Port Adelaide Institute

Commercial Road facade. Foundation stone 31 Oct 1874 by David Bower, architect Robert George Thomas, opened 23 Oct 1876 on site of earlier bond store. Building sold to Customs when library & nautical museum relocated Jul 1959 to St Vincent Street, transferred to Port Adelaide Corporation 1979, becoming a free library, moving to Church St 1991. First Institute opened Jul 1851 in meeting room of George Coppin’s White Horse Cellars Inn.

 

“a number of individuals, interested in the mental improvement of the Port, met at the Court-House, to found a Mechanics' Institute and Literary Institution and Library. . . Mr. Coppin had promised them the use of the Masonic Hall, also of his large and valuable library, and even a benefit at the theatre on their paying the necessary expenses.” [Register 29 May 1851]

 

“A meeting. . . was held at the White Horse Cellar, Port Adelaide, on Friday, September 2, for the purpose of establishing a library and reading-room. . . About 30 persons were present.” [Advertiser 3 Sep 1859]

 

“Opening of the Port Adelaide Institute. -The opening soiree of subscribers and the public. . . in the large room of the White Horse Cellar, which was densely crowded by the residents of the Port and its vicinity, not less than from 400 to 500 persons being present. . . The Institution had received a good supply of periodicals and magazines through the Adelaide Institute. They had also received a quantity of books. The Government had favorably entertained an application for rooms in the present Custom-House, where, it was to be hoped, they might shortly be domiciled.” [Advertiser 18 Oct 1859]

 

“subscribers to the Port Adelaide Institute held their first annual meeting in the Reading-Room, White Horse Cellar. . . the total number of subscribers had been 129. . . number of books on the shelves 350.” [Advertiser 26 Oct 1860]

 

“The buildings formerly occupied by the Customs Department, the Local Court, and the Police Station, but rendered vacant by the erection of the new buildings, are undergoing a course of alterations to fit them for the occupation of other branches of the public service. The late Custom-House is to be transformed into a Telegraph Office. . . The old Court-House has been handed over to the Port Corporation for a Town Hall — a purpose for which it is well suited. The Port Adelaide Institute will also be allowed the use of those premises for their library and reading-room.” [Register 26 Dec 1860]

 

“letter from the Port Adelaide Institute, asking when it would be convenient for the Council to allow them to occupy the Council room, proposed by the Government, when not otherwise engaged. The Town Clerk was instructed to reply the Corporation had no objection to their coming in, but think the room unsuited for their purposes, and suggested their making further application to the Government for a room for themselves.” [Advertiser 23 Feb 1861]

 

“The annual meeting of the subscribers of the Port Adelaide Institute was held in the Institute Room, North-parade. . . Gratification was expressed at the success attending the opening of the institute during three evenings of each week, for reading, &c, to afford an opportunity to those benefitted by the early closing movement.” [Advertiser 7 Oct 1863]

 

“The Committee of the Port Adelaide Institute have removed their Library and Reading-room to the Town Hall, the Council having granted the use of one of the rooms on the first floor for that purpose.” [Advertiser 28 May 1867]

 

“A meeting of the subscribers and friends of the Port Adelaide Institute was held on Friday evening, January 20, at the new reading rooms, lately the telegraph office, to take into consideration the desirableness of altering the annual payment of £1 to 12s.” [Advertiser 24 Jan 1871]

 

“For some years past this institution has been in a very languishing state, but recently its management has fallen into good hands. . . The library and public reading-room have been removed from the Town Hall, and the offices that were portion of the old Telegraph Station have been fitted up for these purposes. Since the committee reduced the subscription to 12s. per annum they have had a large increase of members, 140 being at the present time. . . the reading-room has been thrown open from 10 o'clock a.m. until 10 p.m. The Committee in making these alterations have had to engage a librarian, who could devote his whole time to the services of the Institute.” [Advertiser 6 May 1871]

 

“Port Adelaide Institute. . . One of the most noticeable features in connection with the Institute is the museum, which now occupies the third room. . . Curios from Europe, Asia; Africa, Fiji, and various parts of Australia, are ranged round the walls; fossils, shells, corals, birds, war weapons, ornaments, articles of dress, insects, reptiles, fish, human skulls, English and foreign coins. . . The collection was initiated by the present Librarian.” [Register 15 Jan 1872]

 

“Mr. David Bower, of Port Adelaide, had generously offered to give the sum of £500 towards the erection of a suitable building for thePort Adelaide Institute, the only condition being that a similar amount was subscribed by other means.” [Register 17 Oct 72]

 

“the old bonded store on the Government Reserve, the site of which has been handed over for the site of the new Port Adelaide Institute, is in course of being pulled down, we presume to make way for the new building. The store hitherto was leased by Captain Simpson, who generously gave up the lease before expiry in order to admit of the erection of the Institute at an early date.” [Advertiser 5 Dec 1873]

 

