By 1987, awareness of Perth’s art deco heritage grew, spurred by Vyonne Geneve. Her dedication and serendipitous life events led to the formation of an art deco society in Western Australia to prevent further destruction. The Society played an important role in the passage of WA’s first Heritage Legislation in the 1990s and hosted the World Congress on Art Deco in 1991, solidifying its place as a significant voice in heritage conservation in Australia and around the world.
The Society is a founding member of the International Coalition of Art Deco Societies (ICADS) that provides worldwide support for the protection of Art Deco heritage.
In partnership with the National Trust, the Society undertook an extensive inventory of surviving art deco structures in WA. Many were given heritage recognition by being listed by the National Trust as significant heritage places, and many of these were afforded statutory heritage protection under Western Australia’s heritage act.
Despite the heritage legislation, the Society has had to campaign to save important places. It successfully ran community campaigns to save important 1930s hotels, including Raffles, Cottesloe, Coronado, and Swanbourne. The Society continues to work to raise awareness, knowledge, and commitment to conserving cultural heritage values, and most recently is leading the fight to save the Windsor Cinema in Nedlands.
