A piece of the precinct: Former Stawell literary institute building one of a rare few

One of the few remaining “substantially intact” examples of 19th century mechanics and literary institutes, Stawell’s former Literary and Scientific Institute, is on the market for $600,000.

🕰️ Significance: The building is individually heritage listed, but is also part of the Stawell Historic Precinct, in a group classification under the National Trust.

There are “no known architectural equivalents” in the region, according to the listing agent. 

Other sites still existing in the precinct are Shire Hall, Court House, Police Lock Up, Post and Telegraph Office, Police Superintendent’s Residence and the old Police Stables.

❓ When was it built? While records vary, the building is believed to have been built between 1866 and 1870. For a period, the site was also the Stawell Commercial and Grammar School, though the exact dates are unclear.

According to the Stawell Historical Society, it was the second building to host the Literary and Scientific Institute.

🤷‍♀️ What was it? A Literary and Scientific Institute, more commonly known as a mechanics institute, was a facility dedicated to offering adult education to working class men, often through books, lectures or courses. 

The institutes aimed to offer an “alternative pastime” to gambling or drinking alcohol. 

🍀 Third time’s a charm: The first building was opened on October 16, 1860, and was in use as the original shire office and the institute, when it was destroyed in the Great Fire of Stawell on February 18, 1866. Many other businesses were also destroyed in the town’s main street.

The second institute building, the site listed for sale, was damaged in a fire in 1874, and later that decade underwent a “residential conversion”. 

The third instalment of the institute officially opened on October 17, 1875, built at a cost of £3,500. 

⏩ Present day: In more recent history, the building has operated as a cafe and restaurant. 

The description notes the interior features the original staircase and “largely unaltered 19th-century form and fabric”.