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COBURG PRIMARY SCHOOL NO. 484

Other Name

Infants' School and Shelter Shed

Location

81D BELL STREET, COBURG, MORELAND CITY

Level

Included in Heritage Overlay

Statement of Significance

The Coburg Primary School Infant School building is of architectural and historical significance to the State of Victoria. It was the first government school built on the American model of a large central hall with classrooms and offices arranged around and entered off it, a plan was prompted by a review of the education system which recommended changes from the earliest years of school.(2) Its architectural significance derives from the fine detailing and the incorporation of Australian motifs into interior joinery and external detailing.

The shelter shed built by the pupils' parents in the yard of the school is of local architectural significance. It is a particularly unusual example this building type, displaying a considered simplicity. Its significance is diminished by its siting - its pavilion-like form could be displayed more effectively were it not flush with a high cyclone wire boundary fence.
(2) The first private but less sophisticated example was the Wesleyan Methodist School, Fitzroy Street, St Kilda designed by Percy Oakden in 1888.

The Coburg Primary School landscape is of local interest for the number of mature palms and trees, which provide a contemporary setting to the major school building. The trees contribute to the heritage character of the surrounding precinct, which contains a number of other culturally significant landscapes and buildings. Furthermore, the locations of these plantings within the site contribute to the amenity value of the adjacent streetscapes.

Group