The restoration of Subiaco Library (E H Parker Library) to its former glory is a step closer after Council awarded the tender for works at this week’s Ordinary Council Meeting.
The library is a landmark building in Subiaco but past landscape and design choices coupled with rising damp has resulted in a decline in the condition of the exterior of the building.
The project will restore, remediate and ultimately enhance the exterior of this important building that forms part of the City’s Local Heritage Register, preserving it for future generations.
The tender award means the project can now progress to implementation, which will include a period of closure (estimated to be 3-4 months); during this time a pop-up library will be established in the former Council Chambers at 241 Rokeby Road.
Specific dates and more detail will be communicated to library members and the wider community once confirmed.
Council gave the restoration project the green light in May 2022. Read about the planned works on our
major projects page.
For more information on the tender award, see the
July 2023 Ordinary Council Meeting documents.
A brief history of the library:
- The library was designed by architects Silver Goldberg
- It was opened on 25 February 1971
- At the time, it was the most aggressively modern building in Subiaco
- In 2002, the library underwent alterations and additions including the addition of a lift and air-conditioning, and the conversion of the former entry and function room into the children’s library
- When the library was re-opened in April 2002, it was dedicated to Evelyn H Parker – former Mayor of Subiaco and the first woman Mayor in Western Australia
- In 2019, the interior of the library was refurbished to bring it up-to-date with community expectations and needs