Hay Street
Perth had its beginnings with on 12th August 1829. As the wife of Governor James Stirling was unable to make the journey to the new colony, Mrs Helen Dance, wife of the Captain of HMS Sulphur, performed the Foundation ceremony near where the Perth Town Hall now stands, with the attempted felling of a tree. During the ensuing weeks, John Septimus Roe, the Surveyor-General, laid out the street grid pattern for the City of Perth on a rise overlooking Perth Water, in accordance with instructions by Gov. Stirling.
Peth was given three parallel streets in each direction (parallel to the river, and north-south), the most northerly parallel street following the aforementioned line of swamps that would later be reclaimed for use by the railway. The parallel streets were named after Government officials in England - the Prime Minister, The Duke of Wellington; Sir George Murray (1772-1846), Secretary of State for War and the Colonies at the time; and Murray's Undersecretary, Robert William Hay (1786-1861). The main street north was Barrack Street. Murray and Hays Streets soon developed into Perth's main shopping streets, a role which they still play today. The main 'retail block' is between William and Barrack Streets. May Street within this block is a pedestrial mall. Hay Street continues west beyond the Central Business District through West Perth towards the suburb of Subiaco.
Cnr Hay and King Streets, Perth, WA.
Erected in the 1970s as the Australian office for the Flotto Lauro shipping line which, at the time, was doing a roaring trade bringing migrants from Europe to Australia. Custom built for the line, it features windows shaped to give the impression of portholes. They were originally painted aqua, which was the shipping line's livery.
1904 - His Majesty's Theatre, Cnr King and Hay Streets, Perth, WA
Purpose built as a theatre in 1904 for theatre promoter T.G.A. Molloy, it was Australia's first concrete and steel building. It was designed in the Federation Free Classical style by architect Adolph Wolfe and built by F.W. Leibe. In designing His Majesty s Theatre, Wolf followed the proven style of the nineteenth century theatres of England and Europe and created a horseshoe shape for seating within the auditorium which brought the audience closer to the stage and improved sightlines and sound.
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1937 - Plaza Arcade. 650 - 658 Hay Street, Hay Street, Perth WA
Designed by William G. Bennett in association with Melbourne s H. Vivian Taylor (Taylor & Soilleux), the facade of the theatre/arcade is narrow but dramatic, presenting a stylised skyscraper effect in classic art deco fashion. It opened a year in advance of the rival development of the Piccadilly Theatre and Arcade, located 60 metres further to the west on Hay Street. With the advent of the multi-screen central city and suburban complexes, the theatre was closed permanently in 1984, briefly becoming a youth disco.
The Plaza Arcade has 40 convenience based shops at the ground floor with the former cinema above. The arcade entrance at Hay and Murray Streets is located centrally within the facade, with a shop on either side. The facade of the building at Hay Street has been constructed in the Inter War Art Deco style. At first floor level the facade is divided into three bays, symmetrically composed around the dominant central bay. This bay is rendered. The flanking bays are painted brickwork.The shops below the canopy have been modernised.
1938 - Piccadilly Arcade and Cinema, 700-704 Hay Street, Perth, WA.
Piccadilly Arcade is an art deco style cinema and shopping arcade, designed by architect William T. Leighton for mining entrepreneur Claude de Bernales. The theatre and arcade opened in 1938, with the arcade connecting Hay Street through to Murray Street. At the time of its construction, the place was fitted out with the most modern features and was the first cinema in Western Australia to be air conditioned. The theatre and arcade feature a number of bas relief friezes of dancing girls and 'Atlas type' figures which were moulded by Perth sculptor Edward Kohler.
Criterion Hotel, Hay Street, Perth, WA.
A three storey brick building, with basement with Functionalist and Art Deco details. The historic significance of the site lies in its continuous use as a licensed public house since 1848. The Criterion Hotel, formerly the Regatta Hotel Complex, opened its doors on the 26th April 1996.
1937 - London Court, 647-653 Hay Street, Perth, WA.
