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Liberty Hall (former Princess Theatre), 6 Raglan Street, ST ARNAUD

Other Name

Princess Theatre

Location

6 Raglan Street ST ARNAUD, NORTHERN GRAMPIANS SHIRE

Level

Recommended for Heritage Overlay

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111776 SD 235

Statement of Significance

The Liberty Hall building, 6 Raglan Street, St. Arnaud, makes a significant architectural and visual contribution and is a landmark in the local area. Constructed in 1927 as the Princess Theatre, the building was used as a corset factory during World War Two and was purchased by the St. Arnaud Sub-branch of the R.S.L. in 1953 as Memorial Clubrooms. Externally, the building is largely intact.

The Liberty Hall building is architecturally significant at a LOCAL level. It demonstrates original design qualities of an interwar rudimentary Free Classical style. These qualities include the five bayed composition, two storey height, and the large central pedimented parapet flanked by unpainted brick piers with rendered corbelled tops and crowning orbs, and adorned with a timber flag pole and flanking narrow ventilators. Other intact qualities include the flanking solid and austere parapets, unpainted brick pilasters with corbelled tops (forming stylised capitals), rendered incised rectangular panels and rendered pedestals, red brick first floor wall construction punctuated by timber framed multi paned windows and small louvered (ventilation) windows, projecting cantilevered verandah with a shallow coffered soffit, plain brown brick ground floor wall construction accentuated by projecting pilasters, central double doorway with vertically boarded doors and steel framed windows.

The Liberty Hall building is historically significant at a LOCAL level. It is associated with early moving picture shows in the area, the Liberty Corset factory, a large employer of women during the second world war years and as a memorial and clubrooms of the local sub-branch of the RSL.

The Liberty Hall building is socially significant at a LOCAL level. It is recognised and highly valued by the St. Arnaud community for recreational and commemorative reasons.

Overall, the Liberty Hall building is of LOCAL significance.

Group