St Georges Terrace


St George's Terrace is named after the Patron Saint of England, the son of noble Christian parents of Greek origin. He lived in the 3rd century and is among the most famous of Christian figures. Because of his widespread following, particularly in the Near East, and the many miracles attributed to him, George became universally recognized as a saint sometime after 900. St George's, a red cross on a white background, is the flag of England, and part of the British flag. St George's emblem was adopted by Richard The Lion Heart and brought to England in the 12th century.

It is believed that St Georges Terrace was originally to be called King George's Terrace, but King George IV was one of England's least liked and respected monarchs, so a compromise was reached. The main thoroughfare was named St George's Terrace and a smaller street at the western extremity of the town was called King Street. The reference to St George may have been made because New Town in Edinburgh, on which Perth's layout was based, featured George Street running through its centre. New Town's oblong shaped lanes which run off the streets parralel to George Street, were reproduced on the original plan for Perth, however Victoria Square is the only one to have survived.

When the streets of Perth were laid out, St Georges Terrace was positioned to run along the top of a ridge, where the short roads that descend southerly towards Perth Water all provide views of the Swan River, including Barrack Street, Sherwood Court, Howard Street, William Street, Mill Street, and Spring Street.

Set into the footpath along the street are a series of commemorative plaques honouring notable figures in Western Australia's history. Originally 150 plaques were installed in 1979, as part of the WAY '79 celebrations, marking the state's 150th year of European settlement. Since then, additional plaques have been added, so that there is now one for each year from 1829 to 1999.



When you look down St Georges Terrace towards Adelaide Terrace, you will notice that the two streets are not perfectly aligned (see above photo), and there is a slight twist at the eastern end of St George Terrace to make them meet. When Surveyor John Septimus Rowe was laying out the streets of Perth in 1830, St Georges Terrace was intended to stretch all the way from Mt Eliza to Heirisson Island.

Rowe employed two teams of surveyors working from opposite ends, surveying the street and surrounding lots, with the intention of meeting together in the middle to form one long, straight street. When they met up, they found a slight miscalulation, probably by Rowe, had occurred, and they were a full street's width out of alignment.

Rowe had to insert a slight twist at the eastern end of St Georges Terrace to make them meet. It has been suggested that, to cover up the mistake, Adelaide Terrace was thus named to give the impression that it was always intended to have been a different street, possibly on a slightly different alignmemt to St Georges Terrace. It is ironic that a statue of Roe, acknowledging his surveying work in the Swan River colony, has been erected where St Georges Terrace and Adelaide Terrace meet, the very place where he appears to have made a major slip-up!

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Government House


1859-1864 - Government House, St Georges Terrace, Perth, WA
Government House is home to the Governor of Western Australia, who is the Queens representative for the State of Western Australia. It has the appearance of a little bit of England dropped into the heart of Perth - a two storey mansion in the early Stuart or Jacobean Revival style set in 32,000 square metres of English gardens, between St. Georges Terrace and the Swan River. The unique architectural character of the building is characterised by the use of stonework and bonded brickwork, incorporating square mullioned windows, decorated gables and ogival capped turrets. The building has 16 rooms on the ground floor and 25 on the first floor.
Perth Concert Hall


1973 - Perth Concert Hall, St Georges Terrace, Perth, WA.
At the time of its construction, the Perth Concert Hall's design was a radical departure from anything else seen in Perth until that time. It paved the way for a number of buildings in this style, many of which were built within the vicinity of this building which would be far more radical and visually challenging. Perth Concert Hall is revered as the best fine music acoustics venue in Australia. Adding to the appeal of the 1,900 seat auditorium is a specially commissioned 3000-pipe organ surrounded by a 160-person choir gallery.
Council House


1961-62 - Council House, St Georges Terrace, Perth, WA.
Opened by Queen Elizabeth II on 25th March 1962, this building, which houses the offices of the Perth City Council, was one of the first of Perth skyscrapers to have walls of glass on all sides. The external T-forms were included to achieve a degree of thermal control without compromising the desired aesthetic of the building's transparent form. In the late 1960s the building was known as Tom's House, not only because of the T-shaped forms on its facades, but also because the Lord Mayor of Perth at the time was local millionaire grocer, Tom Wardle. In 2002, the interior was gutted and remodelled to remove asbestos used in its construction.
Western Australian Supreme Court


1902 - Western Australian Supreme Court, Barrack Street, between Stirling and Supreme Court Gardens, Perth, WA
Built at a cost of �65,000, the building was designed along Classical lines to represent the style of Italian Renaissance architecture in Perth but is regarded as Federation Academic Classical. The feature of the northern facade is the central portico of eight coupled Ionic columns supporting a pediment, 14 metres in height to the apex. The building was designed by Chief Architect of the Public Works Department 1897-1905, John Harry Grainger. Grainger designed a number of major buildings in Perth.

