Rockdale Town Hall, Art Deco municipal building in Rockdale, Australia
Rockdale Town Hall is a face-brick civic building with stone copings and window architraves, standing at the corner of Princes Highway and Bryant Street. Its entrance is marked by a stone portico and a brick tower. Inside, the walls and ceilings carry art deco plaster details; the council chamber measured 49 by 28 feet and the auditorium 85 by 56 feet when built.
The building opened in 1940 when Lord Wakehurst, Governor of New South Wales, cut the ribbon at a grand ceremony. It was designed by Douglas Gardiner during a period when Australian towns were constructing modern civic centers.
The halls have hosted local meetings and community gatherings for residents since opening. Visitors can still sense this public purpose in the layout and generous proportions of the assembly spaces.
The building sits prominently at a major intersection and is easy to spot from the street. Visitors should be aware it functions as an active municipal office with potentially limited visiting hours.
The council chamber measured 49 by 28 feet and the auditorium 85 by 56 feet when the hall opened, and the whole building cost A£20,000. Look for the stone copings and the stone surrounds on the window architraves, details that set the face brickwork apart.
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