This information below was first published in August 1993 by Box Hill City Council. Updated September 2000 by Whitehorse City Council. With thanks to the Box Hill Historical Society Inc. for photographs and information. For further information, please call the City of Whitehorse Service Centres on (03)9262 6333 .
A Brief History
Box Hill Town Hall is today an imposing landmark in the City of Whitehorse. The Town Hall is used for everything from community and charity events to citizenship ceremonies, trade shows and corporate seminars. But its beginnings were more humble.
The Town Hall's history began in 1872 when the Nunawading Road District (constituted in 1857) became the Shire of Nunawading. Back then, the fledgling Council would meet in private homes and even local hotels such as Delany's Royal Hotel and the famous White Horse Hotel.
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The First Buildings
In 1875, plans were approved for the Shire's first official meeting place, a 13 feet by 15 feet (4m x 4.5m) Shire Hall built of brick with a corrugated iron roof, on what was the former pound site for the City of Box Hill in Canterbury Road. The total cost for the project was 187 pounds and 10 shillings.
By the 1880's, Box Hill was becoming the centre of the Shire. Council resolved to build a new Shire Hall, with offices on the north-west corner of Cambridge and Station Streets, Box Hill.
The foundation stone for this building, pictured here, was laid in May 1889. The building featured a stylish Victorian edifice, complete with high gables crowned with cast iron. A second storey was added in 1921. But within a short time it was necessary to build a larger Town Hall on another site.
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A New Hall For A New City
When the borough of Box Hill was proclaimed a City on 28 April 1927, plans were started to build a new civic centre in keeping with its new status.
In 1928, with prudent forethought, Council acquired eight blocks of land in Whitehorse Road. But the Depression put a halt to any building plans. It was seen as the wrong time to build a grand style of building.
The plans for the new Town Hall were eventually announced in 1934. H.J.R Cole, the Town Clerk and F.W Kerr, the Shire Engineer, acting in an overall capacity, was the general designer. The official Council architect, J.C Aisbett, was in charge of the documentation. Cr Gawler was well qualified to take the lead in the design of the building as he was a prominent architect and a partner in the long-established architectural firm of Gawler and Drummond. Notably, he was the first Dean of the Faculty of Architecture, University of Melbourne.
The building tender was let to the Rispin Brothers for 40,424 pounds - well under the original estimate. The cost was low because the Depression had impacted on the cost of labour and materials.
In August 1934, twin foundation stones were laid. One of these was from the old Town Hall in Station Street. It was placed by ex-Cr John Ellingworth and the old time capsule which had been buried with it, containing newspapers of the day and similar mementos, was again buried. The other stone was laid by the Mayor, Cr Boyland.
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A Grand Opening
The Town Hall was officially opened with much pomp and ceremony on 15 April 1935, by the Governor of Victoria, Lord Huntingfield.
It was an impressive sight. The white rendering over the external bricks - called Snowcrete - created controversy and was a great disappointment to its designer, Cr Gawler, but the majority felt the white made it more imposing. The former Box Hill Council held its first meeting in the new Town Hall on 24 April 1935.
The Reporter of 19 April 1935, wrote: "Possessing a chaste beauty of appearance reminiscent of old Grecian architecture, Box Hill's new Town Hall opened on Monday last by his Excellency the Governor of Victoria, Lord Huntingfield, is a worthy monument to Victoria's Centenary. Further, this noble edifice symbolizes the progress achieved by our city." "Although the building might to some appear too ambitious, the council has erected a building which would be an object of pride to the citizens."
In fact, The Reporter estimate fell short. The Town Hall has now stood for over 65 years and is today a testimony to 1930s craftsmanship.
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Changes Over The Years
Despite a second floor addition in 1961 it became evident in the 1970s that there was not enough office space. In 1980, Council approved plans for the new administrative wing at the rear of the Town Hall and work commenced in February 1982. It was officially opened on 8 October 1983, by the Mayor, Cr B.A Walters. The colour and style of this wing was designed to complement the old world elegance of the Town Hall.
Following the proclamation of the City of Whitehorse in December 1994, it became apparent that the administrative space of the Town Hall was inadequate. The administrative functions of the City, therefore, were transferred to the Whitehorse Civic Centre in Nunawading in 1996 and the 1982 office extension to the rear of the Box Hill Town Hall was leased to a private organisation.
Box Hill Town Hall underwent it's most recent changes in 2006 with a $6.5 million upgrade. This new chapter in the building's history comes with an emphasis on community. The rear section of the building was returned to the hands of Whitehorse City Council and refurbished to house a new service centre plus a number of the City's community groups in the Town Hall Hub.
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Today
Today, the building still features as an imposing landmark on Whitehorse Road, one of the City's major east-west thoroughfares. It houses two main function halls, other rooms for hire, a resident service centre and the Art Space which allows display of works from the City art collection.
