Document ID: chunk:federal_register_of_legislation:F2022L00620:body:0:p5
Version: federal_register_of_legislation:F2022L00620
Segment Type: other
Provision Reference: 
Character Range: 11597–14553

Block and the Provisional Parliament House.
West Block comprises a series of four three-storey wings (or blocks) of varying footprint connected on a north-south axis.  It was designed in the interwar Stripped Classical style (also referred to as Modern Renaissance).  Distinguishing characteristics of the architectural language include horizontal massing, symmetrical façades divided into vertical bays, classical proportions and a general absence of applied detail.  It was a pragmatic and well-resolved solution to the challenge of accommodating a variety of official uses and operations within a tight timeframe.  The building has been subject to incremental change since 1937-38, when the first major works were carried out, including infilling of the original corner verandahs and balconies.  The last phase of external alterations was completed in 1948.
There is a triangular at-grade car park to the west of the building, which is contemporary with the site's establishment and is within Block 3, Section 23 Parkes (part).  A larger car park to the east of West Block, which dates from the late-1950s and is located on higher ground, is not within the site boundary.  There is a service road to the west of the West Block, separating the building from the triangular integral car park.
An embankment to the east of the office building dates to 1925-26, when the site was partially levelled.  The Dugout, a 1942 air raid shelter, is built into the embankment.  At the beginning of 1943, the shelter was adapted to accommodate a Typex cypher machine, used for coding and decoding cables.  The Typex machine enabled Prime Minister John Curtin to communicate directly with British Prime Minister Winston Churchill and American President Franklin Roosevelt during World War II.  The building has been in use as a substation since 1945.
The landscape treatment to the north and west of West Block, including around the triangular car park, was established in the 1920s, as part of the broader landscaping for the south end of the Parliamentary Triangle.  Remnants of the formal 1920s landscape treatment, including mature deciduous trees and some hedges, are extant both within the subject site and addressing both sides of Queen Victoria Terrace.  The native plantings to the south and south-east of West Block are generally more recent.
The site includes no significant objects or items of moveable heritage.

Findings
The assessment of significance undertaken for this HMP has found that West Block satisfies the CHL threshold for: Criterion A (historical significance), Criterion D (principal characteristics), Criterion E (aesthetic significance), Criterion F (creative/technical significance) and Criterion H (significant associations).
West Block is of historical significance to Australia for its association with Federation.  The building is a component of the Parliament House Secretariat group, the first premises purpose-built for Australia's