Maitland Town Hall & adj Office Building & Supper Room

Item details


Name of item:	Maitland Town Hall & adj Office Building & Supper Room
Other name/s:	Maitland City Council Administration Centre
Type of item:	Built
Group/Collection:	Community Facilities
Category:	Hall Town Hall
Location:	Lat: -32.7376296541 Long: 151.5606286210
Primary address:	High Street, Maitland, NSW 2320
Parish:	Maitland
County:	Northumberland
Local govt. area:	Maitland
Local Aboriginal Land Council:	Mindaribba

Property description

Lot/Volume Code	Lot/Volume Number	Plan/Folio Code	Plan/Folio Number
LOT	414	DP	1096629
LOT	23	DP	1096701
LOT	1	DP	117532

All addresses

Street Address	Suburb/town	LGA	Parish	County	Type
High Street	Maitland	Maitland	Maitland	Northumberland	Primary Address

Owner/s

Organisation Name	Owner Category	Date Ownership Updated
Maitland City Council	Local Government	29 Mar 99

Statement of significance:


	Maitland Town Hall is significant within New South Wales as a representative of nineteenth-century civic centres with grand architectural forms. This town hall’s Victorian Architecture is impressive in its High Street streetscape and intact state. The tower makes the town hall a local landmark and reinforces the role of High Street as the dominant thoroughfare of the town. The town hall is the best example of its type within the Upper Hunter region, and comparable to other regional town halls of the 1880s Boom period. It is of regional significance for demonstrating the growth, prosperity and regional importance of West Maitland from the 1880s. The continuation of the original council chamber functions provides evidence for the civic stability of Maitland and has associations with key events and people in Maitland’s municipal history. The town hall has important associations with the cultural life of West Maitland and wider region as a venue for performers and focal point for community events. Reference : adapted from Maitland Town Hall Heritage Impact Statement by Heritas Architecture dated November 2005
	Date significance updated: 09 Jul 19
	Note: The State Heritage Inventory provides information about heritage items listed by local and State government agencies. The State Heritage Inventory is continually being updated by local and State agencies as new information becomes available. Read the Department of Premier and Cabinet copyright and disclaimer.

Historic themes

Australian theme (abbrev)	New South Wales theme	Local theme
3. Economy-Developing local, regional and national economies	Environment - cultural landscape-Activities associated with the interactions between humans, human societies and the shaping of their physical surroundings	Developing local, regional and national economies-National Theme 3
3. Economy-Developing local, regional and national economies	Environment - cultural landscape-Activities associated with the interactions between humans, human societies and the shaping of their physical surroundings	Landscapes of urban amenity-
4. Settlement-Building settlements, towns and cities	Accommodation-Activities associated with the provision of accommodation, and particular types of accommodation – does not include architectural styles – use the theme of Creative Endeavour for such activities.	Building settlements, towns and cities-National Theme 4
4. Settlement-Building settlements, towns and cities	Accommodation-Activities associated with the provision of accommodation, and particular types of accommodation – does not include architectural styles – use the theme of Creative Endeavour for such activities.	Architectural design-
4. Settlement-Building settlements, towns and cities	Land tenure-Activities and processes for identifying forms of ownership and occupancy of land and water, both Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal	Townships-
4. Settlement-Building settlements, towns and cities	Land tenure-Activities and processes for identifying forms of ownership and occupancy of land and water, both Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal	Changing land uses - from suburban to urban-
4. Settlement-Building settlements, towns and cities	Towns, suburbs and villages-Activities associated with creating, planning and managing urban functions, landscapes and lifestyles in towns, suburbs and villages	Civic centre-
4. Settlement-Building settlements, towns and cities	Towns, suburbs and villages-Activities associated with creating, planning and managing urban functions, landscapes and lifestyles in towns, suburbs and villages	19th Century Infrastructure-
4. Settlement-Building settlements, towns and cities	Towns, suburbs and villages-Activities associated with creating, planning and managing urban functions, landscapes and lifestyles in towns, suburbs and villages	Beautifying towns and villages-
7. Governing-Governing	Government and Administration-Activities associated with the governance of local areas, regions, the State and the nation, and the administration of public programs - includes both principled and corrupt activities.	Local government-
7. Governing-Governing	Government and Administration-Activities associated with the governance of local areas, regions, the State and the nation, and the administration of public programs - includes both principled and corrupt activities.	Town Hall-
7. Governing-Governing	Government and Administration-Activities associated with the governance of local areas, regions, the State and the nation, and the administration of public programs - includes both principled and corrupt activities.	Local and municipal self-governance-
8. Culture-Developing cultural institutions and ways of life	Creative endeavour-Activities associated with the production and performance of literary, artistic, architectural and other imaginative, interpretive or inventive works; and/or associated with the production and expression of cultural phenomena; and/or environments that have inspired such creative activities.	Developing cultural institutions and ways of life-National Theme 8
8. Culture-Developing cultural institutions and ways of life	Creative endeavour-Activities associated with the production and performance of literary, artistic, architectural and other imaginative, interpretive or inventive works; and/or associated with the production and expression of cultural phenomena; and/or environments that have inspired such creative activities.	Architectural styles and periods - Victorian (late)-
8. Culture-Developing cultural institutions and ways of life	Creative endeavour-Activities associated with the production and performance of literary, artistic, architectural and other imaginative, interpretive or inventive works; and/or associated with the production and expression of cultural phenomena; and/or environments that have inspired such creative activities.	Architectural styles and periods - Victorian Boom-

