Corner of Waldeck St and Moreton Terrace.
The Mechanics Institute was built in 1881 by to help working men to self-education as a place where they could attend lectures, read the newspapers and periodicals of the day, or enjoy a game of chess or cards. These limestone rubble and corrugated iron buildings, known as the ‘greater’ and ‘lesser’ public halls, were destroyed by fire in 1950.
The present hall was designed by significant Western Australian architect William G Bennett and constructed using bricks made at the Irwin Brick Works. The hall was opened in 1953 by local member David Brand MLA who later became Premier of WA and became the hub of Dongara’s social life, hosting meetings and dances. The original roof was built with an innovative Arcon tubular steel roof truss system. The Dongara Hall is of high aesthetic significance for the extensive use of Irwin warm red bricks in its construction, of which there are only a few examples in the Shire, and as the only post-war Art Deco public building in the shire. In 1958 a new Road Board/Shire office was built on the south side of the hall in a similar style. This replaced the 1910 office (place No 9). It was largely demolished in 1974, although parts remain incorporated in the present offices. The Pensioner Hall was added to the south-west of the main hall in 2000.
Dongara Mechanic’s Institute Halls, c1900 I IRME0155
