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Building history

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The story of your building

Research your building’s layout, date of construction and architectural style. You may be interested in restoring your house to its original style, or simply want information on when it was built and how it evolved over time.

House plans

The Tasmanian Archives hold a limited selection of house plans from 1900 onward. These plans are part of files of building applications and mostly comprise additions and alterations, rather than original building plans. Our collection includes the council areas of Hobart, Glenorchy, Launceston, Devonport, Clarence, Kingborough and the former council of Bruny Island. Other building plans may still be held by your local council. Not all building plans have survived, as it was not a legal requirement for councils to keep them.

To help verify the street number of your property in older plans, see tips in Who lived or worked in your building. A significant change in the rateable value of a property probably indicates subdivision, new construction, demolition or other activity.

Plans in our collections can be viewed in the History Room (91 Murray Street, Hobart). Other building plans may still be held by your local council. If you’re not able to come to the History Room to view the plans, you may request a copy (fees and conditions apply).

Searching for plans in the councils of Hobart, Glenorchy, Launceston

  • Click on the Series link above, for example Series AE819 for Glenorchy, then type the ‘street’ name (do not type in the street type). For example: ‘AE417 Bathurst’ (for Bathurst Street, Hobart).

Searching for plans in the councils of Kingborough or Clarence, and for Bruny Island

  • Contact the council to obtain a building plan number.
  • Click on the Series link above, for example Series AC398 for Kingborough.
  • Search the items in the series to find the item that matches your building plan number. For example, plan number 2846 will be within item ‘AC398/1/14 Building approvals, plans Nos. 2733-2868.’

Other building plans may still be held by your local council. Not all building plans have survived, as it was not a legal requirement for plans to be kept by councils.

Drainage plans

Metropolitan Drainage Board Maps for the Hobart area, online resource published between 1905 and 1909 are useful for central Hobart properties from North Hobart to Battery Point, and westward to South Hobart, as well as New Town and Queenborough. These show outlines of buildings, with floor level (in feet), name major buildings and can include names of major buildings and street numbers (as they were in c.1910).

Glenorchy Municipal Drainage Plans Registers AE496 cover the Glenorchy municipality 1942-1970, although the plans themselves no longer exist. The registers detail the owner, property and date of contract completion, and are useful for dating buildings.

Architectural resources

Explore our library resources on Tasmanian buildings and architecture, for example, 1914-1941 Album of house photographs with plans and sketches – Designs of Hutchison and Walker. Architects (NS5175) (Hobart area).

Useful books in the State Library of Tasmania and State Archives Reading Room include:

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