RAH buildings listed by Heritage Council

Five buildings nominated for heritage listing by the National Trust have been added to the State Heritage Register.

The Sheridan Building, the Bice Building, the Women’s Health Centre, the Allied Health  Services Building and the McEwin Building have all been added to the register, joining the nearby Margaret Graham Nurses’ Home, which was listed in 1983.

SA Heritage Council Deputy Chair Carolyn Wigg said the six buildings made up the Royal Adelaide Hospital South-West Precinct.

“The Royal Adelaide Hospital plays a major role in South Australian history, having functioned as the state’s principal public teaching hospital and centre for medical research
and training for more than 170 years,” Ms Wigg said. “These buildings occupy a prominent place on the hospital site, forming a cohesive group that represents the early 20th-century planning for a larger and more efficient hospital.
They were constructed over a period of nearly 50 years, between 1908 and 1946, yet thanks to the 1921-22 Master Plan, they complement each other in design and appearance. Together they form an important landmark on the corner of North Terrace and Frome Road,  representing the main entrance to the hospital for most patients and visitors.”

Largely funded by a private bequest, the Sheridan Building is a small octagonal structure, built in 1925 to be the hospital kiosk. The four-storey Bice Building, which was finished in 1927, reflects modern theories of hospital design, including the inclusion of cross-ventilation  and north-south balconies to allow patients to enjoy fresh air and sunshine.

The Women’s Health Centre and Allied Health Services Building were both opened in 1935,with the Allied Health Services Building originally designed to house casualty and admissions. The Women’s Health Centre, which started life as the outpatients’ department, had previously been listed as a local heritage place by the Adelaide City Council.

Completed in 1946, the McEwin Building was designed as the operating theatre block, with nine theatres and an x-ray department.

All five of these buildings are now included on the State Heritage Register, which offers some form of protection in the planned redevelopment of the hospital site.