Western Australian materials were well represented in the elevations, including granite, Cottesloe stone, Rottnest stone and Donnybrook stone, as dressings to the main brickwork. The foundation stone was laid by the Governor Sir Arthur Lawley on June 2nd 1902. It was officially opened by the new Governor Sir Frederick Bedford on June 8th 1903. The building continues its function as the Supreme Court.

Citibank House


1960-62 - Citbank House (formerly T & G Building), 37 Georges terrace, Perth, WA.
This 68 m building was opened in 1962 as the T & G Building, and was the tallest building in Perth until 1970 when Hamersley House was opened. It underwent a major refurbishment in the 1980s which significantly altered the building's external features. The building adopted its current name when Citibank became its flagship tenant. As of December 2008, the tower was the 26th-tallest completed building in Perth. The site at the corner of St Georges Terrace and Barrack Street was occupied by hostelries from the colony's earliest days, and later housed the Weld Club. During the Western Australian gold rush in 1897, the Moir Building was constructed on the site. It later became the headquarters for the T & G Mutual Life Assurance Society and was renamed to the T & G Chambers.
Anzac House
Anzac House, 28 Georges terrace, Perth, WA.
The Returned and Services League of Australia (RSL) WA Branch has a proud tradition of serving current and former members of the Australian Defence Forces and its allies. The first WA Branch of the RSL was run from the Soldiers Institute. They moved into the original ANZAC House in 1934 but later surrendered the property to the Crown for the new Law Courts. The current ANZAC House was opened in 1981.

Allendale Square


1977 - Allendale Square, 77 St Georges Terrace, Perth, WA
The 31 storey (34 levels-132 metres high) Allendale Square was the first Late Moderne building to grace the city's skyline. When this iconic building was constructed, Allendale Square was Perth's tallest skyscraper. It was passed by St Martins Tower (140 metres) a year later. St Martins Tower held the title until 1988 when Bankwest Tower took over. The tower is set 45deg off St George's Terrace, in part to help break the wind tunnel effect created by the rows of skyscapers lining the Terrace. Each facade is stepped so window panels have north and south orientation only while solid panels face east and west. The roof of the lift motor room is designed as a helipad. At street level a transparent acrylic covered anodised aluminium space frame lines the tower with the low level buildings. The lightweight natural anodised aluminium cladding and solar glass windows are efficiently designed to cope with high wind, rain, thermal loads and seismic activity.

Trinity Church


Trinity Church, 72 Georges terrace, Perth, WA.
This is one of the older churches in Perth, with a very distinctive style of architecture. Built in the American Romanesque style, the church actually comprises four buildings: Trinity Hall (built 1865) the Schoolroom (built 1872), Trinity Church (built 1893) and the southern extension of Trinity Arcade (built 1981). On Sunday time your visit to enjoy one of the 'Singing in the City' choir performances at 12.30pm or 1.30pm. Take a stroll through the church and discover the church hidden behind the church. It was built in 1865 as the Trinity Congregational Chapel. Dsigned by Richard Roach Jewell, it hosted the first meeting of the Karrakatta Club in 1894.
Newspaper House


1933-34 - 125-131 St Georges Terrace, Perth, WA
Back in the days before the internet when newspapers were the major means of distributing news to the populace, Newspaper House was one of the most well known - and busiest - buildings in the city centre. It was the publishing house of the West Australian newspaper, and Perth's afternoon newspaper, The Daily News. Both newspapers were printed on site in the basement. Here, you could get the latest edition of either newspaper before it hit the streets; you could order and pick up photographs that had been published in the paper, and lodge your classified advertisement.
Old Perth Boys' School


1852 - Old Perth Boys' School, 139 St Georges Terrace, Perth, WA
Designed by the Colinial Secretary, William Sandford, in 1852, this building is a rare example of Early Gothic revival style in Perth and only of the few mid-nineteenth century colonial buildings left in the city block. Sandford was a deeply religious man, and a former member of the mysterious Cambridge Camden Society. The society was founded in 1839, by undergraduates from the Cambridge University in England. Their objective was to cultivate a high level of religious morality in society, by reviving the spiritual piety of the middle ages. This may explain why the school closely resembles a church.
Old Perth Technical School


