page_title: New South Wales Government Architect
section_title: Walter Liberty Vernon (1890–1911)
hierarchical_section_title: New South Wales Government Architect / Colonial architects / Walter Liberty Vernon (1890–1911)
context_page_description: The New South Wales Government Architect, an appointed officer of the Government of New South Wales, serves as the General Manager of the Government Architect's Office, a multi-disciplinary consultancy operating on commercial principles providing architecture, design, and engineering services, that is an agency of the government within NSW Public Works.
  Historically, the government architect was in charge of the government's public building projects across the state of New South Wales, Australia. Since the 1990s, when the consultancy service began operating on commercial principles, the Government Architect has reported separately in a second capacity, as an advisor to the government, and serves on various committees and boards in relation to heritage protection, architecture, and design.
  The first officer in the role, then styled Colonial Architect, was Francis Greenway, appointed in 1816.
context_section_description: Vernon was born in 1846 at High Wycombe in England, and worked in private practice in Sydney before joining the newly named Government Architect's Branch in 1890 as Branch Head. Funds and staff were depleted for the first years of Vernon's term, until 1894, in response to the depression, the Government voted 136,635 pounds for the new building works.
  Under Vernon's directorship the Arts and Craft style came to be used increasingly for public buildings. Notable examples include the Fire Stations at Darlinghurst and Pyrmont, as well as Post Offices and country Courthouses. Using the Arts and Crafts style meant these buildings were less monumental than those built by Barnet. However, Vernon also built a number of major public buildings, such as the Mitchell wing at the State Library, the Art Gallery of New South Wales, Fisher Library at the University of Sydney and Central railway station, Sydney. These buildings maintained the classical tradition. Vernon also added to a number of the buildings designed by his predecessors including Customs House, the GPO and the Chief Secretaries building.
  The office under Vernon was responsible for the design and installation of the elaborate decorations and illuminations in the city to celebrate the Federation of the Australian colonies in 1900. Vernon retired from the position of Government Architect on 11 August 1911.
caption: Walter Vernon
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