TEMPLER CHURCH HALL
3 WADI STREET BORONIA, KNOX CITY
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Statement of Significance
What is significant?
The Templer Church Hall, Boronia was constructed by members of the Temple Society of Australia in 1956-57. The walls of the simple building are built of concrete blocks manufactured by the society members and the gable roof is of corrugated asbestos cement sheets. The building has a bell tower, originally containing a bell presented by a sister community in Germany in the early 1960s, and small attached schoolroom-cum-clubroom. The bell has since been removed to Temple Society's Bayswater site. A long skillion roofed structure housing a nine-pin skittle alley has been added at the rear of the building.
The Temple Society of Australia is an independent Protestant Christian Society formed in 1950. It derives from the first Temple Society founded by Christoph Hoffmann in south-west Germany in 1861. During the second half of the nineteenth century the German Templers settled in the Holy Land. They were interned in Palestine at the outbreak of the Second World War, and in 1941 over 500 German Templers were transported to Australia where internment continued in north west Victoria until the end of the war. The Templers' worship is congregationally, rather than pastor led, and their church buildings are also used for social events as well as worship -hence the name Church Hall.
How is it significant?
The Templer Church Hall is of historical, architectural and social importance to the state of Victoria.
Why is it significant?
The Templer Church Hall is historically important for its connection with the Templer Society, one of the smaller religious groups in Australia. It demonstrates the way of life of one of the many refugee ethnic communities established throughout Victoria following the Second World War, and illustrates the role that diverse cultural communities played in the post war growth of the state and the development of a unified multi-cultural society.
The Templer Church Hall is architecturally important as a local interpretation of the simple architectural style adopted by the farming communes of Palestine from whence the builders/congregation came. It is the first of the small number of buildings built by the Templer Society in Australia, and is a fine example of a post-war building built by the immigrant congregation itself.
The Templer Church Hall is socially important as an early focus of one of the very small religious groups in Australia. Since its construction the building has been an important religious and social centre for the thriving German community in Melbourne's south-eastern suburbs. The European skittle alley is a rare example of a recreational and social facility attached to a religious building, and reflects the ethnic background of the Templers.
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TEMPLER CHURCH HALL - Permit Exemptions
General Exemptions:General exemptions apply to all places and objects included in the Victorian Heritage Register (VHR). General exemptions have been designed to allow everyday activities, maintenance and changes to your property, which don’t harm its cultural heritage significance, to proceed without the need to obtain approvals under the Heritage Act 2017.Places of worship: In some circumstances, you can alter a place of worship to accommodate religious practices without a permit, but you must notify the Executive Director of Heritage Victoria before you start the works or activities at least 20 business days before the works or activities are to commence.Subdivision/consolidation: Permit exemptions exist for some subdivisions and consolidations. If the subdivision or consolidation is in accordance with a planning permit granted under Part 4 of the Planning and Environment Act 1987 and the application for the planning permit was referred to the Executive Director of Heritage Victoria as a determining referral authority, a permit is not required.Specific exemptions may also apply to your registered place or object. If applicable, these are listed below. Specific exemptions are tailored to the conservation and management needs of an individual registered place or object and set out works and activities that are exempt from the requirements of a permit. Specific exemptions prevail if they conflict with general exemptions. Find out more about heritage permit exemptions here.Specific Exemptions:General Conditions: 1. All exempted alterations are to be planned and carried out in a manner which prevents damage to the fabric of the registered place or object. General Conditions: 2. Should it become apparent during further inspection or the carrying out of alterations that original or previously hidden or inaccessible details of the place or object are revealed which relate to the significance of the place or object, then the exemption covering such alteration shall cease and the Executive Director shall be notified as soon as possible. General Conditions: 3. If there is a conservation policy and plan approved by the Executive Director, all works shall be in accordance with it. General Conditions: 4. Nothing in this declaration prevents the Executive Director from amending or rescinding all or any of the permit exemptions. General Conditions: 5. Nothing in this declaration exempts owners or their agents from the responsibility to seek relevant planning or building permits from the responsible authority where applicable. Landscape:
The re-planting of plant species to conserve the existing landscape character.
Management of trees in accordance with Australian Standard AS 4373 Pruning of Amenity Trees.
Repairs, conservation and maintenance to hard landscaping elements, paths, edgings, fences, gates.
Installation, removal and replacement of garden watering and drainage systems.
The process of gardening, mowing, mulching, bedding displays, removal of dead plants, disease and weed control, emergency and safety works. Exterior:
Repairs and maintenance which replace like with like.
Painting of previously painted surfaces in the same colour.
Temporary securing of the building structure and fabric to make the place safe.
Installation of security lighting and alarm systems.
Removal of non-original additions such as pipework, wiring, antennae and making good. Interior:
Decoration of previously decorated walls and ceilings, provided that preparation does not remove evidence of the original paint or decorative scheme.
Removal of paint from originally unpainted or oiled joinery, doors, architraves, skirtings
Installation, removal or replacement of carpets and/or flexible floor coverings.
Installation, removal or replacement of curtain rods, blinds and other window dressings.
Installation , removal or replacement of devices for hanging, mirrors, paintings and wall mounted artworks.
Installation, removal or replacement of electrical wiring provided that all new wiring is fully concealed.
Installation, removal or replacement of smoke detectors.TEMPLER CHURCH HALL - Permit Exemption Policy
The significance of the place lies in the intact and unaltered form and detailing of the church hall, its belltower, attached front school/club room, and the later skittle alley added at the rear. These elements should be conserved and only minimal alterations should be allowed. Internal subdivision of the church hall would not be appropriate. All works should be undertaken so that original materials are preserved as long as possible and the design remains unchanged. Repairs should match original work in every detail and wherever possible retain the original material rather than replace it. There is nothing intrinsically significant about the ancillary areas between the rear of the hall stage and the skittle alley.The bell has already been moved to the Society's Bayswater site, a move which is in keeping with its special significance to the Temple Society.
The registered land provides a context for the buildings. Although the landscape elements (eg. front fence, signage, trees and paths) have not been itemised in detail in the extent, they are considered to be included in the registration as part of the registered land. Permit applications will be required for alterations to any of these elements, apart from a range of maintenance works covered by the exemptions.
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TEMPLER CHURCH HALLVictorian Heritage Register H1992
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