ROYAL AUSTRALASIAN COLLEGE OF SURGEONS
250-290 SPRING STREET AND 2-40 VICTORIA PARADE MELBOURNE, MELBOURNE CITY
WORLD HERITAGE ENVIRONS AREA

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Statement of Significance
What is significant?
The Royal Australasian College of Surgeons building is located on a triangular area of land that was reserved for the National School Board in 1852. The Model and Training Schools, built between 1854 and 1856, was the first building to occupy the site. It was demolished after eighty years to allow for the construction of the new college in 1934.
Melbourne surgeon, Hugh Devine, was one of the original advocates for the formation of the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons and he was instrumental in obtaining the school site in Spring Street for the erection of their first headquarters in 1934. As founder, a foundation fellow, a member of council, and president in 1939-41, Devine had strong links with the college.
The College of Surgeons building was designed by architects Irwin and Stevenson, built by J.C. Taylor and opened in 1935 as the Australasian headquarters. The building, which provided the first permanent educational and administrative facilities for the college, was awarded the Royal Victorian Institute of Architects Street Architecture Medal in 1937.
This monumental Greek Revival building is on a prominent site and is visible from all sides. The building sits on a sandstone plinth and is constructed of brown bricks set in a Flemish bond with bands of black header courses. The brickwork has been designed to form subtle horizontal bands and recessed panels. The windows, with their small panes and fine architraves, are also formed into vertical panels to balance the brick work bands. There is a string course at the first floor level. An elongated pedimented sandstone portico, with square shaft columns, enhances the unusually tall facade and was the gift of prominent physician, A E Rowden White.
The college building has had various sympathetic alterations, including the addition of the east and west wings to the rear in 1963. The 'Forest Landscape' fountain, by the Australian sculptor Stephen Walker, was completed in 1969. Cast of bronze and located in the courtyard, it is composed of a series of organic forms that evoke growth, plants, rocks and flowing water.
How is it significant?
The Royal Australasian College of Surgeons is of architectural, historical and archaeological and aesthetic significance to the State of Victoria.
Why is it significant?
The Royal Australasian College of Surgeons is of architectural significance as an important example of the civic work undertaken by the architects Leighton Irwin and Roy Stevenson in a Greek Revival style, which was adopted for a number of commercial and institutional buildings in the 1920s and 1930s. The quality of this particular design was recognised in 1937 by the awarding of the Royal Victorian Architects' Street Architecture Medal.
The Royal Australasian College of Surgeons is of historical significance as a building with strong and continuing associations with this institution. As one of Melbourne's principal institutions, it has played a long and pivotal role in the development of Victoria's medical profession.
The Royal Australasian College of Surgeons is of historical significance for its association with well known Melbourne surgeon Sir Hugh Devine, and with Sir A E Rowden White, a prominent Melbourne physician and philanthropist.
The Royal Australasian College of Surgeons is of aesthetic significance for the sculptural fountain 'Forest Landscape' designed by Stephen Walker. It is an outstanding and relatively early example of Walker's work in an organic style, and is his only public commission in Melbourne.
The Royal Australasian College of Surgeons has archaeological significance for the below ground archaeological remains of the Model School built in the 1850s. The remains have a high potential to yield artefacts and other information about the school and its social history.
[Online Data Upgrade Project 2008]
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ROYAL AUSTRALASIAN COLLEGE OF SURGEONS - History
The Royal Australasian College of Surgeons building is located on a triangular area of land that was reserved for the National School Board in 1852. The Model and Training Schools, built between 1854 and 1856, was the first building to occupy the site. It was demolished after eighty years to allow for the construction of the new college in 1934.
Designed by A. E. Johnson, the Model and Training Schools was the first of its type in Victoria, providing training facilities for teachers as well as separate accommodation for boys, girls and infants. A large and impressive building, it was intended to provide the National School Board with a facility to rival the large number of schools built by the Denominational Board. This school was closed in 1904 and reopened in 1905 as the Melbourne Continuation School.
Melbourne surgeon, Hugh Devine, was one of the original advocates for the formation of the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons and he was instrumental in obtaining the school site in Spring Street for the erection of their first headquarters in 1934. As founder, a foundation fellow, a member of council, and president in 1939-41, Devine had strong links with the college.
The College of Surgeons building was designed by architects Irwin and Stevenson, built by J.C. Taylor and opened in 1935 as the Australasian headquarters. The building, which provided the first permanent educational and administrative facilities for the college, was awarded the Royal Victorian Institute of Architects Street Architecture Medal in 1937.
The draft statement of significance and the above history were produced as part of an Online Data Upgrade Project 2008. Sources were as follows:
L. J. Blake [ed]. Vision and Realisation 1973
L. Burchell. Victorian Schools. A study in Colonial Government Architecture 1837-1900. Melbourne 1980
A. Sutherland. Victoria and its Metropolis. Vol 1. Melbourne 1888
J. Alexander Allan. The Old Model School. 1852-1904. Melbourne 1934History of Place:
The Royal Australasian College of Surgeons held its first meeting in Canberra on March 31, 1928. Its first premises however were a single meeting room at 6 Collins Street during the period 1930-1935. The site on which the College now stands was occupied by the Model High School, from 1852-1932. When it became inadequate for this purpose it was leased to the College Of Surgeons. Restoration of the old structure was considered but an unfavourable report from the architect led to its demolition. The same architect, Irwin Leighton, was appointed in 1933 to design this new building. The new college, which fronts onto Lonsdale, Spring and Nicholson Streets, was opened in 1935 and in 1937 was awarded the Royal Victorian Institute of Architects Street Architecture Medal. When the lease expired the site was bought by the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons in 1992 for $4.2 million.
