Barracks Arch, Gothic Revival building in Perth, Australia
Barracks Arch is a three-story building with a Tudor-style entrance built from locally sourced bricks, positioned at the western end of St Georges Terrace. It stands at the corner of Malcolm and Elder Streets with carefully preserved architectural details from its construction period.
Built between 1863 and 1866, it housed members of the Enrolled Pensioner Force who guarded arriving convict ships in the region. Its construction occurred during a period when the colony was establishing military infrastructure to manage security concerns.
The building shows how military operations were woven into the city's fabric through its physical structure and location near important streets. It represents a time when such institutions shaped how the town developed and organized itself.
The building sits at a central intersection and is easy to reach on foot from nearby areas. You can view the facade from the street and examine the architectural features from multiple angles.
It nearly faced demolition in the 1960s to make way for a highway, but parliamentary decisions protected it following public advocacy. This was an early victory for building preservation efforts in the city.
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