Primary School No. 1646
2 Charlton Road ST ARNAUD, NORTHERN GRAMPIANS SHIRE
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Statement of Significance
The St. Arnaud Primary School, 2 Charlton Road, St. Arnaud, makes a highly significant contribution to the local streetscape, with its large site adorned with exotic landscaping (including palm trees, open lawns and border hedge) and interwar Spanish Mission School built in 1927. Although extended over the years, the original design philosophy of engendering a southern Californian-like environment in architectural style and landscaping is still largely intact.
The St. Arnaud Primary School and site is aesthetically and architecturally significant at a STATE level. Both the site and school building demonstrate original design qualities of the interwar Spanish Mission style. These qualities include the longitudinal hipped roof form and arcaded loggia which traverse the site, together with minor hipped roof forms that project towards the street frontage. Other intact qualities include the central Dutch gable porch, which projects at the front; terracotta tile roof cladding; stuccoed brick wall construction with a single course brick plinth; narrow eaves; double timber framed, twelve paned double hung windows behind the central arcade; small timber framed six paned windows in the flanking projecting hips; timber and glazed doors; stuccoed brick chimneys with a course of unpainted bricks at their tops; and other decorative features - unpainted courses of brick voussoirs and keystone about the central archway, and the name "St. Arnaud School 1646" above. The four mature palm trees, several other mature exotic trees, mature border hedge at the front of the site and the lawn areas substantially contribute to the significance of the place.
The St. Arnaud Primary School building is historically significant at a LOCAL level. It is associated with the development of the St. Arnaud State School from 1927 until the present day. The building is also probably associated with Edwin Evan Smith, Chief Architect of the Public Works Department of Victoria.
The St. Arnaud Primary School building is socially significant at a LOCAL level. It is recognised and valued by the St. Arnaud community for educational reasons.
Overall, the St. Arnaud Primary School building, site and landscaping are of STATE significance.
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Primary School No. 1646 - Physical Description 1
The St. Arnaud Primary School No. 1646, Charlton Road, St. Arnaud, is set on a large site identified by an interwar Spanish Mission school building surrounded by an appropriate row of four palm trees, front mature hedge, other exotic trees and lawn areas reflecting a Californian oasis.
The single storey, stuccoed brick, interwar Spanish Mission styled School building is characterised by a longitudinal hipped roof form and arcaded loggia which traverses the site, together with minor hipped roof forms that project towards the street frontage. A central Dutch gable porch also projects towards the front. To the sides are more recent additions. The early hipped roof forms are clad in terracotta tiles. Narrow overhangs are a feature of the eaves. The double windows in the arcaded loggia have early timber frames, being twelve paned and double hung, with small timber framed six paned windows in the flanking projecting hips. The early doors are timber and glazed. Early stuccoed brick chimneys with a course of unpainted brick at the top adorn the roofline. A course of painted bricks form a plinth at the base of the building. Early decorative features of the design include the unpainted courses of brick voussoirs and keystone about the central archway, and the name "St. Arnaud School 1646" above.
In Peterson's Historic Government Schools: A Comparative Study the building is recommended for addition to the Victorian Heritage Register. The building is classified as a Classicising (1926-1934) due to its symmetrical layout.
Heritage Study and Grading
Northern Grampians - Shire of Northern Grampians - Stage 2 Heritage Study
Author: Wendy Jacobs, Vicki Johnson, David Rowe, Phil Taylor
Year: 2004
Grading: State
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Primary School No. 1646Northern Grampians Shire
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House, 10 Charlton Road, ST ARNAUDNorthern Grampians Shire
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