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Primary School No. 1646

Location

2 Charlton Road ST ARNAUD, NORTHERN GRAMPIANS SHIRE

Level

Recommended for VHR

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.

Group

Education

Category

School - State (public)