Recommendation of the Executive Director and assessment of ...heritagecouncil.vic.gov.au/wp-content/uploads/2019/... · The Footscray Psychiatric Centre has a clear association with

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Name: Footscray Psychiatric Centre Hermes Number: 199432

Recommendation of the Executive Director and assessment of cultural heritage significance under Part 3, Division 3 of the Heritage Act 2017

Name Footscray Psychiatric Centre Location 160 Gordon Street, Footscray, City of Maribyrnong Provisional VHR Number PROV H2395 Provisional VHR Category Registered Place Hermes Number 199432 Existing Heritage Overlay No Heritage Overlay

Footscray Psychiatric Centre (June, 2019)

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR RECOMMENDATION TO THE HERITAGE COUNCIL:

• That the Footscray Psychiatric Centre be included as a Registered Place in the Victorian Heritage Register under the Heritage Act 2017 [Section 37(1)(a)].

STEVEN AVERY Executive Director Recommendation Date: 15 July 2019 Advertising Period: 19 July 2019 – 16 September 2019

This recommendation report has been issued by the Executive Director, Heritage Victoria under s.37 of the Heritage Act 2017. It has not been considered or endorsed by the Heritage Council of Victoria.

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EXTENT OF NOMINATION Date that the nomination was accepted by the Executive Director 26 April 2019. Written extent of nomination All of the building known as the Footscray Psychiatric Centre marker B1, and land L1, from the street boundary on Gordon Street, south boundary of the attached carpark, the west boundary as shown, and the north side of the hospital access road. Nomination extent diagram

Is the extent of nomination the same as the recommended extent? Yes.

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RECOMMENDED REGISTRATION All of the place shown hatched on Diagram 2395 encompassing part of Lot 1 on Title Plan 11529, part of Lot 1 on Title Plan 242851 and part of Crown Allotments 7B and 7C, Section 15, Parish of Cut Paw Paw.

The recommended extent of registration of the Footscray Psychiatric Centre in the Victorian Heritage Register affects the whole place shown on Diagram 2395 including the building (exterior and interiors), land, trees, paving, ramps and landscaping. The registration also includes all fixtures attached to the building at the time of registration.

RATIONALE FOR EXTENT The proposed extent includes all of the Footscray Psychiatric Centre building, its associated hard and soft landscaping and sufficient surrounding land to adequately understand and protect the building.

AERIAL PHOTO OF THE PLACE SHOWING PROPOSED REGISTRATION

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BACKGROUND WHAT IS AT THE PLACE? The Footscray Psychiatric Centre is located on the Footscray Hospital site at 160 Gordon Street in the Melbourne suburb of Footscray. The building lies to the east of the hospital site, adjacent to the main hospital entrance and close to Gordon Street. It is surrounded by car parking and plantings of mature trees. It is a freestanding, four-storey building plus a basement constructed to a rectangular plan in the Brutalist style. Constructed largely of concrete, much with carefully considered textured detail, each elevation is broadly similar, with projecting concrete panels flanked by narrow vertical windows at each level. Services and stairwells are contained within projecting vertical shafts angled at roof level. The western elevation contains the main entrance, the southern elevation includes a c.1990s porch and entry while the eastern elevation contains a ramped vehicle entrance to the basement. Internally, residential rooms of various sizes, therapy rooms, shared bathrooms and communal spaces open off hallways around a central lift well.

WHAT IS THE HISTORY OF THE PLACE? From the 1950s, changes in the understanding of mental illness, development of new treatments and related public policy shifts emerged in Victoria. This phase, which became known as deinstitutionalisation, saw the rapid reduction of resident populations in large psychiatric hospitals, many of which had been established in the nineteenth century. The Footscray Psychiatric Centre was one of a series of community mental health facilities built in Victoria between the 1960s and 1980s. Planned as an early treatment centre, a design for the building emerged from the Victorian Public Works Department in the early 1970s. Construction began in 1974 and was largely completed by late 1976 but the facility did not commence operation until late 1977 with the opening of an outpatient clinic and community mental health service. Alterations and additions were made in the early 1990s, largely to the ground floor where the interior was updated, and a porch added to the south elevation. Beds were closed in the facility from 1993 and the building ceased to function as a psychiatric centre in 1996. It is currently used for storage by Western Hospital.

WHO ARE THE TRADITIONAL OWNERS/REGISTERED ABORIGINAL PARTY(IES) FOR THIS PLACE? There is currently no Registered Aboriginal Party for this area.

STATEMENT OF CULTURAL HERITAGE SIGNIFICANCE

WHAT IS SIGNIFICANT? The Footscray Psychiatric Centre (exterior and interiors), paving, ramps, stairs and landscaping immediately surrounding the building as well as fixtures and fittings attached to the building at the time of registration.

HOW IS IT SIGNIFICANT? The Footscray Psychiatric Centre is of architectural and historical significance to the State of Victoria. It satisfies the following criterion for inclusion in the Victorian Heritage Register: Criterion A Importance to the course, or pattern, of Victoria’s cultural history. Criterion D Importance in demonstrating the principal characteristics of a class of cultural places and objects.

