Building Description

Since 2007, this site has been home to the Neighbourhood Justice Centre, Australia’s first—and currently only—community justice centre. The NJC is a ‘one-stop-justice-shop’ incorporating a multi­jurisdictional court, an integrated team of support services and innovative justice programs that work together with the local community to increase access to justice and build community resilience. The NJC is ‘smart on crime’, making the City of Yarra safer by addressing the underlying causes of offending.
Each week hundreds of people visit the centre, from clients of its court and tribunals, to police, to community groups, to students attending educational programs, to local residents stepping in off the street.

Over 110 years this location has housed a court house, police station, council chambers, trade schools and a TAFE. Percy Everett designed the current building in 1945 after the original building burnt down. The interior was redesigned for the NJC in 2006 by Lyons Architects, creating a welcoming community space that reflects the centre’s therapeutic and restorative justice principles.

The NJC building is considered a significant example of twentieth-century school design and is located in the Johnson Street Heritage Overlay Area, one of the earliest areas to be settled after Melbourne was founded.

A significant example of twentieth-century school design, located in the Johnson Street Heritage Overlay Area, is an early example of settlement after Melbourne was founded.

What's On

This 1-hour online event begins with the history of the site and takes you on a journey through time that ends with a comprehensive understanding of the NJC.