Perth Cultural Centre
Perth Cultural Centre | |
|---|---|
Precinct | |
Perth Cultural Centre | |
| Coordinates: 31°56′59″S 115°51′39″E / 31.949699°S 115.860761°E | |
| Country | Australia |
| LGA | City of Perth |
| Suburb | Perth (suburb) |
| Area | |
• Total | 8.62 ha (21.3 acres) |
| Dimensions | |
| • Length | 0.336 km (0.209 mi) |
| • Width | 0.290 km (0.180 mi) |
| Time zone | UTC+08:00 (WST) |
| Website | www |
The Perth Cultural Centre is an area of central Perth, Western Australia, near the James Street Mall.
It is home to a number of cultural institutions including the Art Gallery of Western Australia, Western Australian Museum, State Library of Western Australia, State Records Office, State Theatre Centre of Western Australia, Perth Institute of Contemporary Arts, The Blue Room Theatre plus a number of coffee shops and bars.
The Perth Cultural Centre precinct is bound by Roe Street, Aberdeen Street, Beaufort Street and William Street in the suburb of Perth.[1] A walkway called Gallery Walk, named to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the Art Gallery of Western Australia, connects the centre to Perth railway station.
From 1 July 2018, the Perth Theatre Trust took over responsibility for the management and activation of the Perth Cultural Centre from the Metropolitan Redevelopment Authority.[2][3]
History
Earliest construction on the site dates back to the 1850s, when a portion of the site was designated for use as a gaol and police quarters.
Most development of the area occurred at the beginning of the twentieth century, when the former Perth Boys School was built. (This building now houses the Perth Institute of Contemporary Arts.) Further developments came in the following years, with the construction of Hacket Hall, the former Art Gallery Building, the former Perth Courts, and the former Police Quarters.
The next major stage of development occurred in the 1970s and 1980s following a plan for a central Perth cultural centre, as developed in the 1955 Perth and Fremantle metropolitan plan and later refined in the 1963 Metropolitan Region Scheme.[4]
Redevelopment
In the years after the completion of the Perth Cultural Centre, the underused space gained a reputation for being isolated and unsafe, and sparked an initiative to redevelop and "revive" the area.[5][6] Tasked with such a initiative, in 2008, the Metropolitan Redevelopment Authority and the Department of Culture and the Arts, spent approximately $35 million on redevelopment efforts, including the creation of the State Theatre Centre of Western Australia, an "urban orchard", and a continuous roster of public cultural events.[7]
Rejuvenation project
From 6 January 2025, the Perth Cultural Centre has undergone a "rejuvenation", aimed to make the space more "a more welcoming public space for families, tourists, and lovers of arts and culture".[8][9]
Institutions
| Name | Facilities |
|---|---|
| Art Gallery of Western Australia |
|
| The Blue Room Theatre |
|
| Perth Institute of Contemporary Arts |
|
| State Library of Western Australia |
|
| State Records Office of Western Australia | |
| State Theatre Centre of Western Australia |
|
| Western Australian Museum |
|
-
Perth Institute of Contemporary Arts (PICA)
-
Art Gallery of Western Australia
-
Entering precinct from Beaufort Street at east
-
Der Rufer (The Caller)
-
Boola Bardip
-
Inside Art Gallery of Western Australia
-
Jubilee Building
See also
- Picabar, connected to the Perth Institute of Contemporary Arts
References
- ^ "When did the Perth Cultural Centre project start?". Metropolitan Redevelopment Authority. Archived from the original on 21 April 2013. Retrieved 24 July 2013.
- ^ Perth Theatre Trust Annual Report 2016-2017 (PDF) (Report). Perth: Perth Theatre Trust. 2017. p. 41. Archived (PDF) from the original on 14 November 2017. Retrieved 22 December 2019.
- ^ 2018-19 Government Mid-year Financial Projections Statement (PDF) (Report). December 2018. p. 122. Archived from the original (PDF) on 22 December 2019. Retrieved 22 December 2019.
- ^ "inHerit - State Heritage Office". inherit.dplh.wa.gov.au. Retrieved 8 February 2026.
- ^ "History". Perth Cultural Centre. Retrieved 8 February 2026.
- ^ "Transforming a Neglected Square: Bringing Arts and Culture Outside at the Perth Cultural Center". www.pps.org. Retrieved 8 February 2026.
- ^ "Perth Cultural Centre". www.healthyactivebydesign.com.au. Archived from the original on 3 April 2025. Retrieved 8 February 2026.
- ^ "$55 million rejuvenation to breathe new life in Perth cultural icon". Arts and Culture Trust. Retrieved 8 February 2026.
- ^ "Rejuvenation Project". Perth Cultural Centre. Retrieved 8 February 2026.
- ^ "The Story Place". State Library of Western Australia. Retrieved 17 July 2022.
External links