A popular shopping location, comprising a three and four level open air arcade simulating an Elizabethan period shopping street. It originally had 53 shops, 55 offices and 24 flats. The richly detailed facade of the place and it's distinctive clocks are important tourist attractions. The building was constructed using quite modern building techniques for its time, and featured an air-conditioning system not previously seen in the state and a large restaurant for tenants and visitors in the basement level.
1867-70 - Perth Town Hall, Cnr Barrack and Hay Streets, Perth, WA.
Styled in Victorian Freestyle Gothic with Tudor finishes, Perth Town Hall was designed by Richard Jewell, a noted Western Australian colonial architect. It was from under its Tudor arches leading into the town market, which have since been removed, that many exploratory treks through outback Western Australia were commenced. The building is a rare Australian example of a 19th century town hall modelled on those of 14th century European market towns. Architects: Richard Roach Jewell and James Manning.
Trinity Building, 671 Hay Street, Perth, WA
This three storey Commercial Palazzo style building which faces Hay Street, is part of the Trinity Church group; it includes Trinity Church (1893) on St Georges Terrace. The latter buildings, which are included in the group, were built in 1926.
In 1981, a shopping arcade was developed, linking Trinity Church with Trinity Buildings in Hay Street and with St Georges Terrace. The redevelopment of the arcade provided a range of levels of pedestrian access that run along the eastern side of the Church buildings and provide courtyards and through ways for the public from which they can admire the architecture and avail themselves of the services the Church provides.
McNess Royal Arcade, 613-619 Hay St, Perth, WA
A distinguished example of Classical urban design from the gold boom period (1890s), a notable corner building and landmark which provides a lively contrast to the Town Hall opposite. This arcade is one of the finest in a central area noted for its arcades. It is a three storey brick structure with a parapet balustrade and projecting triangular pediments which accentuate the arched arcade openings. Apart from these elements the building has a regular pattern of fenestration which is enlivened by ornate stucco decoration. Internally the three storey arcade exhibits the same character as the exterior, apart from some unsympathetic shop fronts of recent times.
Savoy Hotel, 636-40 Hay Street, Perth, WA
A reminder of the 'grand hotels' of the Federation era; the Savoy is the culmination of the epoch of hotel building between 1880 and 1910. Its massive presence is relieved by wrought iron balconies overlooking the street, which provide an element of both gaiety and elegance. The Mansard roof with projecting dormer windows and chimneys in the gable ends reinforce the rather grand residential nature of the hotel in its commercial surroundings. The first floor dining rooms are impressively scaled.
Campbell House, 383 Hay Street, Perth, WA.
An unusual application of the 'Moderne' style to what was originally a three-storey shop with offices above. It features a V-shaped facade (windowless on the upper floors) which creates a novel street front courtyard.
Central Law Courts Building, Cnr Irwin and Hay Streets, Perth, WA.
A giant, ugly, sprawling, five storey building housing Western Australia's Criminal, Family and Local Law Courts. It was built in the early 1980s. Of the building, Cultural Planner Charles Landry has said: "This is the court building that says you are guilty before you've been proved innocent. It's really a disaster." A new District Courts building which is over the road from the Central Law Courts Building, has been built to a post-Moderne design.
1896-98 - Perth Mint, 310 Hay Street, Hill and Goderich Streets, East Perth, WA.
The Perth Mint was opened in 1899 as a branch of the Royal Mint, London, to refine the gold produced from the WA gold rush (1890-1910) and to mint gold coinage. The building was designed by George Temple Poole and was one of his last designs for the Public Works Department. It was built by Atkins and Law in 1896-98 for £22,199.
The complex, of Free Romanesque style, features Tamala limestone (some of which came from Rottnest Island), red brick and a rich roofscape of Marseilles tiles and corrugated iron cladding. The mint complex was essentially constructed in three stages with the office building and factory constructed in 1896. The Perth Mint is one of the oldest mints in the world believed to be still operating on its original site. It is the only mint in Australia with its original 19th century factory buildings for refining and coining still largely intact.