The architectural and historic qualities of the Box Hill Town Hall have been recognised with a listing on the National Trust Building Register and a Grade A classification in the City's Heritage Review. The Heritage Review describes the building as "an excellent example of austere Classical Revival design applied to a major, monumental public building. The facade has a simple portico with austere, classically inspired decoration. The coat of arms of the former City of Box Hill sits centrally in the plain parapet which is decorated with small acroteria. The windows are narrow, vertical strips with slightly recessed spandrel panels. The roof is concealed behind a very plain parapet. The Box Hill Town Hall is of outstanding aesthetic, historical and social significance"
Over seventy years on, the Box Hill Town Hall is still serving the community.
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Art Collection
When J.S Gawler retired from Council in 1951 he donated two nationally significant works by E. Phillips Fox, The harvest field (1905) and Autumn evening (1899), to the City. Although a portrait of the town clerk, John Richard Kefford, had been commissioned and paid for through public subscription in 1927, Gawler's donation of the Phillips Fox works marks the real beginning of the City art collection which now contains over 500 works.
The Phillips Fox paintings are representative of the plein-air painting movement which was prevalent among progressive painters in the late 19th Century.
From 1967-1977 the Town Clerk, Andrew Walls, made a number of purchases concentrating on works by the Box Hill Camp artists, Sir Arthur Streeton, Frederick McCubbin, Louis Bouvelot, Tom Humphries and Tom Roberts. The works were purchased to highlight the significance of this region in the development of Australian art. During that same period, the Collection was further developed with works from Box Hill Rotary Art Exhibitions.
In 1982, the Art Advisory Committee was established with the aim of the art collection playing a more prominent role in the cultural and educational life of the community.
From 1983, acquisitions for the Collection focused on contemporary art by mainly Victorian artists which reflected that avant garde spirit demonstrated by the Box Hill Camp Painters of 100 years ago. Many excellent contemporary works in the medium of photography, painting, ceramics, textiles, woodwork and printmaking were acquired, some by way of acquisitive prize.
Since 1991, the Collection has had a staff member dedicated to the Collection's development, care, exhibition and conservation. In 1998, the Art Space at the Box Hill Town Hall was opened to display the City's art collection and related exhibitions.
Whitehorse Art Space
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History Lives On
Recognising our heritage, rooms at the Town Hall are named to commemorate people and places:
Boyland Room
William Boyland served as Mayor and also as MLA for Nunawading and laid one of the foundation stones for the Town Hall. His wife, Ella, was President of the Box Hill Ladies Relief Society, which was active during the Depression in relieving cases of 'material distress'.
Esther Poelman Room
Esther Poelman (1923-2006) is well-known as becoming the first female councillor for the City of Box Hill and later the first female Mayor. At the time of her election to Council, Esther was practising as a pharmacist. She had married a Dutch soldier, Adrianus (Bob) Poelman, and had moved to Holland towards the end of the Second World War. They returned to Melbourne in 1948 and Esther enrolled at the Victorian College of Pharmacy, at a time when many places in the course were reserved for ex-service men and women. After qualifying, Esther had pharmacies in South Blackburn and North Blackburn and then from the early 1960s in Box Hill North.
In the early 1960s, there were six pharmacists with practices in Box Hill and together they started the Night Prescription Service in Station Street. Esther’s practice was in Trawool Street, Box Hill North, and she was later invited to join this Service as it expanded.
Esther’s career as a pharmacist spanned more than 30 years and, as well as serving as a Councillor from 1968-1977, she was involved in a number of volunteer organisations, including the RSPCA and as a radio newsreader. She was a noted public speaker, a keen gardener and loved music and the theatre.
Esther died in December 2006, aged 83. Acknowledgement: Collated by the Box Hill Historical Society using material from their archives.
Gawler Room
John Gawler served as Councillor for the City of Box Hill for 24 years during 1924 and 1951 and was Mayor between 1940-1941. Whilst working as the Lecturer in Charge of the Architecture Department at the University of Melbourne, he was commissioned by Council as the honorary architect for the design of the Box Hill Town Hall.
Kenneth McIntyre Room
Kenneth McIntyre was founder of the Box Hill Co-operative Housing Societies, Councillor 1947-1962, Mayor twice, involved in the establishment of the Box Hill Library and the Citizen's Committee for Community and Cultural Activities. He was awarded an OBE in 1962.
Matsudo Room
The City of Whitehorse has enjoyed a sister city relationship with Matsudo in Japan since 1971. Whitehorse Room Named after the famous White Horse whose ancestry dates back to 1853.
Whitehorse Room
Named after the famous White Horse whose ancestry dates back to 1853.
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