HistoryOrange continued to grow in other directions and by packing more tightly the residential and business areas of the original square mile. The opening of the Crown Lands Office in Kite Street building in 1885, as an early exercise in decentralisation, not only brought business but also confirmed Orange's premier position in the late Victorian mid-west. The establishment of the office was part of a revision of the 1861 Crown Lands Act. As well as making changes to land tenure and land holding, the revisions also clarified procedure and created a new administrative structure to oversee the process of the alienation of land.
Land Boards were created across NSW and operated like a court to arbitrate on matters of land. Land Board offices were created across NSW for this function. Orange would develop from being an office with mid range business in 1901 to becoming the second busiest in the state by 1911 and remaining so for at least ten years. This increased business was reflected in the completion of a new building in 1910.
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Lands Board Office 2021
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Location[1] NotesThis is a fine public building by the Government Architect. W.L. Vernon, consistent with a standard type constructed in variations in regional NSW, displaying restrained detailing and considerable recognition of climactic needs, and it underlines the closer settlement in the surrounding district in the early 1900s.