Williamstown Dressing Pavilion (Former)

The former Williamstown Dressing pavilion is of local historic, social and aesthetic significance to the City of Hobsons Bay. It is also of architectural significance to the State of Victoria.

Historically and socially, it demonstrates the continuing role of Williamstown as a regionally important recreational destination during the Interwar period. (AHC criteria A4 and G1)

Aesthetically, it is a rare, well designed and dynamic example of an Interwar pavilion in the European Modernist style. A local landmark, it makes a significant contribution to the historic Interwar character of the Esplanade foreshore area. (AHC criteria B2, E1 and F1)

Note: Included on the Victorian Heritage Register as VHR H927.

Heritage Victoria describes the significance of the pavilion as follows:

The Williamstown Dressing Pavilion, constructed in 1936, is architecturally significant at the State level as an extraordinarily strong dynamic and early example of European modernism applied to the design of a pavilion by then relatively unknown architects Arnold Bridge and Alan Bogle. The design wields influences emerging as a new design ethic from Europe brought back to Melbourne by young architects who translated steel, concrete and glass into a new building style. The Williamstown Dressing pavilion is an overtly Modernist building with a design lineage reaching back to the Stijl Movement based in Holland. The Williamstown Dressing Pavilion is architecturally significant as a structure which brought a large number of people in contact with architectural modernism.

Group

Recreation and Entertainment

Category

Other - Recreation & Entertainment