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WHY IS IT SIGNIFICANT? The Footscray Psychiatric Centre is significant at the State level for the following reasons: The Footscray Psychiatric Centre is historically significant as an important example of a facility that emerged from changes in the understanding and treatment of mental illness in the late twentieth century. It demonstrates this phase, known as deinstitutionalisation, which was characterised by a move away from treatment in large psychiatric hospitals, towards treatment within the community. This is evident in the physical fabric of Footscray Psychiatric Centre, through its comparatively small size, location separate from but adjacent to an existing public hospital and its internal layout of rooms designed for short residential stays, treatment and day-to-day activities. The phase of deinstitutionalisation is of historical importance to the State of Victoria, having had a profound effect on the lives how mental illness is understood and treated. [Criterion A] The Footscray Psychiatric Centre is architecturally significant as a notable example of a community mental health facility. It was purpose built to perform this function and demonstrates the principal characteristics of the class through its size, siting and internal layout. It is also architecturally significant for its dramatic Brutalist design which exhibits the principal characteristics of the style, including use of textured concrete, exterior expression of interior features and highlighting of building services and paths of travel. It is noteworthy for its particularly monolithic interpretation of the style. It is an important example of the use of the Brutalist style in Victoria and a key example of the employment of the style by the Victorian Public Works Department for a major institutional work. [Criterion D]

RECOMMENDATION REASONS REASONS FOR RECOMMENDING INCLUSION IN THE VICTORIAN HERITAGE REGISTER [s.40] Following is the Executive Director's assessment of the place against the tests set out in The Victorian Heritage Register Criteria and Thresholds Guidelines (2014).

CRITERION A Importance to the course, or pattern, of Victoria’s cultural history. STEP 1: A TEST FOR SATISFYING CRITERION A

The place/object has a CLEAR ASSOCIATION with an event, phase, period, process, function, movement, custom or way of life in Victoria’s cultural history.

Plus

The association of the place/object to the event, phase, etc IS EVIDENT in the physical fabric of the place/object and/or in documentary resources or oral history.

Plus

The EVENT, PHASE, etc is of HISTORICAL IMPORTANCE, having made a strong or influential contribution to Victoria.

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Executive Director’s Response The Footscray Psychiatric Centre has a clear association with the historical phase of major changes in the understanding and treatment of mental illness in Victoria in the latter part of the twentieth century. This shift was characterised by the move away from large asylums and psychiatric hospitals, often in locations removed from the broader community, towards the regionalisation of mental health services, treatment within the community and the integration of mental health care with existing hospital facilities. This is evident in the physical fabric of Footscray Psychiatric Centre, which was designed and built as one of several community mental health facilities established across the state in the era. Its purpose as a community mental health facility is reflected in its comparatively small size, its location separate from but adjacent to an existing public hospital and its internal layout of rooms designed for accommodation, treatment and day-to-day activities. This phase, known as deinstitutionalisation, is of historical importance to the State of Victoria, having had a profound effect on how mental illness was understood and treated in the latter part of the twentieth century. Criterion A is likely to be satisfied. STEP 2: STATE LEVEL SIGNIFICANCE TEST FOR CRITERION A

The place/object allows the clear association with the event, phase etc. of historical importance to be UNDERSTOOD BETTER THAN MOST OTHER PLACES OR OBJECTS IN VICTORIA WITH

SUBSTANTIALLY THE SAME ASSOCIATION.

Executive Director’s Response The Footscray Psychiatric Centre is one of several public community mental health facilities that were built in Melbourne, and regional Victoria, in the latter part of the twentieth century. Many others have been substantially altered or demolished. As a surviving, prominent, purpose built, freestanding building, the Footscray Psychiatric Centre allows this phase to be understood better than most other places with substantially the same association. Criterion A is likely to be satisfied at the State level.

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CRITERION B Possession of uncommon, rare or endangered aspects of Victoria’s cultural history. STEP 1: A TEST FOR SATISFYING CRITERION B

The place/object has a clear ASSOCIATION with an event, phase, period, process, function, movement, custom or way of life of importance in Victoria’s cultural history.

Plus

The association of the place/object to the event, phase, etc IS EVIDENT in the physical fabric of the place/object and/or in documentary resources or oral history.

Plus

The place/object is RARE OR UNCOMMON, being one of a small number of places/objects remaining that demonstrates the important event, phase etc.

OR The place/object is RARE OR UNCOMMON, containing unusual features of note that were not widely

replicated OR

The existence of the class of place/object that demonstrates the important event, phase etc is ENDANGERED to the point of rarity due to threats and pressures on such places/objects.

Executive Director’s Response The Footscray Psychiatric Centre has a clear association with changes in the treatment of mental illness in Victoria in the latter part of the twentieth century. This association is evident in the physical fabric of the place. It is one of a series of community mental health facilities that opened across Victoria in this era, some of which remain open, and it cannot be considered rare in its class. It is uncommon for its stark and monolithic interpretation of the Brutalist architectural style but this is better considered under Criterion D. Criterion B is not likely to be satisfied.

CRITERION C Potential to yield information that will contribute to an understanding of Victoria’s cultural history. STEP 1: A TEST FOR SATISFYING CRITERION C

The: • visible physical fabric; &/or • documentary evidence; &/or

• oral history, relating to the place/object indicates a likelihood that the place/object contains PHYSICAL EVIDENCE

of historical interest that is NOT CURRENTLY VISIBLE OR UNDERSTOOD.

Plus

From what we know of the place/object, the physical evidence is likely to be of an INTEGRITY and/or CONDITION that it COULD YIELD INFORMATION through detailed investigation.

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Executive Director’s Response The significance of the Footscray Psychiatric Centre lies in the visible parts of the building. Its history is recent and well understood. It is not likely to yield further information through detailed investigation. It is unlikely that the place contains physical evidence of historical interest that is not currently visible or understood, such as archaeological remains. Criterion C is not likely to be satisfied.

CRITERION D Importance in demonstrating the principal characteristics of a class of cultural places and objects. STEP 1: A TEST FOR SATISFYING CRITERION D

The place/object is one of a CLASS of places/objects that has a clear ASSOCIATION with an event, phase, period, process, function, movement, important person(s), custom or way of life in Victoria’s

history.

Plus

The EVENT, PHASE, etc is of HISTORICAL IMPORTANCE, having made a strong or influential contribution to Victoria.

Plus

The principal characteristics of the class are EVIDENT in the physical fabric of the place/object.

Executive Director’s Response The Footscray Psychiatric Centre has a clear association with changes in the treatment of mental illness in the latter part of the twentieth century – a phase of historical importance to Victoria. It is of the class of both community mental health facilities and Brutalist buildings.

