Dundas Shire Offices & Hall (third)

Dundas Shire Offices and Hall (third)
Market Place

The Dundas Shire Offices and Hall are of regional significance for its architectural interest and for its historical associations with the Dundas Shire, which, like the Hamilton township, was originally part of the Portland Road District and then the Dundas Road District. The Dundas Road Board was proclaimed in 1857. ([i]) The first offices, designed by J S Jenkins, were opened in 1864 on the reserve at the corner of Pope and Dryden Streets but these were burnt down in 1876. ([ii]) The replacement built by the insurance company was condemned by the Board of Health in 1890. Its replacement was built in 1892, ([iii]) at a time when most of Victoria and certainly Melbourne was suffering from a grievous depression. The building has been much altered. The foundation stone of the third hall, designed by the Shire's Engineer, J d'A Moynan, was laid 2 June 1892. Moynan was Shire Engineer from 1888- 1901. ([iv])

The building is an interesting exercise in the fashionable Queen Ann style and uses all of the usual forms, materials and devices. Of particular interest are the pressed and glazed tiles in the pair of prominent gables, the timber detiling of the porch, and an early use of pressed metal over the bay windows simulating shingles. The cast iron newel posts are oversized, another typical trend at this time. Rather old fashioned is the polychrome brick detailing at the rear. The building, almost certainly influenced by illustrated books or journals from England, may have been designed "in house". It shows a special sophistication remarkable for the time and the place. It survives significantly intact and in excellent condition. With its siting it is an important contributor to the streetscape.