1910 - 137 St Georges Terrace, Perth, WA
Adjacent to the Old Perth Boys School building, which had served as part of the school's former temporary premises since opening of classes there on 16 May 1900, Perth Technical School is a restrained and incomplete example of the Federation Free Medieval architectural style. Designed by government architect Hillson Beasley, this is one of the few examples of the style surviving in central Perth.
Kingsgate Apartments


1957 - MLC Building (former), 171-177 St Georges Tce, Perth, WA
This was the first high rise office building of steel frame, steel pan floors and curtain walls in Western Australia. Its architectural quality was recognised when it received the RIBA Bronze Medal in 1958. The construction was rigid steel frame with steel pan floors welded to the frame, fireproofed with light weight concrete. Externally the spandrels of the aluminium framed curtain wall were ribbed anodised aluminium alternating with blue grey toughened glass. All external windows were double glazed with heat resisting glass to the outer skin. Metal venetian blinds were installed between outer and inner glazing. The lift and stair tower was faced with grey ceramic tiles. The plan was a large open rectangular space for offices and a smaller rectangle accommodating all services, toilets, lift and stairs.

Forrest Centre


1990 - Forrest Centre, 221 St Georges Terrace, Perth, WA
The 30 floor Forest Centre, comprised of two office buildings, was built towards the end of the economic boom years of the late 20th century. The 110 metre high building's cladding is made from granite. The Forrest Centre contains a number of artworks commemorating its namesake, Alexander Forrest. Forrest was a great explorer, surveyor, politician and investor. Born 22 September 1849, the fourth of nine sons of William Forrest (a miller by trade) and Margaret Guthriew, he worked at his father s mill until 1868 when he advertised himself as a surveyor. In March 1879, accompanied by his brother Matthew and a team of six, Alexander began a six month exploration which resulted in the discovery and naming of the Kimberley district, the Margaret and Ord rivers, and the King Leopold ranges. Alexander finally led them safely through to the overland telegraph line near Daly waters. Alexander held the office of Mayor of Perth for six years (1892-95) and was unopposed for a second term 1897-1900. Architect: Robert Cann & Associates.

St George's Anglican Cathedral


1879-99 - St George's Anglican Cathedral, 38 St Georges Terrace, corner of Cathedral Avenue, Perth, WA
St George's Cathedral was built as a place of worship for the Perth Diocese of the Anglican Church. A Victorian Academic Gothic church embodying all the principal elements of the style, St George's Cathedral is a well executed piece of 19th century architecture, a subtly textured building by Edmund Blacket, a leading Australian practitioner of the Victorian Academic Gothic style of architecture. In 1878 a design for the new Cathedral was commissioned from William Wardell of Melbourne but his plans were rejected. Alternative plans from England were considered but the commission was finally given to Edmund Blacket who designed a modest but elegant Cathedral in the fashionable Victorian Academic Gothic style. In 1902, a square bell tower was designed by the WA architect, J. Talbot Hobbs and built at a cost of £1,129.
The Deanery


1850s - The Deanery, Cnr St Georges Terrace and Pier Streets, Perth, WA
The Deanery was built in the late 1850s as a residence and office for the first Dean of Perth, Reverend George Pownall. The Deanery is one of the few remaining houses of this period in Western Australia and is now used as offices for the Anglican Church. The site for the Deanery was formerly the site of the old Perth Gaol but the land was exchanged with the Crown, in July 1858, so that The Deanery could be built close to the Cathedral.

Former Central Government Offices Buildings


1874, 1877, 1887 - Government Offices and Treasury Buildings, Cnr St Georges Tce & Barrack Sts., Perth, WA
This handsome three storey building sited in a prominent down town location in Perth, facing Barrack St, Cathedral Avenue and St Georges Terrace, is the south wing of the Government Offices complex of four buildings in Central Perth. The bricks are handmade, and are laid in the variegated colour chequer pattern brickwork typical of the colonial period. Constructed in three stages, the design of the complex features tendured pilasters and baroque motifs, and demonstrates a blending of restrained Victorian ornamentation with late colonial era features.
Former Bankwest Tower


1985-1988 - Bankwest Tower, 108 St Georges Terrace, Perth, WA
The site of this 50-storey office tower was home to the Palace Hotel, and organised opposition was formed to try to save that building from demolition to make way for an office tower. The site was subsequently acquired by businessman Alan Bond and the tower was approved and constructed in a plan that would retain much of the Palace Hotel. The tower then remained the headquarters of Bond's companies until their collapse. The tower has also been the headquarters of Western Australia's state bank, BankWest, between its completion and 2012. The building measures 214 metres to its roof and 247 metres to the tip of its communications antenna. It was the tallest building in Perth from its completion in 1988 until 1992 when it was overtaken in height by Central Park. As of 2009, it remained the second-tallest building in the city.