“The foundation stone of the new building for the Port Adelaide Institute is to be laid with much ceremony this afternoon by Mr. David Bower, whose liberal donation was the means of initiating the movement. A procession is to be formed at the Town Hall, and proceed by way of St Vincent and Mundy streets and the North Parade to the site of the building in the Commercial-road.” [Register 31 Oct 1874]

 

“Port Adelaide Institute. . . has already reached the level of the ground-floor. . . The foundation-stone, which is of Macclesfield marble, is to be placed in the south-east corner. . . immediately above the freestone moulded plinth, and will serve as a rusticated quoin. . . His Worship the Mayor (Mr. J. M. Sinclair) said some of those present would remember a small wooden building which many years ago served for an Institute at Port Adelaide.” [Register 2 Nov 1874]

 

“The elevations are on the Venetian-Italian style. . . There being no amount available for a tower, a lookout has been provided for by constructing a mansard roof over the angle of the Commercial road and Nile-street, so that when entertainments are going on a flag can be hoisted. A niche for a statue is also provided above the doorway into the class-room facing Nile-street.” [Advertiser 24 Oct 1876]

 

“The materials used in the construction of the building are rubble-stone from Dry Creek, bricks and freestone from Teatree Gully, and the dressings are of Portland cement and freestone. The foundation, which is of concrete, is laid on the old level of the Port. There is an entrance from the Commercial-road and two from Nile street.” [Express & Telegraph 24 Oct 1876]

 

“Our first Institute was opened in a small wooden building; we migrated thence to the Town Hall, and subsequently to the Custom-House.” [Register 24 Oct 1876]

 

“The was a large gathering of ladies and gentlemen in the Port Adelaide Institute Lecture-hall on Tuesday afternoon, July 27, to witness the ceremony of unveiling the large oil painting which recently arrived from England, and to celebrate the inauguration of a fine art gallery for Port Adelaide. . . the splendid collection of photographs of Thorwaldsen's sculptures sent to the museum by Christian IX., King of Denmark, were exhibited. . . Mr. Huson's picture, which measures about 6 feet by 4 feet 6 inches, depicts an English country scene. The subject is ‘The Quiet Stream’.” [Advertiser 28 July 1880]

 

“The Museum and Art Gallery connected with the Port Adelaide Institute contains a number of valuable exhibits, and these have lately been increased by several cultural history specimens, old books, curios and pictures. . . The curators have lately added to the permanent exhibits two large paintings of the Port River in the early days.” [Advertiser 31 Oct 1896]

 

“Among several further exhibits which have been secured for the recently established nautical museum at Port Adelaide is a model of the British full-rigged ship Craigendarroch, and the figurehead of the barque Garthneil, one of the last of the British sailers.” [Advertiser 8 Jun 1933]

 

“An old fashioned ship's gun, believed to have belonged to an English frigate. It was dredged from the bottom of the Fort River several years ago, and is now in the Port Adelaide Nautical Museum.” [Advertiser 25 Jul 1933]

 

“Converted into a nautical museum with models, figureheads, photographs, and pictures of ships connected with early Port Adelaide as the main features, the Port Adelaide Museum has been reopened. . . Many interesting nautical .specimens have been acquired for the museum. At a recent auction sale in Adelaide, the bell of the barque County of Merioneth was bought. This ship, which is ending its days at Port Adelaide as a coal hulk, was built at Liverpool in 1880.” [News 9 Aug 1933]

 

“the Art Gallery has just purchased a rare and beautiful old oil painting on wood by an unknown artist, and probably of the 15th century French period. The Director (Mr. McCubbin) is very enthusiastic about the acquisition of their first example of that period, and so well preserved, too. Subject of the painting: St. Martin of Tours and St. Nicholas. According to Mr. McCubbin, it was in the art gallery at Port Adelaide Institute for many years, but little is known of its Australian history, how it came here, and during recent weeks it has hung on the gallery walls at North terrace, where its striking subject and rich coloring have been much admired.” [Advertiser 21 Oct 1943]

 

“The painting, known as 'St. Martin of Tours and St. Nicholas,' was purchased by the gallery Board from the Port Adelaide Institute authorities in 1943. It has now been identified by the Courtauld Institute of Art, London, as being by the 'Master of the Uttenheim Altarpiece,' Tyroleset School, and dated about 1460. . . The curator of the institute gallery (Mr. Vernon Smith) said last night that he believed the picture was found in the false bottom of a packing case among a number consigned to a printer who worked in the basement of the institute building, about the end of last century. The printer, E. H. Derrington, gave the picture to the institute. . . the painting was on exhibition at the Port Adelaide Institute's art gallery for many years, but few people knew of its existence. It was lent to the National Gallery in 1943 and subsequently purchased from the institute.” [Advertiser 23 Aug 1950]

 

“Port Adelaide Nautical Museum. . . Space was becoming desperately short and conditions were very over-crowded. . . New exhibits were continually being presented or lent to the museum. The museum is run and maintained by the Port Adelaide Institute. Money for its upkeep is raised by the institute's subscription library. . . The museum, which was the only one of its type in Australia.” [Advertiser 6 Jan 1954]

 

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