The Torrens Building, named after Sir Robert Richard Torrens, is a State Heritage-listed building on the corner of Victoria Square and Wakefield Street in

Adelaide Adelaide ( , ; ) is the list of Australian capital cities, capital and most populous city of South Australia, as well as the list of cities in Australia by population, fifth-most populous city in Australia. The name "Adelaide" may refer to ei ...

South Australia South Australia (commonly abbreviated as SA) is a States and territories of Australia, state in the southern central part of Australia. With a total land area of , it is the fourth-largest of Australia's states and territories by area, which in ...

. It was originally known as the New Government Offices, and after that a succession of names reflecting its tenants, including as New Public Offices, the Lands Titles Office, and Engineering & Water Supply Department. It has been home to a number of government departments for much of its existence, and it currently holds offices for the Commissioner for Public Sector Employment (OCPSE) as part of the

Government of South Australia The Government of South Australia, also referred to as the South Australian Government or the SA Government, is the executive branch of the state government, state of South Australia. It is modelled on the Westminster system, meaning that the h ...

. The construction of the building created some controversy in 1880 when it was reported that the

was going to import freestone for its construction from

Sydney Sydney is the capital city of the States and territories of Australia, state of New South Wales and the List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city in Australia. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Syd ...

, rather than use stone from local quarries. The building was heritage-listed in 1978 (Register of the National Estate) and 1981 (SA Heritage Register), and underwent a major renovation from 1993 until its reopening on 19 September 1997. It has housed the Australian campus of the

Carnegie Mellon University Carnegie Mellon University (CMU) is a private research university in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States. The institution was established in 1900 by Andrew Carnegie as the Carnegie Technical Schools. In 1912, it became the Carnegie Institu ...

from 2006 to 2022 and Torrens University opened its first campus there in 2014.

Cranfield University Cranfield University is a postgraduate-only public research university in the United Kingdom that specialises in science, engineering, design, technology and management. Cranfield was founded as the College of Aeronautics (CoA) in 1946. Throug ...

(UK) had a campus in the building from 2007 to 2010 and the

University College London University College London (Trade name, branded as UCL) is a Public university, public research university in London, England. It is a Member institutions of the University of London, member institution of the Federal university, federal Uni ...

from 2009 to 2017.

History

The building at 220 Victoria Square/Tarndanyangga was built in 1881 as public service offices, and initially known as the New Government Offices. It created some controversy in 1880 when it was reported that the

was going to import freestone for construction from Sydney, rather than use stone from local quarries. For a long time it went by a number of names, such as New Public Offices, the Lands Titles Office, and Engineering Supply Department, after its main occupants. In 1979 it was renamed as the Torrens Building, after Sir Robert Richard Torrens and the system of lands title registration introduced by him to South Australia and the world, the

Torrens title Torrens title is a land registration and land transfer system in which a state creates and maintains a register of land holdings, which serves as the Incontrovertible evidence, conclusive evidence (termed "Defeasible reasoning#Political and judic ...

system. In 1993, after 112 years of continuous governmental occupation, the Torrens Building was closed for restoration. Since its reopening in 1997, it has become host to a number of Australian campuses of prestigious foreign universities.

Restoration and Renovation

From 1991 or 1993, after over 110 years of continuous governmental occupation, the building was closed and major refurbishment undertaken. After its reopening by then

Premier of South Australia The premier of South Australia is the head of government in the state of South Australia, Australia. The Government of South Australia follows the Westminster system, with a Parliament of South Australia acting as the legislature. The premier i ...

John Olsen John Wayne Olsen AO (born 7 June 1945) is an Australian politician, diplomat and football commissioner. He was Premier of South Australia between 28 November 1996 and 22 October 2001. He is now President of the Federal Liberal Party, Chairma ...

, on 19 September 1997, the building was used to accommodate a number of community groups and organisations including

Amnesty International Amnesty International (also referred to as Amnesty or AI) is an international non-governmental organization focused on human rights, with its headquarters in the United Kingdom. The organization says that it has more than ten million members a ...

(S.A. & N.T. Branch), the Amputee Association of South Australia, and the United Nations Association of Australia (S.A. Division) and Volunteering SA, for some years.

Universities

From 2005, with the intention of creating the "University City Adelaide precinct", Torrens Building has housed the Australian campus of

, running programs of the

Heinz College The Heinz College of Information Systems and Public Policy, also known as Heinz College, is the public policy and information college of Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. It consists of the School of Information Systems and ...

. The British

ran a campus in the building from 2007 to 2010, and

's School of Energy and Resources was based there from 2009 until December 2017. The new Torrens University, the first new university in Australia for 20 years, opened in the Torrens Building in 2013 and started teaching in 2014. However, on 3 August 2015 it opened a new campus on Wakefield Street, and no longer lists Torrens Building as another campus. In 2015, the Torrens Building was offered for sale as part of the State Administration Centre precinct by the

, previously having been excluded from the sale plans, but as of 2019 had not been sold and has apparently been withdrawn from the market.

Heritage listings

On 21 March 1978, it was added to the

Register of the National Estate The Register of the National Estate was a heritage register that listed natural and cultural heritage places in Australia that was closed in 2007. Phasing out began in 2003, when the Australian National Heritage List and the Commonwealth Heri ...

(now a non-statutory archive, viewable on the National Heritage Database), described as "the best remaining example in Adelaide of

Italian Renaissance The Italian Renaissance ( ) was a period in History of Italy, Italian history between the 14th and 16th centuries. The period is known for the initial development of the broader Renaissance culture that spread across Western Europe and marked t ...

or Neo Classical style with a

Palladian Palladian architecture is a European architectural style derived from the work of the Venetian architect Andrea Palladio (1508–1580). What is today recognised as Palladian architecture evolved from his concepts of symmetry, perspective and ...

composition". On 28 May 1981, it was listed on the

South Australian Heritage Register The South Australian Heritage Register, also known as the SA Heritage Register, is a statutory register of historic places in South Australia. It extends legal protection regarding demolition and development under the ''Heritage Places Act 1993'' ...

Notable Features

Commemorative Plaque - Real Property Act

A plaque on the Western wall exterior commemorates the centenary of the '' Real Property Act 1858'', which provides for the

Torrens Title Torrens title is a land registration and land transfer system in which a state creates and maintains a register of land holdings, which serves as the Incontrovertible evidence, conclusive evidence (termed "Defeasible reasoning#Political and judic ...

system of land registration and transfer, developed in South Australia and adopted around the world. The plaque was unveiled on 1 July 1958 by then Lieutenant Governor of South Australia, Sir Mellis Napier. The Torrens Building houses an honour board displaying the names of

employees killed in

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

Previous Significant Tenants

* Architect-in-Chief's Department (1881–?) * Lands Titles Office (1881–?) * Public Works Department (1881–?) * Cranfield University (2007–2010) * University College London's School of Energy and Resources (2009 – December 2017)

References

{{coord, 34.928368 , S, 138.600881, E, format=dms, display=inline,title Buildings and structures in Adelaide History of Adelaide Education in Adelaide Government buildings completed in 1881 South Australian Heritage Register South Australian places listed on the defunct Register of the National Estate 1881 establishments in Australia