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Former Ballarat Post Office

Other Name University of Ballarat Arts Campus Location 2 Lydiard Street and Cnr Sturt Street,, BALLARAT CENTRAL VIC 3350 - Property No B0289 File Number B0289 Level State

Statement of Significance

This is the third Post Office constructed on or near this site. This building was designed by the Public Works Department in two stages. The principal building facing Sturt Street was opened on 28 November 1864. The Lydiard Street section, (formerly Public Offices and Tower was commenced in 1885)
Subsequent alterations have occured: the colonade on the south facade was filled in by 1912 and the ramps to the central entrance changed to two ramps serving the two end openings, which were also modified.
The building is constructed in two sections. The earlier Sturt Street building of 1864 is an Italianate Composition with arcuated windows to the upper floor. The hipped roof is broken by a series of projecting cylindrical roof vents. This design is echoed in the later Lydiard Street section of 1885 which includes a carraigeway entrance with the tower above. The tower introduces other design elements, particularly the Northern European Renaissance dormer windows and roof. The building is generally intact with the exception of the removal of the slate and iron ridging from the roof, the various alterations to the Sturt Street facade and the unsympathetic paint work. The building is important as a complex designed by the Public Works Department and is a major streetscape element in an important location.
Classified: 11/12/1956
Revised: 03/08/1998