Community mental health facilities The principal characteristics of this class are evident in the physical fabric of the place, including in its:

• Comparatively small size.

• Siting separate from but adjacent to an existing public hospital.

• Internal layout, which features a mix of residential rooms and treatment and communal spaces.

Brutalist buildings The principal characteristics of this class are evident in the physical fabric of the place, including in its:

• Considered use of concrete as the primary construction material, including highlighting of its material qualities and associated construction methods.

• Exterior expression of interior elements, including the projecting panels which correspond to recessed wardrobes internally.

• Highlighting of building services and paths of travel, including in the stairwells contained in projecting vertical shafts.

Criterion D is likely to be satisfied.

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STEP 2: STATE LEVEL SIGNIFICANCE TEST CRITERION D

The place/object is a NOTABLE EXAMPLE of the class in Victoria (refer to Reference Tool D).

Executive Director’s Response

Community mental health facilities Under the definitions provided in Reference Tool D, the Footscray Psychiatric Centre can be considered notable because it is a fine example of the class of community mental health facilities. It can be considered fine because:

• It displays a range of characteristics typical of the class, as indicated in Step 1.

• It exhibits higher quality characteristics than are typical of the class because it is purpose designed and freestanding, rather than an adaptation or addition to an existing building.

Brutalist buildings Under the definitions provided in Reference Tool D, the Footscray Psychiatric Centre can be considered notable because it is a fine example of the class of Brutalist buildings. It can be considered fine because:

• It displays a range of characteristics typical of the class, as indicated in Step 1.

• It displays design characteristics that are of equal or higher quality than are typical of its class. Although many buildings from the era exhibit some Brutalist influence, it is a particularly clear and powerful interpretation of the style. It is further distinguished from other State-level examples in Victoria by its expression as a single block and the regularity of its exterior design.

• Its scale and visibility mean it displays the principal characteristics of the class in a way that allows the class to be easily understood.

The place is also highly intact, and the building retains many original features that remain mostly unchanged from the historically important period of development. This is to be expected from a building that was constructed reasonably recently.

Criterion D is likely to be satisfied at the State level.

CRITERION E Importance in exhibiting particular aesthetic characteristics. STEP 1: A TEST FOR SATISFYING CRITERION E

The PHYSICAL FABRIC of the place/object clearly exhibits particular aesthetic characteristics.

Executive Director’s Response The physical fabric of the Footscray Psychiatric Centre clearly exhibits particular aesthetic characteristics associated with Brutalist architecture. Criterion E is likely to be satisfied.

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STEP 2: STATE LEVEL SIGNIFICANCE TEST FOR CRITERION E

The aesthetic characteristics are APPRECIATED OR VALUED by the wider community or an appropriately-related discipline as evidenced, for example, by:

• critical recognition of the aesthetic characteristics of the place/object within a relevant art, design, architectural or related discipline as an outstanding example within Victoria; or

• wide public acknowledgement of exceptional merit in Victoria in medium such as songs, poetry, literature, painting, sculpture, publications, print media etc.

Executive Director’s Response The aesthetic characteristics of buildings such as the Footscray Psychiatric Centre are appreciated and valued by groups and people with an interest in Brutalist architecture. However, there is no evidence that the aesthetic characteristics of the Footscray Psychiatric Centre have received critical recognition, or wide public acknowledgement of exceptional merit. Criterion E is not likely to be satisfied at the State level.

CRITERION F Importance in demonstrating a high degree of creative or technical achievement at a particular period. STEP 1: A TEST FOR SATISFYING CRITERION F

The place/object contains PHYSICAL EVIDENCE that clearly demonstrates creative or technical ACHIEVEMENT for the time in which it was created.

Plus

The physical evidence demonstrates a HIGH DEGREE OF INTEGRITY.

Executive Director’s Response The Footscray Psychiatric Centre demonstrates adept use of concrete as a construction material on a large scale. Experimentation with concrete as a building material is a hallmark of Brutalist architecture. However, creative and technical advances in the use of concrete had been made well before the Footscray Psychiatric Centre was constructed. It does not represent a creative or technical achievement for the time it was created. Criterion F is not likely to be satisfied.

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CRITERION G Strong or special association with a particular present-day community or cultural group for social, cultural or spiritual reasons. STEP 1: A BASIC TEST FOR SATISFYING CRITERION G

Evidence exists of a community or cultural group. (A community or cultural group is a group of people who share a common interest, including an

experience, purpose, belief system, culture, ethnicity or values.)

Plus

Evidence exists of a strong attachment between the COMMUNITY OR CULTURAL GROUP and the place/object in the present-day context.

Plus

Evidence exists of a time depth to that attachment.

Executive Director’s Response Former patients, carers and staff have a direct association with the Footscray Psychiatric Centre as a place of treatment and work. The same could be said of many similar places in Victoria, such as hospitals. It is likely there is an attachment between these individuals and the place that is strong, as well as complex in nature. The place may have been experienced negatively by some people, and more positively by others. The comparatively recent closure of the Footscray Psychiatric Centre means that this direct association with the place is currently experienced by people in the local community, particularly in the western suburbs of Melbourne. Currently no further evidence has come to light that these individuals constitute a community or cultural group as defined above. This does not diminish the experience of individuals. Criterion G is not likely to be satisfied. CRITERION H Special association with the life or works of a person, or group of persons, of importance in Victoria’s history.

STEP 1: A TEST FOR SATISFYING CRITERION H

The place/object has a DIRECT ASSOCIATION with a person or group of persons who have made a strong or influential CONTRIBUTION to the course of Victoria’s history.

Plus

The ASSOCIATION of the place/object to the person(s) IS EVIDENT in the physical fabric of the place/object and/or in documentary resources and/or oral history.

