Warringah Shire Hall | |
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![]() Warringah Shire Council 'Sanivans' outside the Shire Hall, 1954. Note the Mackellar County Council offices to the left. | |
General information | |
Type | Government town hall |
Architectural style | Inter-war Stripped Classical |
Address | 734 Pittwater Road |
Town or city | Brookvale, New South Wales |
Country | Australia |
Completed | 1923 |
Client | Warringah Shire Council |
Design and construction | |
Architect | Frederick Trenchard Smith Samuel Maisey |
Architecture firm | Trenchard Smith & Maisey (1923–1928) |
Main contractor | H. E. Jackson (1923) |
The Warringah Shire Hall was an Australian municipal town hall located on Pittwater Road opposite Robert Street in Brookvale, a suburb of the Northern Beaches of Sydney, New South Wales. Initially built in 1910 as a Federation bungalow, the complex was expanded with the addition of "Shire Hall" in 1912, the final form was completed in 1923 with the addition of a second floor to a design by Trenchard Smith and Maisey. The Shire Hall was the seat of Warringah Council from 1910 to 1973, when the council moved to a new purpose-built Civic Centre on further down Pittwater Road in Dee Why. The Shire Hall survived amid uncertainty over its future but was eventually sold and demolished in 1978.
When Warringah Shire Council was formed in 1906, the Council first met in the Narrabeen Progress Hall on 14 June 1906, before moving to Brookvale. [1] From March 1907 the Council leased "Smith's Hall" (later to be known as "Empire Hall") in West Street, Brookvale from Mr W. Smith to act as their council chambers. [2] On 26 February 1910, a more permanent chambers was built on Pittwater Road, facing the land that would soon become Brookvale Oval. The opening was conducted by Shire President Alexander Ralston and was attended by Dr. Richard Arthur, Member for Middle Harbour. [3] This first Council Chambers was a small Federation Bungalow style building which served both as council offices and the Shire Clerk's residence.
In July 1912 the council commissioned architect James Campbell to design and build a larger Shire Hall, also in the Federation style, next to the council chambers building for the sum of £945. [4] On 16 November 1912 the Shire Hall was officially opened by Shire President William Hews, with speeches on the occasion from Sir Granville Ryrie (Federal Member for Warringah), Dr. Richard Arthur MLA and Alderman Ellison Quirk. [5]
In 1923, the council commissioned the construction of a new Shire Hall to remodel the previous hall in a more modern style. The new Shire Hall was designed by Manly architects Frederick Trenchard Smith and Samuel Maisey (of the firm Trenchard Smith & Maisey) in an Inter-war Stripped Classical style with a much more imposing two-storey facade along Pittwater Road. Local builder H. E. Jackson was contracted for the construction of the new Shire Hall. [6] One notable feature of the new Shire Hall facade was the inclusion of two concrete Doric-style fluted columns. The alterations, which were completed in 1926, were also notable in that it was one of the last construction projects in the greater Sydney area to use shell lime mortar. [7]
The revival design was very similar to Trenchard Smith & Maisey's later work in designing the new Manly Town Hall (1937). In 1928 Trenchard Smith & Maisey were again contracted to design and build various extensions and additions to the existing Shire Hall, including the council public office next door. [8] [9] On 1 September 1951, the Mackellar County Council was established, consisting of three representatives from Warringah Shire and three from Manly Municipality, and its technical offices were located in this new extension on Pittwater road. [10]
By the late 1960s, council had recognised the inefficiencies of the Shire Hall and that it was far too small for the needs of the growing council and debate continued on the initiation of a new civic centre for the council. In December 1968, the Shire President Colin Huntingdon noted that "A new Shire Hall is so overdue it isn't funny. The staff are working in rabbit warrens which doesn't help efficiency." [11]
Brookvale remained the administrative centre for Warringah until 1971 when the council resolved to commence the construction of a new Civic Centre in Dee Why. When the council eventually moved to the Civic Centre in 1973, the Shire Hall in Brookvale was threatened with demolition in the mid-1970s. Despite some calls for the historic hall to be saved and be used as a community centre, their efforts were to no avail and the hall was demolished in late 1978. [12] [13]
The Northern Beaches is a region within Northern Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia, near the Pacific coast. This area extends south to the entrance of Port Jackson, west to Middle Harbour and north to the entrance of Broken Bay. The area was formerly inhabited by the Garigal or Caregal people in a region known as Guringai country.
Pittwater Council was a local government area on the Northern Beaches of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. It covered a region adjacent to the Tasman Sea about 30 kilometres (19 mi) north of the Sydney central business district. The area is named after Pittwater, the body of water adjacent to much of the area governed. First proclaimed in 1906 as the A Riding of Warringah Shire, the area was proclaimed as the Municipality of Pittwater on 1 May 1992. On 12 May 2016, the Minister for Local Government announced that Pittwater Council would be subsumed into the newly formed Northern Beaches Council. The last Mayor of Pittwater Council was Councillor Jacqui Townsend, an independent politician.
