John Gorton Building

The John Gorton Building is on the Commonwealth Heritage List, and widely celebrated for its characteristics and aesthetic value.

Planned in 1924, designed in 1946 and completed in 1956, the Administrative Building is significant as a good Canberra example of the inter-war Stripped Classical style.

Key features of this style displayed by the building include: the symmetrical facades; the division of the elevations into vertical bays; the occasional use of correct Classical details; the use of a basic Classical column form; the expressed portico; the simple surface treatments; and subdued spandrels between the storeys which emphasise verticality.

Design elements which retain a high level of integrity include the exterior, foyers, lift lobbies and central corridors. 

The Administrative Building is also part of the significant cultural landscape of the National Triangle. It occupies a prominent and strategic location flanking the land axis in accordance with the 1916 Griffin plan. Together with the later Treasury Building balancing its mass across the central lawns of the land axis, the Administrative Building contributes to the planned aesthetic qualities of the National Triangle.

Read more about the Heritage significance of the John Gorton Building here: Australian Heritage Database (environment.gov.au)