Our Boys Institute
Encyclopedia
Our Boys Institute was a junior branch of the Young Men's Christian Association. Opened in 1896, the club was housed in a purpose-built premises at 221 Wakefield Street, Adelaide
, South Australia, Australia.
The Our Boys Institute included lecture and games rooms, indoor running track, pool, and was available for boys aged 13–18, 'a forefunner to the various youth groups which flourished in the first half of the twentieth century' such as the Boys Brigade, Scouting
, etc.
The Our Boys Institute promoted a Christian philosophy and also ran camps and provided employment assistance for young men.
F.W. Danker was the architect for the building. The carved sandstone Venetian Gothic
facade of the building is Heritage Listed. The facade of the Our Boys Institute bears similarities to the Chicago Athletic Club; it has been suggested that Danker was influenced by the Club and its architect, Henry Ives Cobb
.
The building has since been used as office space and an external studies college and was converted by architects JPE Design Studio to a boutique motel in 2008. The building is now known as Wakefield Residence and provides short and long term accommodation.
Wakefield Residence and Wakefield Street are named for Edward Gibbon Wakefield
, coloniser of South Australia and former prisoner of Newgate Gaol.
A plaque on the facade of the building shows the role played by the wife of the South Australian Governor, Sir Thomas Buxton, 3rd Baronet, Lady Victoria Buxton
. Lady Buxton was a Christian Philanthropist who supported the Mothers' Union
and YWCA and who resided in Adelaide between 1895 and 1898.
Adelaide
Adelaide is the capital city of South Australia and the fifth-largest city in Australia. Adelaide has an estimated population of more than 1.2 million...
, South Australia, Australia.
The Our Boys Institute included lecture and games rooms, indoor running track, pool, and was available for boys aged 13–18, 'a forefunner to the various youth groups which flourished in the first half of the twentieth century' such as the Boys Brigade, Scouting
Scouting
Scouting, also known as the Scout Movement, is a worldwide youth movement with the stated aim of supporting young people in their physical, mental and spiritual development, that they may play constructive roles in society....
, etc.
The Our Boys Institute promoted a Christian philosophy and also ran camps and provided employment assistance for young men.
F.W. Danker was the architect for the building. The carved sandstone Venetian Gothic
Venetian Gothic architecture
Venetian Gothic is a term given to an architectural style combining use of the Gothic lancet arch with Byzantine and Moorish architecture influences. The style originated in 14th century Venice with the confluence of Byzantine styles from Constantinople, Arab influences from Moorish Spain and early...
facade of the building is Heritage Listed. The facade of the Our Boys Institute bears similarities to the Chicago Athletic Club; it has been suggested that Danker was influenced by the Club and its architect, Henry Ives Cobb
Henry Ives Cobb
Henry Ives Cobb , born in Brookline, Massachusetts to Albert Adams and Mary Russell Candler Cobb, was a Chicago-based architect in the last decades of the 19th century, known for his designs in the Romanesque and Victorian Gothic styles...
.
The building has since been used as office space and an external studies college and was converted by architects JPE Design Studio to a boutique motel in 2008. The building is now known as Wakefield Residence and provides short and long term accommodation.
Wakefield Residence and Wakefield Street are named for Edward Gibbon Wakefield
Edward Gibbon Wakefield
Edward Gibbon Wakefield was a British politician, the driving force behind much of the early colonisation of South Australia, and later New Zealand....
, coloniser of South Australia and former prisoner of Newgate Gaol.
A plaque on the facade of the building shows the role played by the wife of the South Australian Governor, Sir Thomas Buxton, 3rd Baronet, Lady Victoria Buxton
Lady Victoria Buxton
Lady Victoria Buxton was a British philanthropist principally known for her work with the Mothers' Union and Young Women's Christian Association .-Early life:...
. Lady Buxton was a Christian Philanthropist who supported the Mothers' Union
Mothers' Union
Mothers’ Union is an international Christian charity that seeks to support families worldwide. Its members are not all mothers or even all women, as there are many parents, men, widows, singles and grandparents involved in its work...
and YWCA and who resided in Adelaide between 1895 and 1898.