Maitland Town Hall

Town hall in New South Wales, Australia

Maitland Town Hall

Location| High Street, Maitland, City of Maitland, New South Wales, Australia
Coordinates| 32°44′15″S 151°33′38″E﻿ / ﻿32.7376°S 151.5606°E﻿ / -32.7376; 151.5606
Owner| Maitland City Council

New South Wales Heritage Register

Official name| Maitland Town Hall & adj Office Building & Supper Room
Type| state heritage (built)
Designated| 2 April 1999
Reference no.| 183
Type| Hall Town Hall
Category| Community Facilities

Location of Maitland Town Hall in New South Wales

Maitland Town Hall (historically known as the West Maitland Town Hall) is a heritage-listed town hall at High Street, Maitland, City of Maitland, New South Wales, Australia. It was built in 1888–90. The property is owned by Maitland City Council. It was added to the New South Wales State Heritage Register on 2 April 1999.[1]

## History[edit]

The town hall project was initiated by the then-West Maitland Borough Council.[2] The foundation stone for the town hall was laid on 26 January 1888, and it formally opened on 28 February 1890. It was designed by local architects Lee and Scobie, who beat out prominent local architect John W. Pender in a design competition, and built by Henry Noad. The total cost of the building, including lighting and furnishings, came to "nearly £7000".[3][4]

Australia's first prime minister, Edmund Barton, opened his government's campaign for the inaugural 1901 federal election at the West Maitland Town Hall on 17 January 1901. He was elected unopposed to the Division of Hunter, which included Maitland.[5]

The building underwent major extensions in 1934 at a cost of £10,000.[6] It included new offices, a new supper room/small dance hall, new larger stage in the auditorium and new dressing rooms.[7] Part of the extension was funded by loans from the Unemployment Relief Council as a Great Depression relief measure.[8]

It underwent a $2 million refurbishment in 2015-16, including lighting, audiovisual and air conditioning upgrades, stage rigging replacement, acoustic wall treatments, preservation works to the original sprung floor and painting the auditorium interior.[9][10]

In 2021 construction commenced on upgrades to the town hall as part of the new administration centre to the eastern side of the building. Works planned as part of the upgrades include new back stage change rooms, new bathrooms, a new hallway between the supper room and main hall, upgrades to supper hall and kitchen, and a new loading dock to the southern side of the building. Construction is expected to be completed in late 2022.

## Description[edit]

The building is designed in the Victorian Classical style. It features a symmetrical facade with a central tower and Corinthian columns supporting pediments over the ground floor windows, with elaborate classical detail in Corinthian pilasters, string courses and pediments.[11]

The City of Maitland describes it as a "good example of Victorian civic architecture in Classical style", an "important landmark in High Street and contributor to the unique townscape of Central Maitland".[11]

## Heritage listing[edit]

Maitland Town Hall is significant within New South Wales as a representative of nineteenth-century civic centres with grand architectural forms. This town hall's Victorian Architecture is impressive in its High Street streetscape and intact state. The tower makes the town hall a local landmark and reinforces the role of High Street as the dominant thoroughfare of the town. The town hall is the best example of its type within the Upper Hunter region, and comparable to other regional town halls of the 1880s Boom period. It is of regional significance for demonstrating the growth, prosperity and regional importance of West Maitland from the 1880s. The continuation of the original council chamber functions provides evidence for the civic stability of Maitland and has associations with key events and people in Maitland's municipal history. The town hall has important associations with the cultural life of West Maitland and wider region as a venue for performers and focal point for community events.[1]

Maitland Town Hall was listed on the New South Wales State Heritage Register on 2 April 1999.[1]

## See also[edit]

* New South Wales portal

## References[edit]

1. ^ a b c "Maitland Town Hall & adj Office Building & Supper Room". New South Wales State Heritage Register. Department of Planning & Environment. H00183. Retrieved 1 June 2018. Text is licensed by State of New South Wales (Department of Planning and Environment) under CC-BY 4.0 licence.
2. ^ "WEST MAITLAND TOWN-HALL". The Daily Telegraph. No. 2592\. New South Wales, Australia. 7 November 1887. p. 4. Retrieved 8 August 2018 - via National Library of Australia.
3. ^ "West Maitland Town Hall". The Evening News. No. 7105\. New South Wales, Australia. 1 March 1890. p. 5. Retrieved 8 August 2018 - via National Library of Australia.
4. ^ "The West Maitland Town Hall". The Sydney Mail and New South Wales Advertiser. Vol. XLIX, no. 1555\. New South Wales, Australia. 26 April 1890. p. 920. Retrieved 8 August 2018 - via National Library of Australia.
5. ^ "Elections". Australia's Prime Minister. National Archives of Australia. Retrieved 3 January 2020.
6. ^ "WEST MAITLAND TOWN HALL". The Newcastle Sun. No. 5270\. New South Wales, Australia. 1 November 1934. p. 12. Retrieved 8 August 2018 - via National Library of Australia.
7. ^ "TOWN HALL". The Maitland Daily Mercury. No. 19, 621. New South Wales, Australia. 27 February 1934. p. 6. Retrieved 8 August 2018 - via National Library of Australia.
8. ^ "TOWN HALL IMPROVEMENTS". Newcastle Morning Herald and Miners' Advocate. No. 18, 078. New South Wales, Australia. 21 September 1934. p. 15. Retrieved 8 August 2018 - via National Library of Australia.
9. ^ "Refurbished Maitland Town Hall reopens". Maitland Mercury. 28 April 2016. Retrieved 8 August 2018.
10. ^ "Maitland Town Hall upgrade gets underway". Australian Broadcasting Corporation. 27 July 2015. Retrieved 8 August 2018.
11. ^ a b "Maitland Town Hall and adjacent office building and supper room". State Heritage Inventory. Office of Environment and Heritage. Retrieved 8 August 2018.

### Bibliography[edit]

* Heritas Architecture (2006). adapted from Maitland Town Hall Heritage Impact Statement.
* Jyoti Somerville Pty Ltd (February 2003) (2003). Maitland Town Hall - Conservation Management Plan.`{{cite book}}`: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
* Maitland - Hunter Valley (2013). "High Street Architecture Heritage Walk".
* Prof R Ian Jack in association with Jyoti Somerville (1999). Maitland Town Hall Historical Study.
* Tourism NSW (2007). "Maitland Heritage Walk (central precinct)".[permanent dead link]

### Attribution[edit]

This Wikipedia article was originally based on Maitland Town Hall & adj Office Building & Supper Room, entry number 00183 in the New South Wales State Heritage Register published by the State of New South Wales (Department of Planning and Environment) 2018 under CC-BY 4.0 licence, accessed on 1 June 2018.

## External links[edit]

Media related to Maitland Town Hall at Wikimedia Commons