Palace Hotel


1897 - Palace Hotel, Cnr St Georges Terrace and Barrack Street, Perth, WA
This corner was the site of the first licensed premises in Perth from the 1830s. Following this tradition, the then-opulent Palace Hotel opened on this corner in 1897 during the days of the Western Australian gold rush, and developed a "colourful" history, hosting numerous celebrities of the time. When it was announced in 1972 that the Commonwealth Bank planned to redevelop the site as high-rise offices, all hell broke loose During the 1950s and 1960s, many of Perth's older buildings had been demolished to make way for modern developments, which led to wide criticism of the Perth City Council for approving such redevelopments.
St Martins Centre


1976 - St Martins Tower, 40 St Georges Tce, Perth, WA
St Martins Tower comprises a modern 34 level office tower, basement car park, and adjoining retail arcade. The office tower consists of a basement car park, ground floor lobby, 32 upper levels of office accommodation and revolving restaurant (C restaurant), with a total net lettable area of approximately 21,470 square metres. The land comprises a total area of approximately 3,735 square metres. It is now part of St Martins Centre, which consists of St Martins Tower, National Australia Bank House and Dwyer Durack House, and the St Martins Arcade. C Restaurant is Western Australia's only revolving restaurant. Located in the heart of Perth's Central Business District, its circular revolving floor allows for 360 degree views of the city, the Perth metropolitan area, The Swan River, Kings Park, Rottnest Island and the Darling Ranges.

Former AMP Tower


1975 - Former AMP Building, 140 St Georges Terrace is a 30-storey skyscraper in Perth, WA
Opened in 1975, the 131-metre tower was known as the AMP Building or AMP Tower after its owner and former flagship tenant, AMP Limited, which financed its construction. The building became the tallest completed skyscraper in Perth in 1975, a title which it held only until 1976, when Allendale Square was opened. The base of the tower is located 15 metres above sea level, and the roof of the building rises 131 metres above the street below. The building has 28 office levels, in addition to the ground floor, basement levels and plant room.
Central Park


1988-1992 - 152-158 St Georges Terrace, Perth, WA Measuring 226 m from its base at St Georges Terrace to the roof, and 249 m to the tip of its communications mast, upon its completion in 1992, Central Park became the tallest building in Perth. It is also currently the ninth tallest building in Australia. The building is formed by a composite steel and concrete frame, with various setbacks in its profile, meaning the upper floors are much smaller in area than lower levels. The base of the building features a small park, for which the tower is named.
Jardine House


1956-58 - former SGIO building, 182-184 St Georges Terrace, Perth, WA
Perth experienced a flurry of highrise building construction in the late 1950s as many national companies, particularly those associated with finance and insurance, began updating their state offices around Australia. The plain-looking International style, which featured a curtain wall facade and little ornamentation, was at the time very popular, as much because of its cheapnest to build compared to more elaborately detailed styles. Such a building was 182 St Georges Terrace, which replaced a 2 storey shop. Completed within months of a similar sized and styled building across the road - the MLC building at 171-177 St Georges Terrace, the 11 storey (above ground) 40 metre high building was erected as the head of of the State Government Insurance Office (SGIO). Construction is a concrete encased steel frame with in-situ ribbed concrete floor beams. Bounding walls are of non-load bearing brickwork.
Mt Newman House


1971 - Mt Newman House, 200 St Georges Tce, Perth, WA The construction of Mt Newman House represented the first time in Perth that a facade of an historic old building was retained and used as a feature of a new high rise tower. The saved facade belonged to The Cloisters building, erected in 1881. The patterned, mellow tones of brickwork of The Cloisters was sensitively restored during the construction of the complex which has now been converted to offices.
Woodside Plaza


2003 - Woodside Plaza, 240 St Georges Tce, Perth, WA This 26-level high rise building was constructed as the head office for the petroleum giant, Woodside. The 46 000sqm Woodside Plaza is the largest office tower to be constructed in the Perth CBD since Central Park in 1992. Built at a cost of $250 million, it includes a 15 storey Stamford Plaza hotel on its north side. Height: 137 metres.

John Septimus Roe Statue


A statue of John septimus Roe (1797 - 1878), Western Austrlia's first Surveyor-General, stands on the corner of St Georges Terrace and Victoria Avenue. Roe laid out the streets of Perth.










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