Plus

The ASSOCIATION:

• directly relates to ACHIEVEMENTS of the person(s) at, or relating to, the place/object; or

• relates to an enduring and/or close INTERACTION between the person(s) and the place/object.

Executive Director’s Response The Footscray Psychiatric Centre does not have a direct association with a person or group of persons who have made a strong or influential contribution to the course of Victoria’s history. Criterion H is not likely to be satisfied.

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PROPOSED PERMIT POLICY Preamble The purpose of the Permit Policy is to assist when considering or making decisions regarding works to a registered place. It is recommended that any proposed works be discussed with an officer of Heritage Victoria prior to making a permit application. Discussing proposed works will assist in answering questions the owner may have and aid any decisions regarding works to the place. The extent of registration of Footscray Psychiatric Centre in the Victorian Heritage Register affects the whole place shown on Diagram 2395 including the land, building (exterior and interiors), access roads, car parks, pathways, ramps, trees, landscape elements and other features. Under the Heritage Act 2017 a person must not remove or demolish, damage or despoil, develop or alter or excavate, relocate or disturb the position of any part of a registered place or object without approval. It is acknowledged, however, that alterations and other works may be required to keep places and objects in good repair and adapt them for use into the future. If a person wishes to undertake works or activities in relation to a registered place or registered object, they must apply to the Executive Director, Heritage Victoria for a permit. The purpose of a permit is to enable appropriate change to a place and to effectively manage adverse impacts on the cultural heritage significance of a place as a consequence of change. If an owner is uncertain whether a heritage permit is required, it is recommended that Heritage Victoria be contacted. Permits are required for anything which alters the place or object, unless a permit exemption is granted. Permit exemptions usually cover routine maintenance and upkeep issues faced by owners as well as minor works or works to the elements of the place or object that are not significant. They may include appropriate works that are specified in a conservation management plan. Permit exemptions can be granted at the time of registration (under s.38 of the Heritage Act) or after registration (under s.92 of the Heritage Act). It should be noted that the addition of new buildings to the registered place, as well as alterations to the interior and exterior of existing buildings requires a permit, unless a specific permit exemption is granted. Conservation management plans It is recommended that a Conservation Management Plan is developed to manage the place in a manner which respects its cultural heritage significance. Aboriginal cultural heritage If works are proposed which have the potential to disturb or have an impact on Aboriginal cultural heritage it is necessary to contact Aboriginal Victoria to ascertain any requirements under the Aboriginal Heritage Act 2006. If any Aboriginal cultural heritage is discovered or exposed at any time it is necessary to immediately contact Aboriginal Victoria to ascertain requirements under the Aboriginal Heritage Act 2006. Other approvals Please be aware that approval from other authorities (such as local government) may be required to undertake works.

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Archaeology Any works that may affect historical archaeological features, deposits or artefacts at the place is likely to require a permit, permit exemption or consent. Advice should be sought from the Archaeology Team at Heritage Victoria. Cultural heritage significance Overview of significance The cultural heritage significance of the Footscray Psychiatric Centre lies in the building’s bold Brutalist design, notably its pronounced exterior expression of stairwells, building services and interior elements and use of textured concrete inside and out. It lies in its interior layout of rooms, which reflects its original use as a community mental health facility. Its significance also lies in its historical relationship to important changes to mental health treatment in the latter part of the twentieth century.

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EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR RECOMMENDATIONS FOR EXEMPTED WORKS OR ACTIVITIES (PERMIT EXEMPTIONS) It should be noted that Permit Exemptions can be granted at the time of registration (under s.38 of the Heritage Act). Permit Exemptions can also be applied for and granted after registration (under s.92 of the Heritage Act). Under s.38 of the Heritage Act 2017 the Executive Director may include in his recommendation categories of works or activities which may be carried out in relation to the place or object without the need for a permit under Part 5 of the Act. The Executive Director must not make a recommendation for any categories of works or activities if he considers that the works or activities may harm the cultural heritage significance of the place or object. The following permit exemptions are not considered to cause harm to the cultural heritage significance of the Footscray Psychiatric Centre. General Condition 1 All exempted alterations are to be planned and carried out in a manner which prevents damage to the fabric of the registered place or object. General Condition 2 Should it become apparent during further inspection or the carrying out of works that original or previously hidden or inaccessible details of the place or object are revealed which relate to the significance of the place or object, then the exemption covering such works shall cease and Heritage Victoria shall be notified as soon as possible. General Condition 3 All works should ideally be informed by Conservation Management Plans prepared for the place. The Executive Director is not bound by any Conservation Management Plan, and permits still must be obtained for works suggested in any Conservation Management Plan. General Condition 4 Nothing in this determination prevents the Heritage Council from amending or rescinding all or any of the permit exemptions. General Condition 5 Nothing in this determination exempts owners or their agents from the responsibility to seek relevant planning or building permits from the relevant responsible authority, where applicable. Specific Permit Exemptions The following works do not require a permit provided they are carried out in a manner which does not harm the cultural heritage significance of the place.

Exterior

• Minor patching, repair and maintenance which replaces like with like without large-scale removal of or damage to the existing fabric or the large-scale introduction of new materials. Repairs must maximise protection and retention of fabric and include the conservation of existing details or elements. Any new materials used for repair must not exacerbate the decay of existing fabric due to chemical incompatibility, obscure existing fabric or limit access to existing fabric for future maintenance.

• Localised repairs and maintenance to the roof to prevent ingress of water.

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• Works to, or removal of, the 1990s verandah on the south elevation subject to a permit application for the management of the 1970s fabric where it intersects with the 1990s fabric.

• Removal of graffiti from concrete elements via non-abrasive methods. No high-pressure hoses or wire brushes etc should be used.

• Removal of graffiti from metal elements via non-corrosive methods.

• Removal of or maintenance to existing signage attached to building.

• Preparation and painting of previously painted surfaces in the same colour, finish and paint type provided that preparation or painting does not remove all evidence of earlier paint schemes.

