ALBERT PARK PRIMARY SCHOOL

Albert Park Primary School, including the 1874 Gothic building designed by Joseph Schneider and the 1890 Wesleyan church building.

Albert Park Primary School is of historical and architecturalsignificance to the State of Victoria. It satisfies the following criterion for inclusion in the Victorian Heritage Register: 

Criterion A
Importance to the course, or pattern, of Victoria’s cultural history.

Importance in demonstrating the principal characteristics of a class of cultural places and objects 

 

Albert Park Primary School is historically significant as a demonstration of the development of state schooling in Victoria. The 1874 school building is based on a standard design, one of several produced as part of an 1873 competition held by the new Department of Education. It has a direct association with the extensive school building program across the colony in the 1870s. The current use of the 1890 Wesleyan Church as a school building reflects the historic use of church facilities by the school, which have been recorded as early as 1886. This highlights a common practice of state schools in the late 1800s, as the Education Department rented community facilities to accommodate a large student population. 

 

Albert Park Primary School is architecturally significant as a pivotal example of a ‘competition school’ produced as part of an 1873 competition held by the newly formed Department of Education. Its symmetrical design is particularly unusual for its length. Unlike other competition schools, Albert Park Primary School is a unique design which was not reused for other schools.