Swan River Mechanics' Institute

In time it was to house an extensive and well-used subscription library and a natural history collection, including botanical, zoological and mineral specimens.

The original building, which was located on the south-west corner of Pier and Hay Streets in Perth, was demolished sometime in the 1970s.

Other officers included Joseph Hamblin (chairman), Bernard Smith (treasurer) and Harry Hughes (secretary).

Hay describes the activities: "the educated gentry 'improved' the workers through the medium of occasional lectures, discussion classes which emerged from literary meetings, the establishment of a reading room and a project to build a scientific museum".

Early meetings took place at the Court House and at a temporary reading room at the Boys' School in Murray Street.

In 1899 the original building was replaced by spacious two storey premises on the same site, which included a concert hall with seating for 400 people and a lodge room with accommodation for another 200.

The building's architect was William G. Wolf, who also designed His Majesty's Theatre and Hotel in Hay Street.

Its name was changed to Perth Literary Institute in December 1909,[14] and at about the same time its inventory showed the library to contain 564 books related to history; biography, 359; essays, 382; travel and geography, 421; general science, 275; social science, philosophy, and theology, 238; poetry and the drama, 199; serial and miscellaneous, 333; statistical and works of reference, 398; and fiction, 6,274, and a grand total of 9,443 volumes.

Pre-1914 bookplate
Looking west along Hay Street , on the left is the 1851 building. The Perth Town Hall (built 1867) is in the distant right and appears to be under construction. The building in the centre is the Freemason's Lodge (1866) which later became the first premises of the R&I Bank .
The new Institute building, c. 1900