• Repair to or removal of items such as air conditioners, pipe work, ducting, wiring, antennae, aerials and making good.

• Maintenance, replacement or removal of existing heating, ventilation and air conditioning plant.

• Maintenance, replacement or removal of existing services such as cabling, plumbing (including downpipes), wiring, security lighting and fire services that uses existing routes, conduits, voids or attachment points.

• Works and activities related to control of birds and vermin.

Interior

• Installation, removal or replacement of safety devices such as detectors, alarms, emergency lights, exit signs, luminaires and the like. 

• Painting of currently painted surfaces in the same colour, finish and paint type provided that preparation or painting does not remove all evidence of earlier paint or other decorative schemes. No currently stained or varnished timberwork is to be painted.

• Removal of paint from originally unpainted surfaces including ceilings, wall panelling, joinery, doors, architraves and skirtings by non-abrasive methods.

• Removal or replacement of existing services including cabling, plumbing, wiring and fire services that uses existing routes, conduits or voids, and does not involve damage to or the removal of significant fabric.

• Repairs, refitting or rewiring lift cars, motors, equipment and the like.

Public Safety and Security

• General maintenance for the purposes of safety and security including the removal of broken glass, the temporary shuttering of windows and doors and covering of holes provided this work is reversible.

• The erection of temporary security fencing, scaffolding, hoardings, and security or surveillance systems to prevent unauthorised access or secure public safety.

• Works or activities, including emergency stabilisation, necessary to secure safety where a structure or part of a structure has been irreparably damaged or destabilised and poses a safety risk to its users or the public. It is acknowledged that in some instances additional damage to significant fabric may be required to stabilise and make safe. In these instances every attempt must be made to conserve and retain as much significant fabric as possible. The Executive Director, Heritage Victoria must be notified within seven days of the commencement of these works or activities.

Landscape

• Maintenance and repairs to existing roads, service roads, driveways and car parks.

• Installation, removal or maintenance to features required for car park operations such as bollards, speed humps, wheel stops and boom gates.

• Subsurface works involving the installation, removal or replacement of watering and drainage systems or other services provided there are no visible above ground elements. Landscaping, paving etc. is to be returned like for like on the completion of works.

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• Erecting, repairing or replacing existing signage (directional signage, road signs, speed signs) and installing new signage which does not obscure heritage fabric. Note: Interpretive signage requires a permit.

• The processes of gardening, including mowing, hedge clipping, bedding displays, disease and weed control, maintenance of existing plants and replacement with similar species.

• Management and maintenance of trees including formative and remedial pruning, removal of deadwood and pest and disease control.

• Repair and maintenance to existing paving, gutters, paths, stairs and garden walls.

• Vegetation protection and management of possums and vermin.

• Clearing and maintenance of drains and gutters.

RELEVANT INFORMATION Local Government Authority City of Maribyrnong Heritage Overlay No Heritage Overlay Other Overlays No other overlays Victorian Aboriginal Heritage Register Nil Other Listings No Other Names Footscray Psychiatric Hospital

HISTORY Mental health treatment in Victoria In nineteenth-century Victoria, the response to mental illness was characterised by large asylums and hospitals, often removed from population centres. In the early twentieth century, modes of treatment and the nature of institutions changed but government support for services was intermittent. The response to mental illness shifted after the conclusion of World War II. Government responsibility and funding for mental health grew, and treatment within the community, rather than large psychiatric hospitals, gradually emerged as a preferred approach. This approach was aided by developments in pharmaceutical treatment, and the growing role of psychiatry. A different kind of institution was required for community-based treatment and smaller facilities emerged, providing outpatient and rehabilitation services alongside accommodation services for short-term stays. This phase, known as deinstitutionalisation, saw the number of patients in psychiatric hospitals reduced by a third between 1963 and 1973. It culminated in the closure of large psychiatric hospitals and other mental health facilities throughout the 1990s.

The Mental Health Authority After public criticisms of the Mental Health Department in the 1940s, the Victorian Government established an enquiry into the mental health system which found improvements were needed in many areas. In 1950, the new Mental Hygiene Authority Act was proclaimed and a new authority with responsibility for psychiatric hospitals was proposed. In 1952 the Mental Hygiene Authority was established and later renamed the Mental Health Authority. Its first Chairman was the prominent British psychiatrist Dr E. Cunningham Dax. Dr Dax was Chairman of the authority until 1969 and in that time ushered in major changes in the provision of mental health services in Victoria. The influence of Dr Dax has been recognised by the inclusion of the Cunningham Dax Collection in the Victorian Heritage Register (VHR H2201). Staff training, conditions and patient ratios were a focus of reform for the Mental Health Authority, alongside updating infrastructure and providing new facilities where people could access treatment with their community. The reduction of resident populations in larger and older hospitals was a key goal for the commission and one that was well underway by the 1970s. In 1975 the Health Commission was formed, and the Mental Health Authority was eventually integrated with the new body.

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Footscray Hospital In 1920 a committee known as the Hospital Movement formed in the Footscray area to campaign for the establishment of a local public hospital. In c.1921 the committee raised £2500 from community funds to purchase the two-hectare site for the hospital. The Charities Board subsequently refused to grant permission to establish a hospital on the site. Around 1930, the Hospital Movement opted to instead open its own Outpatients’ and Welfare Centre on the site. In 1947 construction began on the new Footscray and District Hospital. On 27 June 1953 Lady Violet Brooks, wife of Governor Sir Dallas Brooks, officially opened the Hospital with 3,000 people in attendance. It was the first fully air-conditioned hospital in Victoria and was lauded for its modern facilities. In 1972 it was renamed the Western General Hospital and went through a number of other name changes and amalgamations with other health services. In 2014 the hospital became known as Footscray Hospital again and remains part of the Western Health network.

