Fremantle Trades Hall

Fremantle Trades Hall
Facade of the Fremantle Trades Hall
General information
Status	Heritage registered
Type	Hall
Address	6 Collie Street
Town or city	Fremantle, Western Australia
Country	Australia
Coordinates	32°03′25″S 115°44′45″E / 32.0570°S 115.7457°E / -32.0570; 115.7457Coordinates: 32°03′25″S 115°44′45″E / 32.0570°S 115.7457°E / -32.0570; 115.7457
Construction started	26 March 1901
Completed	1904
Opened	23 January 1904
Height
Architectural	Federation Free Classical
Technical details
Floor count	2
Design and construction
Architect	Joseph F. Allen

The Fremantle Trades Hall is located at the corner of Pakenham and Collie Streets in the west end conservation area of Fremantle. It is a two storey former trade union hall that was built during the gold boom period and completed in 1904.

The two storey building was originally tuck pointed, is now painted and was designed in the Federation Free Classical style of architecture. It was constructed using flemish bond brick and has a corrugated iron roof. The ground floor at the centre of the façade is a frontispiece projection acting as an entryway supported by pillars which both have stone plaques and archivolt front and sides. Atop the second floor is a decorative parapet featuring a symmetrical pediment with an "888" decorative motif. Above the timber framed windows is a string course that joins the stucco arches. The entire building is set back slightly diagonally from the street and pavement. The "888" motif on the façade pediment means "8 hours work, 8 hours leisure and 8 hours sleep", which was a core belief of the union movement.

In 1900 a delegation of about 30 trade union officials representing the engineers, lumpers, railway workers, carpenters, engine drivers and boiler makers accompanied by local members of Parliament Alfred Kidson, John Higham, Elias Solomon, Joseph John Holmes and Denis Doherty met with Premier John Forrest to discuss the Government providing a site for a hall, or, if no site were available, providing a monetary grant for the purchase of one. Three sites were inspected later the same month including the current site, which was the site of the Government Analysts, and Stock Inspectors offices, at the corners of the Esplanade, Collie, Packenham, and Henry Streets. The site was granted by the Government to the labour bodies of Fremantle for use as a Trades Hall. The ground was also known as the Old Customs House site.