Whitmore Square - Iparrityi Strategic Property Review
Opening of The Salvation Army’s new Prison-gate Brigade Home (now William Booth Memorial Home) at Whitmore Square in August 1910 (The Chronicle, Saturday 20 August 2010, page 30)
Project Overview
The Salvation Army (TSA) is undertaking a strategic property review of its landholding on the corner of Gilbert and Morphett Streets and Whitmore Square - Iparrityi, Adelaide.
The review is seeking to achieve an innovative, contemporary and high-quality design response that accommodates improved facilities to enhance and broaden the social mission support services offered on-site.
This response will align with cultural values and establish a sense of place and purpose that facilitates healthy and vibrant community connections and provides a safe and welcoming place for everyone.
We want to journey together with our community and we are consulting with a diverse range of stakeholders including individuals, businesses and organisations from the local community and Adelaide City.
Our first steps have been to understand our site constraints and opportunities and to complete a cultural mapping and information gathering. We are also exploring a range of funding options including partnerships. Our design team will then develop a number of options which will be shared with stakeholders for feedback. We anticipate presenting these options in April 2025.
The key outcome from the strategic property review will be to prepare a Business Case outlining the strategic direction for the site and a funding strategy to support the delivery of the project. This is expected to be completed in August 2025.
The Salvation Army site on Whitmore Square (62 - 68 Whitmore Square) contains a mix of buildings, some with heritage significance.
The site initially housed the residence of Judge Charles Cooper from 1839, a room of which was used as the South Australian Supreme Court until 1843. The building was a private residence until 1870, then was leased by the Bushmen's Club from 1870 with modifications for short-term accommodation. Additions were undertaken in 1871 - 73, with the construction of a new 'central' building facing Gilbert Street in 1878 (subsequently demolished in 1979).
Purchased by The Salvation Army in 1899, the site's various buildings were used for the purposes of the Army's Industrial Home, Maternity Home and Prison-gate Brigade Home initiatives. In 1910, the 1839 former Cooper residence was demolished to construct the current building now known as William Booth Memorial Home. The 1871 - 73 additions are the sole surviving elements of the former Bushmen's Club premises.
The Salvation Army Whitmore Square site continues to operate as a centre of support for vulnerable South Australians. This represents the longest continuous service of its type in Australia.
The Whitmore Square site is home to the Sobering Up Unit, Warrondi Engage & Link Day Program and a Salvos Store.
Responding to a formal 2-stage procurement process released by the Department for Health and Wellbeing in 2023 , The Salvation Army will be providing transitional supported accommodation and wrap-around services for persons experiencing homelessness in 2024.
These 20 beds and related facilities will provide a safe and welcoming place for people to be discharged from the Royal Adelaide and The Queen Elizabeth Hospitals, where they can heal and be supported into permanent housing. This is another opportunity for The Salvation Army to care for those experiencing housing vulnerability, and to assist the state government in their efforts support hospital flow and minimise representations to our emergency departments.
Existing, purpose-built accommodation on the site is being upgraded to provide this essential new health and community service. The first beds will be available in December 2024 and the rest in early 2025.
Updated photo from State Library
Register your interest in the Strategic Property Review
We anticipate there will be an opportunity for community members to engage with the project by mid-2025, and invite anyone who wishes to be involved to register their interest by completing this form or emailing salvosatwhitmoresquare@salvationarmy.org.au
We will contact you to invite you to participate in consultations as they arise.
Updates
Updates on the progress of the master planning will be provided on this site and emailed out to those registering their interest when available.
Currently, we expect our next update to be in November 2024.