St. Arnaud RSL
Raglan Street (corner McMahon Street), ST ARNAUD, NORTHERN GRAMPIANS SHIRE
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Statement of Significance
The Liberty Hall building, north-west corner of Raglan and McMahon Streets, St. Arnaud, makes a significant architectural and visual contribution and is a landmark in the local area. Constructed in 1927 as the Princess Theatre, the building was used as a corset factory during World War Two and was purchased by the St. Arnaud Sub-branch of the R.S.L. in 1953 as Memorial Clubrooms. Externally, the building is largely intact.
The Liberty Hall building is architecturally significant at a LOCAL level. It demonstrates original design qualities of an interwar rudimentary Free Classical style. These qualities include the five bayed composition, two storey height, and the large central pedimented parapet flanked by unpainted brick piers with rendered corbelled tops and crowning orbs, and adorned with a timber flag pole and flanking narrow ventilators. Other intact qualities include the flanking solid and austere parapets, unpainted brick pilasters with corbelled tops (forming stylised capitals), rendered incised rectangular panels and rendered pedestals, red brick first floor wall construction punctuated by timber framed multi paned windows and small louvered (ventilation) windows, projecting cantilevered verandah with a shallow coffered soffit, plain brown brick ground floor wall construction accentuated by projecting pilasters, central double doorway with vertically boarded doors and steel framed windows.
The Liberty Hall building is historically significant at a LOCAL level. It is associated with early moving picture shows in the area, the Liberty Corset factory, a large employer of women during the second world war years and as a memorial and clubrooms of the local sub-branch of the RSL.
The Liberty Hall building is socially significant at a LOCAL level. It is recognised and highly valued by the St. Arnaud community for recreational and commemorative reasons.
Overall, the Liberty Hall building is of LOCAL significance.
RECOMMENDED LEVEL OF SIGNIFICANCE: LOCAL
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St. Arnaud RSL - Physical Description 1
The Liberty Hall building, north-west corner of Raglan and McMahon Streets, makes a significant architectural and visual contribution and forms a landmark in the local area.
The two storey, unpainted brick and render, interwar rudimentary Free Classical styled building is composed of five bays and has a large central pedimented parapet flanked by unpainted brick piers with rendered corbelled tops and crowning orbs. The pedimented parapet is adorned with a central timber flag pole and flanking narrow ventilators. The remainder of the parapet is solid, simple and austere. Below the parapet are unpainted brick pilasters with corbelled tops (forming stylised capitals), rendered incised rectangular panels and rendered pedestals. Each bay has red brick wall construction with timber framed multi paned windows and small louvered (ventilation) windows, except the narrow end bays which have only the louvered windows.
A dominant feature of the design is the projecting cantilevered verandah with its shallow coffered soffit. An introduced tubular steel balustrade forms a walkway over the central portion of the verandah, which is connected to a doorway that punctuates the central first floor window. The ground floor is denoted by the plain brown brick wall construction accentuated by the projecting pilasters, central double doorway with vertically boarded doors and steel framed windows.
The hall is substantially intact and retains its moulded plaster ceiling which was repainted in 1999 to pick out the foliage and flower patterns.
Veterans Description for Public
St. Arnaud RSL - Veterans Description for Public
The St. Arnaud RSL is located in the old Liberty Hall building on the north-west corner of Raglan and McMahon Streets. Formerly the Princess Theatre, during the Second World War the building was used as the Liberty Corset factory. In this capacity it was large local employer of women during the war years. After the war the building was known as Liberty Hall when purchased for the use of the Returned Servicemen's League (RSL) members of the St. Arnaud Sub-branch as a memorial and club rooms. The money for the purchase was supplied by the residents of St. Arnaud and district who "desired to mark their heartfelt appreciation of the gallant service rendered by those members in the wars of 1914 -18 and 1939-45." The plaque unveiling and official opening were performed on August 18, 1953 by the president of the St. Arnaud RSL Ladies Auxiliary Miss W. Engelmann and the RSL Vice President Mr A R Eva.
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: Local
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CROWN LAND OFFICEVictorian Heritage Register H1530
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ST ARNAUD RAILWAY STATIONVictorian Heritage Register H1594
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LORD NELSON TAILINGS DUMPVictorian Heritage Inventory
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