Brutalist architecture The architectural style known as Brutalism emerged in Europe after the Second World War. The word Brutalism is drawn from the phrase ‘béton brut’ meaning raw concrete. Béton brut was first used in the 1950s by prominent Swiss-French architect Le Corbusier to describe his emerging approach to building design which favoured the honest use of construction materials, notably concrete, and the highlighting of building structures and services rather than hiding them. This approach to design and use of building materials became influential throughout Europe and internationally. The term Brutalism, or New Brutalism, was coined in England to describe this new approach to architecture that had both an ethical and aesthetic concern with the honest use of materials and social responsiveness at its core. Typically, Brutalist buildings were assertive, and featured powerful, blocky forms and were honest about their use, construction and materials. The style was a departure from the sleekness, lightness and minimalism of other strands of twentieth-century design.

Brutalist architecture in Victoria Brutalist architecture first appeared in Australia in the 1960s. It was a style suited to institutional buildings, and the first examples appeared at university campuses. Throughout the 1960s, notable architect Robin Boyd advocated for the adoption of the style in Victoria and in 1968 designed the Brutalist influenced Menzies College at La Trobe University. Influential architects Kevin Borland, Graeme Gunn, Evan Walker and Daryl Jackson also adopted the style for major commissions. Borland and Jackson produced the notable Brutalist design for the Harold Holt Memorial Swimming Centre (VHR H0069), which was constructed in 1969. During the early 1970s, Brutalism became the style of choice for the union movement as evidenced by the Plumbers and Gasfitters Union Building (VHR H2307) and Clyde Cameron College (VHR H2192) and influential within the Public Works Department. The popularity of Brutalism diminished through the 1980s. It is considered a key architectural style of the twentieth century. Public Works Department The Public Works Department was established in 1855 and was primarily responsible for the construction and maintenance of Victoria’s major public works and buildings. Over its history its responsibilities changed but at various times encompassed the design, building and maintenance of roads and bridges, harbours, cemeteries, government accommodation and major public buildings including asylums. Many prominent architects worked within the Department, and by the late nineteenth century, architectural styles generally followed contemporary taste. The Public Works Department designed the Footscray Psychiatric Centre in the early 1970s, though it is unclear who the original architect(s) were. In December 1987, the Public Works Department was abolished and the Ministry of Housing and Construction was established in its place.

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Footscray Psychiatric Centre Between the 1960s and the 1980s, the Mental Health Authority aimed to reduce resident populations in older and larger institutions, regionalise mental health services, and establish smaller centres where people could access treatment within their community. A series of community mental health centres were planned and built across Victoria in this era, and the establishment of an early treatment centre at Footscray was a priority for the Mental Health Authority. In 1973, the Commonwealth Mental Health and Related Service Assistance Program provided funding for eight new community mental health services in Victoria, including Footscray. The Footscray centre was designed to provide early treatment facilities for the inner municipalities of Melbourne’s western region. Construction began in 1974 and was largely completed by late 1976 but the facility did not commence operation until late 1977 with the opening of an outpatient clinic and community mental health service. Alterations and additions were made in the early 1990s to convert the ground floor to a high dependency unit. Beds were closed in the facility from 1993, with staff protesting the closures. The building ceased to function as a psychiatric centre in 1996 and acute psychiatric services were moved to other locations. The building is currently used for storage by Western Hospital.

CONSTRUCTION DETAILS Architect name: Public Works Department (architect/s unknown) Architectural style name: Brutalist Construction started date: 1974 Construction ended date: 1977

VICTORIAN HISTORICAL THEMES 08 Building community life 8.3 Providing health and welfare services

PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION The Footscray Psychiatric Centre is located on the Footscray Hospital site at 160 Gordon Street in Footscray. The building lies to the east of the hospital site, adjacent to the main hospital entrance and visible from Gordon Street. It is surrounded by car parking and plantings of mature shrubs and trees, some of which appear to reflect 1976 landscape plans. It is a striking building designed in the Brutalist style that has a monolithic presence. It is freestanding and consists of four-storeys plus a basement designed to a rectangular plan. Constructed largely of concrete it consists of pre-cast concrete columns and panels as well as concrete blocks. The materials and methods of construction are highlighted in the textured detail of pre-cast concrete elements both internally and externally. Each elevation is broadly similar, with rows of projecting concrete panels flanked by narrow vertical windows at each level. The projecting concrete panels correspond to recessed timber wardrobes internally. Services and stairwells are contained within projecting vertical shafts which are angled at roof level. The western elevation contains the main entrance, the southern elevation includes a small verandah (early 1990s) and entry while the eastern elevation contains a ramped vehicle entrance to the basement. Internally, on each floor, rooms open off hallways which circulate around a central lift well. The ground floor was refurbished in the early 1990s and contains reception areas, small residential rooms with half-height windows, nurses stations and offices, staff accommodation and treatment spaces. The first floor consists largely of residential rooms of different sizes, some with ensuites, and shared bathrooms. Residential rooms on all levels contain built-in timber wardrobes. The second floor contains communal rooms including a large paved area with kitchen and smokers area with windows looking south west and timber-lined ceiling. The third floor is similar to the first, but contains larger, shared rooms. The basement contains building services, workshop, staff amenities room and loading dock.

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Objects integral None. Archaeology There is no identified archaeology of State level significance at this place.

INTEGRITY/INTACTNESS Intactness – The intactness of the place is very good. Although there have been some alterations these are largely superficial. The most substantial level of alteration is contained to the ground floor. Some of the mature trees appear to reflect the 1976 landscape plan. Integrity – The integrity of the place is excellent. The cultural heritage significance of the place can be easily read in the extant fabric.

CONDITION As would be expected of a comparatively recent and solidly constructed building the place is in good condition. There is some damage to fabric externally and internally and ingress of water on the second and third floor (June 2019).

