Survey Data
Reg No
50130268
Rating
Regional
Categories of Special Interest
Architectural, Artistic, Social
Original Use
School
In Use As
School
Date
1925 - 1930
Coordinates
317831, 236970
Date Recorded
03/07/2018
Date Updated
--/--/--
Description
Detached fifteen-bay two-storey T-plan Christian Brothers' girls' and infants' school, built 1925-6, having tetrastyle portico entrance and gabled wide single-bay ends to front (south) elevation, five-bay side elevations, double-pile nine-bay block at right angles to rear and, and with later two-storey additions to north. Hipped clay pantile roofs with tiled hips and ridges, having original cast-iron rainwater goods, with timber arcaded lantern above portico with pyramidal pantile roof surmounted by copper cross. Roughcast cement-rendered walls with painted stucco plinth course, frieze and cornice, simple entablature and pilasters framing bays to portico, and double pilasters framing end bays and side elevations. Square-headed window openings throughout with granite sills, raised surrounds and timber sliding sash windows, tripartite to end bays of front elevation, six-over-six pane to ground floor and three-over-three pane to first floor, with three-pane overlights, pivoting to ground floor; shallow elliptical-headed recess to rear elevation of double-pile block with scroll keystone, double two-over-two pane windows with two-pane toplights and having oculus above. Elliptical-headed principal entrance with painted moulded stucco surround, scroll keystone, timber double-leaf fielded door with three-panel leaves with three-pane sidelights and panelled stall-risers flanked by panelled pilasters, surmounted by spoked timber fanlight and paned surround, and fronted by two granite steps; matching secondary entrance to west with metal boot-scrapes; simple square-headed entrance to north. Lawns to front, enclosed by replacement plinth walls with steel railings and original gate piers of vermiculated rusticated granite with Portland Stone swag friezes and cornices; raised and tarmac schoolyard to rear with miscellaneous additional structures.
Appraisal
A well-proportioned girls' and infants' school, built to designs by Ralph Byrne, showcasing a confident interwar freestyle classicism. The building was erected in connection with the neighbouring church and Christian Brothers Boys' School and St. Patrick's Monastery, all characterized by a similar style. The school's classicism gives a sense of institutional grandeur and a distinctly Continental feel, especially displayed by the crisp white-painted stucco details and pantile roof. The building retains its original character to the south elevation, although additional blocks at the rear have altered the plan. The building is prominently located on Griffith Avenue, making a strong contribution to the architectural quality and variety of the Marino area.