Previous find of the month

Development of Civic Centre & City Hill - 1922

ACT Heritge Committee Plaque to commemorate the opening of Canberra's Civic Centre
(on the Melbourne Building corner of London Cct & Northbourne Ave)

This month we are looking at the file 'PC35/6/1 - Development of Civic Centre & City Hill - General File'.  This file covers the early ideas for housing in Blanfordia (Forrest), Telopea Park School and the planning of Civic Centre by the Federal Capital Advisory Committee in 1922.

The report referenced in these folios is 'Federal Capital Advisory Committee - Construction of Canberra - First General Report' printed 29th of September 1921.  A PDF version can be downloaded here: ( PDF 17.5Mb) 

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The Federal Capital Advisory Committee had been formed in 1921 to advise the Minister of Home Affairs on the Construction of Canberra and Review the Griffin Plan.  The committee operated until 1924 when it was replaced by the Federal Capital Commission. 

The members of the Federal Capital Advisory Committee were:

• Charles Studdy Daley  
• Ernest Macartney de Burgh
• John Thomas Hill Goodwin
• Colonel Percy Thomas Owen
• Herbert E. Ross
• Sir John Sulman (Chairman) 

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The following folios illustrate that departure from the Giffin Plan was in evidence before construction had even begun.  The blocks of "specific self contained shopping centre surrounded by a continuous arcade" appear to be describing the Sydney and Melbourne buildings.

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Links to external sites:

• Federal Capital Advisory Committee : Construction of Canberra : First General Report - 29/09/1921 ( PDF 17.5Mb)
• NCA : 1921-1924 Federal Capital Advisory Committee  
• Sydney & Melbourne Buildings Conservation Management Plan ( PDF 8.89Mb)

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