COMPARISONS Places designed in the Brutalist style in the VHR Total House, Melbourne (VHR H2329) Total House is a landmark of post-World War II modernist design and is of architectural and historical significance to the State of Victoria. It one of the earliest and best expressions of Brutalist architecture in Victoria. Total House reflects the Brutalist ideals of the integrity of expression of materials, structure and function in differentiating the functional parts of the building and the 'honest' display of its materials and structure. Total House is also an outstanding example of Japanese influence on architecture in Victoria in the post-war period. The innovative Brutalist concrete architecture of post-war Japan was widely admired and published and inspired Australian architects to visit Japan at this time to research its architecture and landscapes. Total House is also historically significance for its reflection of the massive increase in car ownership in the post-Word War II period and the infrastructure developed to accommodate the large numbers of cars in the city of Melbourne.

Total House, Melbourne

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Harold Holt Memorial Swimming Centre, Glen Iris (VHR H0069) The Harold Hold Swim Centre was constructed in 1969 and is of architectural significance to Victoria, being amongst the most notable, expressive, early and intact examples of the Brutalist movement that emerged in Victoria in the late-1960s. It represents both the aesthetic and ethical imperatives of the Brutalist style. The bold articulation of forms in textured off-form concrete and concrete blocks and glass, provides a sculptural form which is fundamental to Brutalist architecture. Its emphasis on circulation elements (the use of expressed ramps and stairs) and the articulation of the functional systems (ramps, skylights, service ducts) reflect Brutalism’s ethical concern with social responsiveness. It is also represents the work of two important Victorian architects: Kevin Borland and Daryl Jackson. Both went on to design other notable Brutalist buildings in Victoria.

Harold Holt Memorial Swimming Centre, Glen Iris

Former Clyde Cameron College, Wodonga (VHR H2192) The Former Clyde Cameron College was constructed in 1976–77 as a residential training college for trade unions and is of architectural and historical significance to the State of Victoria. It was operated by the Trade Union Training Authority (TUTA) until its closure in 1996. The building was designed to showcase the skills of the designers, builders and individual trades, and reflect the aspirations of the Trade Union movement. The Former Clyde Cameron College is of architectural significance as a highly creative and largely intact example of the late twentieth century Brutalist style. The design illustrates key elements of the Brutalist ethos of honest use of materials with the use of unpainted off-form concrete showing formwork patterns, concrete blockwork, heavy timber trusses, and exposed services. It is a significant work by Victorian architect Kevin Borland who conceived of the striking concrete pipe connections between the different wings. It is of historical significance for its association with the Trade Union movement and the Whitlam government.

Former Clyde Cameron College, Wodonga

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Plumbers and Gasfitters Union Building, Carlton (VHR H2307) The Plumbers and Gasfitters Union Building was constructed in 1969-71 and is of architectural and historical significance to the State of Victoria. It is a highly distinctive building designed by Graeme Gunn and is one of the earliest and finest examples of the Brutalist style in Victoria. It is notable for its use of bold forms constructed in off-form concrete and its tough exterior. The treatment of the concrete shows an honest use of construction materials characteristic of Brutalism, while its obvious circulation patterns, as evident in the dominant front staircase, is also an important Brutalist characteristic. It is a major work of Gunn’s, who has remained highly influential in the architectural profession. It is of historical significance as a substantial physical reminder of the strength and influence of the union movement in the 1970s.

Plumbers and Gasfitters Union Building, Carlton

Places related to treatment of people living with mental illness in the VHR Former Willsmere Hospital, Kew (HO861) The Former Willsmere Hospital, previously known as the Kew Lunatic Asylum, is of historical and architectural significance to the State of Victoria. It opened in 1872 and its design was based on contemporary English models of asylum planning. It is historically significant for its association with and ability to illustrate the evolution of mental health in Victoria over a century. The former hospital is architecturally important in exhibiting the principle characteristics of the Italianate style, and is the largest and most notable example of an institution designed by the Victorian Public Works Department in the nineteenth century.

Former Willsmere Hospital, Kew

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Aradale, Ararat (H1223) Aradale, previously called the Ararat Lunatic Asylum, is of historical, architectural and social significance to the State of Victoria. It was designed by the Public Works Department and constructed between 1864 and 1867 and has similarities to both Willsmere and Mayday Hills. Aradale is historically and socially important for its physical manifestation of the changing approaches to the treatment of mental illness in Victoria from institutional confinement to treatment and rehabilitation, and from barracks, through cottages to wards. Aradale was a key component in a system of nineteenth century asylums which included those at Beechworth and Kew. Aradale is architecturally significant as a particularly fine and substantially intact example of an extensive asylum complex and displays key characteristic features such as the E shaped plan of the main administration, kitchen and dormitory block with its airing courts, covered walkways and sun shades, as well as the gate lodge, mortuary and ha-ha wall.

Aradale, Ararat

Former Mont Park Hospital, Macleod (VHR H1872) The former Mont Park/Bundoora Psychiatric and Repatriation Hospitals Complex consisted of seven hospitals on a site of 185 hectares and is of cultural heritage significance to the State of Victoria. The Mont Park Hospital commenced in 1910 and is historically significant in demonstrating changing responses to twentieth century health needs and particularly mental illness in the planning and development of psychiatric institutions and repatriation hospital complexes on the site. The Administration Building of the Military Mental Hospital is historically significant as part of the only surviving purpose-built mental hospital in the State constructed to accommodate psychological casualties after World War I. It is architecturally significant as a representative example of asylum design in the early twentieth century.

