The MacRobertson Girls' High School, designed by architect Norman H Seabrook and constructed in 1934, a Modernist multi-storey brick school building with a clock tower and paved courtyard.
How is it significant?
The MacRobertson Girls' High School is of architectural and historical significance to the State of Victoria.
Why is it significant?
The MacRobertson Girls' High School is of historical significance for its association with noted industrialist and philanthropist Sir MacPherson Robertson, who donated over £100,000 to the State of Victoria as a gesture of goodwill and thanks in the year of its centenary allowing for the establishment of the new school. The school is also of significance for its associations with its direct antecedents: the Model School in Spring Street; the Melbourne Continuation School, Victoria's first state secondary school, later renamed Melbourne High School; and Melbourne Girls' High School, the first single sex girls' state secondary school in Victoria. Each of these schools has played a notable part in the evolution of the state's education system, as has the MacRobertson Girls' High School. [Criterion A]
The Modernist design of MacRobertson Girls' High School, by architect Norman H Seabrook, was revolutionary in Victoria for its time. It was informed by Seabrook's firsthand knowledge of the work of leading contemporary Dutch architect Willem Dudok and his followers on the Continent and in Britain. MacRobertson Girls' High School was influential in the introduction of the Modernist modes of architecture and the growth in their acceptance in the 1930s in Victoria. The design of the school was refined in its conceptual clarity, its internal traffic efficiency, and skilful zoning of various educational activities. MacRobertson Girls' High School set a new standard for school architecture by the Public Works Department in subsequent decades under chief architect Percy Everett. [Criterion D]
The MacRobertson Girls' High School is of historical significance for its association with the notable and prolific architect Norman H Seabrook, who later co-founded the renowned Melbourne architectural firm Seabrook and Fildes. Seabrook has been recognised in subsequent decades as a significant and talented architect and a major figure in the evolution of twentieth century architecture in Victoria. [Criterion H]
