The striking sandstone building on Vancouver Street, now known as Vancouver Arts Centre, hosts some of Albany’s brightest artistic talents, but the site has played many roles since it was built in 1887.
The complex, which stands near the end of Vancouver Street looking out over Princess Royal Harbour was first built in 1887 and originally constructed as a hospital.
Albany Cottage Hospital contained a single ward, with a second ward and bathroom added in 1895. It was continually expanded over the coming years including the addition of an infectious diseases ward, nurses’ quarters and a morgue.
The hospital supported soldiers returning from fighting overseas during the Boer War in 1902, World War I and the Spanish flu that followed, and WWII.
It underwent a major redevelopment in the late 1930s, but Albany’s population was growing faster than the small hospital could handle.
The Advertiser published several articles throughout the late 1940s reporting ongoing staff shortages and overcrowding issues at the hospital.
One of them, published in the April 11, 1949 edition, read: “Although the staff position at the Albany District Hospital has been reasonably satisfactory recently, the institution still faces many quite difficult problems.
“One of them is the pressure on ward space, particularly in the men’s ward.
“Extra beds have had to be placed in the centre of the ward, with some patients on lounges, and all veranda space has also been full.
“The position has been a little easier in the women’s wards, but all private rooms have been full for some time.
“The normal capacity of the hospital is 45 beds, but the bed average has been above that figure for some time, and has gone as high as 63 patients.”
By 1953, the State government had agreed to fund construction of a new hospital for Albany.
The new Albany Regional Hospital opened in Spencer Park in 1962, where Albany’s hospital remains today as the Albany Health Campus.
The move left the Vancouver Street building, which is now heritage-listed, empty. This opened the door to a variety of organisations to make it their own.
Immediately following the hospital’s closure, the complex was converted into a boys’ hostel.
It could accommodate up to 75 students, and operated as a hostel until 1974.
In 1974, a dedicated hostel was constructed near Albany Senior High School, leaving the building again without a purpose until the Albany Arts Council proposed turning it into a community arts centre in 1978.
The plan was in jeopardy when part of the building was destroyed by fire in 1979, and some thought the council and State government would rule that it should be demolished.
However, strong community support for restoring the building and giving it a new lease on life, along with some dedicated fund-raising efforts, meant it stayed, and recovery efforts began.
The Vancouver Arts Centre officially opened in 1980, and for the next two decades, the centre continued to expand under the Albany Arts Council as Albany’s artistic hub.
The artist-in-residence program and the Albany Art Prize were established, and was home to more than a dozen local arts groups.
Many of the programs started in the centre’s early days are still active in 2026 — Albany’s bicentenary year.
The Albany Art Prize later became the Great Southern Art Award, but is still run through the Vancouver Arts Centre and was this year presented at the Albany Town Hall.
It remains Albany’s premier acquisitive art honour with $5000 prize money awarded to the 2026 winner John Manson for his work Over the Horizon.
The City of Albany took over running the centre in 2000. In the 26 years since, it has continued to play host to some of Albany’s top artistic talent, as well as visiting artists of various mediums, while nurturing local talent through workshops and artist talks.
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