Former Mont Park Hospital, Macleod

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Caloola (Former Sunbury Mental Hospital), Sunbury (VHR H0937) Caloola is of cultural heritage significance to the State of Victoria. It was established as an industrial school in 1864, redeveloped as a Lunatic Asylum in 1879 and maintained as a psychiatric hospital until 1968 and used as a training centre for people with intellectual disabilities until 1992. The purpose built Sunbury Lunatic Asylum, constructed mainly between 1892 and 1912, has pavilion wards in brick with terra cotta roofing tiles which conformed to international standards of asylum and hospital planning adopted in the later nineteenth century and were a departure from the single monolithic buildings constructed at Kew and Beechworth. Caloola is of historical significance for its typical asylum landscaping and site planning. Asylums were typically distant from population centres, with extensive grounds and ha ha walls to prevent escape. It is also of historical significance for its physical fabric and spaces which demonstrate nineteenth century attitudes to the treatment of mental illness, including the padded cells, ripple iron cells and dormitory accommodation.

Caloola (Former Sunbury Mental Hospital), Sunbury

Mayday Hills Hospital, Beechworth (VHR H1189) Mayday Hills Hospital is of cultural heritage significance to Victoria. It consists of a variety of buildings constructed since the establishment of the institution in 1864. The majority of these buildings are contained within a landscape setting which includes part of original brick walls and associated ha-ha wall. Mayday Hills Hospital is historically significant for its physical manifestation of the changing approaches to the treatment of mental illness in Victoria from institutional confinement to treatment and rehabilitation. Mayday Hills Hospital is architecturally significant as a particularly fine example of an extensive complex of Italianate asylum buildings dating from the 1860s, and in the case of the cottages, the 1880s. The design is based on an influential asylum at Colney Hatch in England and, as are Willsmere and Aradale. It contains various buildings added throughout the twentieth century, including an early treatment centre added in the 1970s and since converted to a hotel.

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SUMMARY OF COMPARISONS Places related to treatment of people living with mental illness in the VHR Nineteenth-century asylums are well represented in the VHR. Their size, design, location, layout and landscape setting demonstrate how mental illness was understood in the nineteenth century. Many operated well into the twentieth century and have later additions that demonstrate changing approaches to the treatment of mental illness. The Former Mont Park Hospital (VHR H1872) demonstrates an early twentieth-century approach to mental illness and the impact of both world wars. Places directly related to treatment of people living with mental illness in the latter part of twentieth century, a phase known as deinstitutionalisation, are not well represented in the VHR. As a place purpose built to respond to changes in policy and treatment in this era, the Footscray Psychiatric Centre demonstrates this historical phase well. It demonstrates the transition from large psychiatric hospitals in landscape settings to current modes of treatment in general hospital settings. It enriches the historical understanding of the treatment of mental illness in the State of Victoria.

Brutalist buildings in the VHR The Footscray Psychiatric Centre is a notable example of a Brutalist building in Victoria and features multiple, highly visible, characteristics of the style. When compared to other places in the VHR it represents a particularly monumental interpretation of the style. It is distinguished from other Brutalist places in the VHR by its expression as a single block and the regularity of its design of projecting panels. It represents a variation of Brutalism quite different to the places such as the Harold Holt Memorial Swimming Pool and Clyde Cameron College which are characterised by an assemblage of different forms. The significance of the Footscray Psychiatric Centre is enhanced by its scale and prominent position. It is equally as architecturally notable as similar places already included in the VHR.

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KEY REFERENCES USED TO PREPARE ASSESSMENT

Newspaper articles and reports

Annual Report of the Mental Health Authority Victoria for the year ended 31 December 1977

Report of the Mental Health Authority for the year ended 31st December 1976

“Psychiatric Staff Act Over Closures” The Age 30 November 1993

“Staff Needed for New Psychiatric Centre” The Age 16 May 1992

Articles and books

Chesters, Janice (2005) “Deinstitutionalisation: an Unrealised Desire” Health Sociology Review

Goad, Philip (2009) Melbourne Architecture

Lewis, Milton (1988) Managing Madness: Psychiatry and Society in Australia 1788-1980

Robson, Belinda (2008) “From Mental Hygiene to Community Mental Health: Psychiatrists and Victorian Public Administration from the 1940s to 1990s” Provenance

Taylor, Jennifer (1986) Australian Architecture Since 1960

Websites

The People’s Hospital: Tales from the surgeon’s table, Remembering the first 60 years of Footscray

Hospital http://www.whpeopleshospital.com.au/

Celebrating 60 years of Footscray Hospital http://www.westernhealth.org.au/AboutUs/60_WHF_Anniversary/Pages/Footscray-2010-Present.aspx

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ADDITIONAL IMAGES

2019, east elevation, Footscray Psychiatric Centre.

2019, landscaping along east elevation.

2019, porch added to the south elevation in early

1990s.

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2019, vehicle ramp to basement.

2019, main entrance.

2019, detail, west elevation, showing projecting

panels and exterior of smoking area.

2019, detail, showing textured concrete

pattern.

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2019, basement.

2019, staff amenities room, basement.

2019, ground floor.

2019, ground floor.

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2019, nurses station, ground floor.

2019, typical residential room, ground floor.

2019, south stairwell.

2019, exposed concrete column with band

pattern, first floor.

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2019, large residential room. Note half height

windows and recessed wardrobes.

2019, lift foyer.

2019, first floor.

2019, residential room, first floor.

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2019, canteen.

2019, dining room. Note recessed area cantilevered

over entrance.

2019, paved communal area, second floor.

2019, smokers area, second floor.

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2019, occupational therapy area, second floor.

2019, treatment room, second floor.

2019, corridor, third floor.

2019, dining room, third floor.

HISTORICAL IMAGES

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c.1960, aerial view of Footscray Hospital from the north west, prior to the construction of the

Footscray Psychiatric Centre. Source: State Library of Victoria

1973, illustration of proposed west elevation of Footscray Psychiatric Centre.

Source: The Mail

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1977, western elevation of Footscray Psychiatric Centre.

Source: The Mail

Documents

Recommendation of the Executive Director and assessment of ...heritagecouncil.vic.gov.au/wp-content/uploads/2019/... · The Footscray Psychiatric Centre has a clear association with