the Institute of Technology, Goodsell Building, Mckell Building at Rawson Place, Parliament House, Westmead Hospital and an ever increasing and highly sophisticated schools and building program.
Ian Thomson 1978 - 1988
In the late 1980s the Government Architect's Branch became the Architectural Division of the Department of Public Works.John Whyte (Ian) Thomson was born in Lancashire in 1928. He moved to Sydney in 1960 and joined the Government Architects Branch of the Public Works Department in the same year.
From 1960 to 1965 he assisted in the design and documentation of the Fisher Library at the University of Sydney. In 1978 when Ian Thomson became Government Architect, he ushered in a period of unparalleled growth and building activity, which culminated in the completion of many projects for the 1988 Bicentennial Celebrations.
Work completed during this period includes: The Powerhouse Museum, Ballina Police Station, new Parliament House Sydney, the Western Plains Zoo, the Gardens Restaurant in the Royal Botanic Gardens, the Federation Pavilion at Centennial Park, the redesign of the foreshore areas at Circular Quay, the Macquarie Street upgrade, and a wide variety of conservation and heritage work.
In 1987 the Government Architects Branch, first named in 1890, was renamed the Architectural Division of the Public Works Department.
Ian Thomson retired as a Government Architect in 1988.
Lindsay Kelly 1988 - 1995
On 1st July 1988, Lindsay Kelly became the 20th Government Architect for New South Wales. Unlike many of the 19th century Civil and Colonial Architects, Linday Kelly brought to the position of Government Architect formal architectural qualifications of the highest order: - a first class honours degree in Architecture, a Master of Architecture and a Master of City Planning, as well as the 1984 Sulman Prize for the design of Parklea Prison.On 15th November 1991, the Minister for Public Works announced that Public Works had been entrusted with a new Government Services Charter. Under this Charter, new responsibilities were given to Division Heads, and the title of Government Architect was changed to “Director of Client Services and Government Architect” to reflect the new responsibilities.
Considering the tasks ahead. Linday has commented: “While responding to the commercial aims of Government my office will continue to provide a strong cultural dimension in Architecture.”
Chris Johnson 1995 - 2005
Chris Johnson oversaw the transformation of the office from a bureaucracy to an office run on a fully commercial basis.During his term as Government Architect, Johnson strengthened the profile of the role in the public perception. During the Olympic Games in Sydney in 2000 he established a design review panel and a design directorate to oversee the design and procurement of the public domain for Sydney Olympic Park and other significant projects.
A range of important projects were designed in the office, most noticeably the Conservatorium of Music (2002), the upgrade of Circular Quay (2002) and the upgrading of George Street and Railway Square (2000).
Another major achievement was the "Houses of the Future Exhibition" during the Year of the Built Environment (2004). Johnson retired as Government Architect in July 2005.
Peter Mould 2005 - Present
Following Johnson's retirement, Peter Mould acted as Government Architect and was appointed as the NSW Government Architect and General Manager of the Government Architect’s Office on 15 February 2006.Peter Mould has extensive experience in both the private and government sector and is well placed to work with government, industry and the design profession.
Peter is the 22nd Government Architect in NSW.
See also
- Edmund BlacketEdmund BlacketEdmund Thomas Blacket was an Australian architect, best known for his designs for the University of Sydney, St. Andrew's Cathedral, Sydney and St...
- Court houses in New South WalesCourt houses in New South WalesCourt houses in New South Wales were designed by the Colonial Architect, later known as the Government Architect.- Current role :Local Courts in New South Wales have jurisdiction to deal with:* most criminal and summary prosecutions...