Back to search results »

Back to search page »

675 Centre Road

Other Name East Bentleigh Hall & Former East Brighton Hall Location 675 Centre Road BENTLEIGH EAST, GLEN EIRA CITY Level Included in Heritage Overlay

[1/1] 675 Centre Rd Bentleigh,

Statement of Significance

The former East Brighton (later East Bentleigh) Public Hall is situated at no. 675 Centre Road, East Bentleigh and was built in 1895-96 by L.R. Phillips, councillor at the nearby Caulfield Shire, to a design of the Melbourne architects Blackwell and Dalton. It is historically important. It is historically important (Criterion A) as the oldest surviving community owned public facility in the district, having served initially as a public hall with additions since demolished presumably accommodating a library. Its ownership and usage show that it functioned in a manner of a Mechanics Institute, this place being a focal point for social activities and public meetings from its inception until the post war era. In this respect it directly recalls a now distant time when East Bentleigh was a community made up primarily of market gardeners. As an early surviving nineteenth century public building in the area, it is unique (Criterion B). This importance is demonstrated by the surviving hall and porch, now encompassed by later additions and which in themselves demonstrate the growth of the district sustained during the early post war period when the building continued as a community facility in its intended role.