COURT OF APPEAL

The Court of Appeal, formerly the Supreme Court Annexe and the Crown Law Offices, was built in 1892-93 by the Public Works Department. It was designed by S E Bindley, the architect responsible for the Public Works Department central Melbourne area. The contractors were Swanson Brothers. The three storey plus basement brick structure is faced on the front and side elevations with Stawell stone. The floors are timber and the roof is clad in slate. The main facade is symmetrically arranged with three projecting bays, rising three storeys through a traditional arrangement of base, piano nobile and attic storey. The choice of the restrained Doric order of architecture lends some solemnity to the building. The interior includes a centrally placed octagonal hall which rises through all floors and is surmounted by a cupola and lantern light. Beneath the cupola is a circular gallery with cast iron balustrades. The building was renovated and restored in 1977 and was made an annexe to the Supreme Court to ease an accommodation crisis. The old library was removed and only the octagonal hall and staircase remain intact. A bridge connects the building with the Law Courts.

The Court of Appeal is of architectural and historical significance to the State of Victoria.

The Court of Appeal is architecturally significant as one of Melbourne's exceptional public buildings and it forms a close relationship with the neighbouring Law Courts. It is a fine example of the Public Works Department's work during the late Victorian period. The form and composition are typical of the principal public buildings erected in Victoria at that time, but the stone facades and elaborate roof gable motif are unusual and give the building extra quality and significance. The interior hall is notable for its fine quality finishes and cast iron balustrading. 

The Court of Appeal is historically significant as the home of the Crown Law Department and Attorney-General from 1893 to 1963. The department was headed by a succession of prominent lawyers and politicians. The building was also the home of the Licence Reduction Board from 1906. Since 1977 the building has been an annexe to the Supreme Court and continues to play an active role in the State's judicial system.