Procedures /Exemptions

Section of act	Description	Title	Comments	Action date
57(2)	Exemption to allow work	Heritage Act	57(2) on adj.bldgs,NOT on Town Hall Order Under Section 57(2) to exempt the following activities from Section 57(1): grant an exemption from subsection (1) (e) of section 57 of the said act in respect of the former office building and supper room adjacent to the Maitland Town Hall, High Street, Maitland, being the land shown edged heavy black on the plan catalogued H.C. 365 in the office of the Heritage Council of New South Wales.	Sep 9 1983
CMP-Comment	Conservation Plan submitted for comment	Conservation Management Plan for Town Hall		Jul 3 2012
57(2)	Exemption to allow work	Standard Exemptions	HERITAGE ACT 1977 ORDER UNDER SECTION 57(2) TO GRANT STANDARD EXEMPTIONS FROM APPROVAL I, Penny Sharpe, the Minister for Heritage, on the recommendation of the Heritage Council of New South Wales and under section 57(2) of the Heritage Act 1977: revoke the order made on 2 June 2022 and published in the Government Gazette Number 262 of 17 June 2022; and grant an exemption from section 57(1) of the Act in respect of the engaging in or carrying out the class of activities described in clause 2 Schedule A in such circumstances specified by the relevant standards in clause 2 Schedule A and General Conditions in clause 3 Schedule A. This Order takes effect on the date it is published in the NSW Government Gazette. Dated this 29th day of October 2025 The Hon Penny Sharpe MLC Minister for Heritage For more information on standard exemptions click on the link below.	Nov 7 2025

Standard exemptions for engaging in or carrying out activities / works otherwise prohibited by section 57(1) of the Heritage Act 1977

Listings

Heritage Listing	Listing Number	Gazette Date	Gazette Number	Gazette Page
Heritage Act - State Heritage Register	00183	02 Apr 99	27	1546
Heritage Act - Permanent Conservation Order - former	00183	04 Sep 81	134	4732
Local Environmental Plan	1993	03 Sep 93	098	5526

References, internet links & images

Type	Author	Year	Title	Internet Links
Written	Heritas Architecture	2006	adapted from Maitland Town Hall Heritage Impact Statement
Written	Jyoti Somerville Pty Ltd (February 2003)	2003	Maitland Town Hall - Conservation Management Plan
Tourism	Maitland - Hunter Valley	2013	High Street Architecture Heritage Walk	View detail
Written	Prof R Ian Jack in association with Jyoti Somerville	1999	Maitland Town Hall Historical Study
Tourism	Tourism NSW	2007	Maitland Heritage Walk (central precinct)	View detail

Note: internet links may be to web pages, documents or images.

(Click on thumbnail for full size image and image details)

Data source


The information for this entry comes from the following source:
Name:	Heritage NSW
Database number:	5045675
File number:	S90/07095 & HC 32529

Every effort has been made to ensure that information contained in the State Heritage Inventory is correct. If you find any errors or omissions please send your comments to the Database Manager.

All information and pictures on this page are the copyright of Heritage NSW or respective copyright owners.