PRESTON POLICE STATION

How is it significant?
The Preston Police Station is historically and aesthetically significant to Darebin City.

Why is itsignificant?
It is historically significant (Criterion A) as the centre of policing in Preston since c.1931 and as one of the public buildings in the precinct of public buildings at Preston which has its origins in the purchase of land for the former town hall complex in 1885. By adding to the collection of public buildings it underscores Government's once common practice of establishing groups of public buildings and thereby helping to establish the identity of townships and municipalities.

It is aesthetically important (Criterion E) as a representative Classical Revival design for a police station characteristic of the Inter War period and demonstrating the conservativism of the years leading up to the acceptance of Modemism during the mid to late 1930s. It parallels contemporary Federal Government practice for the design of post offices as well as State Government designs for schools and drill halls. The attention to brickwork detail seen in this building was a characteristic of the work of the Public Works Department, seen especially in the work of the chief architect Percy Everett. Importantly, the Classical Revival Style of this building re-iterates that of the much earlier town hall complex and later additions which have consistently used the same style until recent times, thereby enhancing the presence of this historic style in the immediate environs of the municipal buildings.

Group

Law Enforcement

Category

Police station