24 August 1926 Adelaide Railway Station

The foundation stone of the new railway Station in Adelaide was laid by the Premier, John Gunn, on 243 August 1926 and the building was finished in June 1928. This was one of the main improvements made to the South Australian railway system by W.A. Webb, the Commissioner for Railways from 1922 to 1930. When the American born railway man took up his appointment he immediately set about changing the old rundown system into a modern and efficient service. His rehabilitation programme extended from locomotives to bridge construction, the reconstruction of the Islington works and his most visible legacy the Adelaide Railway Station. The old building was too small for all the administrative staff who were scattered in five other buildings around the city. Webb began demolition almost before the new plans were finalised and the cost of the new project far exceeded original estimates although actual costs are not known as many of the accounting dockets were ‘lost’ and no-one knows who authorised the construction. However, the handsome building with its Ionic columns and polished granite has served Adelaide well. The ‘marble hall’ off Railway Road was used in the film Gallipoli and is now the entrance to the Casino.

R.I. Jennings, W.A. Webb, Nesfield Press, 1973, Chapters 3-7.