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State Government Offices

Location 2 Treasury Place,, EAST MELBOURNE VIC 3002 - Property No B0072 File Number B0072 Level Regional

[1/1] B0072 State Government Offices

Statement of Significance

The foundations for the State Government Offices were erected in 1859 to designs by the Public Works Department. The project lapsed until 1873 when Michael Egan won a competition for the superstructure. Egan's proposals were criticised for their plainness and he prepared new drawings with more elaborate decoration; these were completed in 1874. An additional floor was later added to the side wings.
These offices are one of Melbourne's exceptional nineteenth century buildings. They are the centrepiece of the city's finest streetscapes and form an ideal backdrop to the Treasury Gardens. Austere in plan and composition, their excellence stems from the fine quality of the beautifully proportioned mouldings which articulate the whole complex. The grandeur of the main entrance, with its doric loggia surmounted by the royal arms, is of special merit.
The buildings have suffered a little under several additions and alterations; lift installations spoil the entrance vestibule and the additional floor to the side wings, although sympathetic, destroys the original massing. The extension of the west wing on the north end does not spoil the effect of the buildings from Treasury Place.
Classified: 05/06/1958