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| Forrest Place | |
|---|---|
| Name | Forrest Place |
| Location | Perth, Western Australia |
| Established | 1920s |
| Type | Public square |
| Designer | Harold Boas; William Leighton |
Forrest Place is a prominent pedestrian plaza in central Perth, Western Australia adjacent to Perth railway station and the Murray Street Mall. It functions as a civic forecourt linking St George's Terrace, Murray Street, and the Perth Cultural Centre precinct, forming an axis between commercial, transport, and cultural institutions. The site has been associated with political demonstrations, public gatherings, retail façades, and heritage debates involving municipal and state agencies.
Originally part of the 19th-century grid laid out during the foundation of Swan River Colony settlements, the location evolved through the late 19th and early 20th centuries as Perth expanded. The square’s development intersected with projects such as the construction of the Perth railway station and works by the Western Australian Government Railways. During the interwar period, civic planning by figures linked to the Perth City Council and architects influenced by Edwardian architecture and Art Deco movements reshaped adjoining streets. The plaza became a focal point for public life through events connected to Anzac Day commemorations, Australian Labor Party rallies, and demonstrations during the 1960s and 1970s social movements. Redevelopment proposals in the late 20th century involved consultations with entities including the State Heritage Office (Western Australia), developers tied to the Hay Street Mall precinct, and metropolitan planners advising the Metropolitan Redevelopment Authority (Western Australia).
The square’s layout reflects early 20th-century civic design principles aligning with axis planning seen elsewhere in Commonwealth cities. Materials and treatments incorporate paving and canopy elements consistent with mid-century refurbishments influenced by firms engaged with the Public Works Department (Western Australia). The spatial arrangement creates a forecourt in front of Perth railway station with pedestrian flows oriented toward retail corridors such as Murray Street and Hay Street. Landscape elements echo interventions by landscape architects associated with the Royal Australian Institute of Architects guidelines and municipal landscape programs. Lighting and signage upgrades over successive decades coordinated by the City of Perth and state transport authorities respond to integrated transport interchanges promoted by agencies like the Transperth network.
Key built fabric around the plaza includes the historic 1920s facade of Perth railway station, commercial premises formerly occupied by retail chains and department stores, and civic structures designed by architects noted within Western Australian architectural history. Nearby cultural institutions include the Perth Institute of Contemporary Arts, State Library of Western Australia, and the Western Australian Museum located within the greater Perth Cultural Centre. High-profile nearby office towers occupied by corporations, law firms, and banks relate to the commercial spine of St George's Terrace and connect to precincts such as Elizabeth Quay and the Perth Concert Hall. Heritage-listed properties in the vicinity have been assessed by the Heritage Council of Western Australia and listed on municipal inventories maintained by the City of Perth.
The plaza has hosted a broad spectrum of public activities: political demonstrations linked to the Australian Council of Trade Unions, community festivals organized by City of Perth event teams, street performances associated with the Perth Fringe Festival, and market-style activations supported by business improvement associations like the Perth Central Business District Association. Ceremonial gatherings during ANZAC Day and civic commemorations have taken place here, as have impromptu rallies related to national debates involving the High Court of Australia rulings and federal parliamentary actions. The space has also been a site for promotional campaigns by entities such as major media outlets, retail conglomerates, and cultural promoters from the Perth Festival.
Functioning as an interface to the Perth railway station, the plaza supports multimodal transfers with services operated by Transperth Trains and bus interchanges connecting to suburban lines radiating across Metropolitan Perth. Pedestrian linkages to the Murray Street Mall and Hay Street Mall integrate with cycling routes and provisions informed by transport planning from the Public Transport Authority (Western Australia). Accessibility upgrades have been implemented in line with standards advocated by disability advocacy organizations and state accessibility codes administered through the Department of Transport (Western Australia). Proposals to improve connectivity with waterfront developments at Elizabeth Quay have involved coordination with the Metropolitan Redevelopment Authority (Western Australia) and private developers.
Conservation of the plaza and adjoining façades has involved assessments by the Heritage Council of Western Australia, listings on municipal heritage registers, and debates over adaptive reuse championed by preservation groups and heritage architects associated with the Australian Institute of Architects. Balancing commercial redevelopment pressures from national retail landlords, property investors, and municipal renewal schemes has required input from planning tribunals such as the State Administrative Tribunal (Western Australia) and coordination with the Department of Planning, Lands and Heritage (Western Australia). Heritage outcomes have been shaped by case studies in Australian urban conservation policy and precedents involving places like the Perth Town Hall and the conservation approaches used for Fremantle precincts.