Warringah Council was a local government area in the northern beaches region of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. It was proclaimed on 7 March 1906 as the Warringah Shire Council, and became "Warringah Council" in 1993. In 1992, Pittwater Council was formed when the former A Riding of Warringah Shire voted to secede. From this point on until amalgamation, Warringah Council administered 152 square kilometres (59 sq mi) of land, including nine beaches and 14 kilometres (9 mi) of coastline. Prior to its abolition it contained 6,000 hectares of natural bushland and open space, with Narrabeen Lagoon marking Warringah's northern boundary and Manly Lagoon marking the southern boundary.
Dobroyd Head is a point or headland in the Northern Beaches local government area, in the suburb of Balgowlah Heights, New South Wales, Australia. It is part of the Sydney Harbour National Park, which contains examples of ecosystems at risk such as coastal heath. Tania Park is located to the immediate north-east, and contains the 2MWM 90.3 transmitter. There is a lookout sited on the headland named after Arabanoo, the first Aboriginal man to live among European settlers who was captured in Manly Cove in 1788.
Dee Why is a coastal suburb of northern Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia, 18 kilometres north-east of the Sydney central business district. It is the administrative centre of the local government area of Northern Beaches Council and, along with Brookvale, is considered to be the main centre of the Northern Beaches region.
Manly Council was a local government area on the northern beaches region of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, first incorporated in 1877. On 12 May 2016, the Minister for Local Government announced that Manly Council would be subsumed into the newly formed Northern Beaches Council. The last Mayor of Manly Council was Cr. Jean Hay, a member of the Liberal Party.
Brookvale Oval is a sporting ground located within Brookvale Park at Brookvale, New South Wales, Australia. The ground is owned by Northern Beaches Council and is primarily used by the Manly Warringah Sea Eagles rugby league team. Brookvale Oval has an approximate capacity of 21,000 people. By the end of the 2019 season, Brookvale had played host to 695 first grade premiership games.
Brookvale is a suburb of northern Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Brookvale is 16 kilometres north-east of the Sydney central business district, in the local government area of Northern Beaches Council. It is part of the Northern Beaches region.
Alexander John McTaggart is an Australian politician who was an independent member of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly for Pittwater between 2005 and 2007. At the time of his election, McTaggart was also the Mayor of Pittwater Council.
Oxford Falls Peace Park is a park in Oxford Falls, New South Wales, Australia, a suburb of Sydney.
The A8 is one of Sydney, Australia's metropolitan arterial routes, superseding Metroad 10. The A8 route runs for 23 kilometres from North Sydney to Mona Vale. The route includes parts of several different roads. The A8 designation replaced Metroad 10 during May 2013, much as the Metroad 10 route designation previously replaced the former State Route 14 designation in December 1998.
Julie Sutton JP is a former New South Wales politician and Marriage Celebrant, elected as a Councillor of Warringah Council and was previously Mayor of Warringah from 1995 to 1996 and 2002 to 2003.
Michael Regan is an Australian public servant and local government politician. He served as Mayor of Warringah Council from 13 September 2008, until May 2016 following its amalgamation into the newly proclaimed Northern Beaches Council. In September 2017, Regan was elected as the first Mayor of Northern Beaches Council.
Ellison Wentworth Quirk was a New South Wales politician, Alderman and member of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly, representing the electorate of Warringah from 1901 to 1904.
The Manly Town Hall is a landmark civic building in Manly, a suburb of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. The building is located at the junction of The Corso, Gilbert Street and Belgrave Street, opposite Manly ferry wharf. Designed in the Inter-war Stripped Classical style with Egyptian Revival style columns by Samuel Reginald Maisey, it replaced the previous town hall on the site, a Victorian Mansion built in 1879. The Town Hall was the seat of Manly Council from 1937 to 2016, when it became the site of the first meeting of the new Northern Beaches Council.
The Warringah Civic Centre is a landmark civic building in Dee Why, a suburb of Sydney. It stands in the centre of Dee Why, along Pittwater Road. Designed in the Brutalist style by Colin Madigan and Christopher Kringas, it replaced the Warringah Shire Hall, a 1923 building also on Pittwater Road but in Brookvale opposite Brookvale Oval. The Civic Centre was the seat of Warringah Council from its opening on 1 September 1973 to 12 May 2016, when it became a seat of the new Northern Beaches Council.
The Mackellar County Council (MCC) was a state–owned enterprise of the Government of New South Wales, Australia. Established in 1951, it was an electricity and gas supplier and retailer which primarily supplied the Northern Beaches area of Sydney, New South Wales, being jointly managed and operated by Manly Municipal Council and Warringah Shire Council.
The Northern Beaches Council is a local government area located in the Northern Beaches region of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. The Council was formed on 12 May 2016 after the amalgamation of Manly, Pittwater and Warringah Councils.
Jean Frances Hay is an Australian local government politician. She served as the Mayor of Manly Council from 1999 to 2004 and was the last mayor of Manly from 8 September 2008 to 12 May 2016, following Manly's amalgamation into the new Northern Beaches Council.