Associated People: Stephen Walker, sculptor
Sir Hugh Devine, physician
Sir A E Rowden White, founderROYAL AUSTRALASIAN COLLEGE OF SURGEONS - Plaque Citation
Designed by Irwin and Stevenson, this Australasian headquarters of the college was opened in 1935, replacing the 1850s Model School on the site. This Neo-Grecian building won the 1937 Royal Victorian Institute of Architects Street Architecture Medal.
ROYAL AUSTRALASIAN COLLEGE OF SURGEONS - Permit Exemptions
General Exemptions:General exemptions apply to all places and objects included in the Victorian Heritage Register (VHR). General exemptions have been designed to allow everyday activities, maintenance and changes to your property, which don’t harm its cultural heritage significance, to proceed without the need to obtain approvals under the Heritage Act 2017.Places of worship: In some circumstances, you can alter a place of worship to accommodate religious practices without a permit, but you must notify the Executive Director of Heritage Victoria before you start the works or activities at least 20 business days before the works or activities are to commence.Subdivision/consolidation: Permit exemptions exist for some subdivisions and consolidations. If the subdivision or consolidation is in accordance with a planning permit granted under Part 4 of the Planning and Environment Act 1987 and the application for the planning permit was referred to the Executive Director of Heritage Victoria as a determining referral authority, a permit is not required.Specific exemptions may also apply to your registered place or object. If applicable, these are listed below. Specific exemptions are tailored to the conservation and management needs of an individual registered place or object and set out works and activities that are exempt from the requirements of a permit. Specific exemptions prevail if they conflict with general exemptions. Find out more about heritage permit exemptions here.Specific Exemptions:General Conditions:
1. All alterations are to be planned and carried out in a manner which prevents damage to the fabric of the registered place or object.
2. Should it become apparent during further inspection or the carrying out of alterations 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 alteration shall cease and the Executive Director shall be notified as soon as possible.
3. If there is a conservation policy and plan approved by the Executive Director, all works shall be in accordance with it.
4. Nothing in this declaration prevents the Executive Director from amending or rescinding all or any of the permit exemptions.
5. Nothing in this declaration exempts owners or their agents from the responsibility to seek relevant planning or building permits from the responsible authority where applicable.
Exterior
* Minor repairs and maintenance which replace like with like.
* Removal of any extraneous items such as air conditioners, pipe work, ducting, wiring, antennae, aerials etc, and making good. General Conditions: 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 Conditions: 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. Note: All archaeological places have the potential to contain significant sub-surface artefacts and other remains. In most cases it will be necessary to obtain approval from the Executive Director, Heritage Victoria before the undertaking any works that have a significant sub-surface component.General Conditions: 3. If there is a conservation policy and planall works shall be in accordance with it. Note:A Conservation Management Plan or a Heritage Action Plan provides guidance for the management of the heritage values associated with the site. It may not be necessary to obtain a heritage permit for certain works specified in the management plan.
General Conditions: 4. Nothing in this determination prevents the Executive Director from amending or rescinding all or any of the permit exemptions. General Conditions: 5. Nothing in this determination exempts owners or their agents from the responsibility to seek relevant planning or building permits from the responsible authorities where applicable. Minor Works : Note: Any Minor Works that in the opinion of the Executive Director will not adversely affect the heritage significance of the place may be exempt from the permit requirements of the Heritage Act. A person proposing to undertake minor works must submit a proposal to the Executive Director. If the Executive Director is satisfied that the proposed works will not adversely affect the heritage values of the site, the applicant may be exempted from the requirement to obtain a heritage permit. If an applicant is uncertain whether a heritage permit is required, it is recommended that the permits co-ordinator be contacted.ROYAL AUSTRALASIAN COLLEGE OF SURGEONS - Permit Exemption Policy
The primary significance of the place is the administration building built in 1934. This structure has an extremely high degree of integrity, and apart from routine maintenance and works that replace like materials with like, permits would be required for any structural works. Changes to the overall internal decorative scheme should only be made after consultation with Heritage Victoria.
The two wings added in the 1960s to the rear of the administration building do not form part of the registration. A permit is nor required for demolition nor for any alterations to these wings.
All the land is registered, and permits are required for any new structures on the site.
The site has a high archaeological potential to yield artefacts and other information about the Model School that occupied the site from the 1850s until the 1930s. Any building work that disturbs the ground level will require a permit, in order that an archaeological assessment can be made.
The fountain sculpture forms part of the registration. A change of location (still on the college site) would require a permit, but such a move would not necessarily adversely affect its significance.The registered place is located within the declared World Heritage Environs Area for the Royal Exhibition Building and Carlton Gardens. In accordance with the permit considerations set out in the Heritage Act 1995, proposed works to the registered place must consider:
- the effect of the works on the World Heritage values of the Royal Exhibition Building and Carlton Gardens; and
- the approved "World Heritage Environs Area Strategy Plan: Royal Exhibition Building and Carlton Gardens" (Department of Planning and Community Development, 2009).
The Commonwealth's Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 and Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Regulations 2000, as they relate to actions that may impact on World Heritage values, must also be considered.
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