well as provide a new 'civic centre' for the Council area. In 1961, the council commissioned a modernist design by architect Kevin Curtin, which envisaged a complex of an Administration Building, a Council Chamber roundhouse, and a Town Hall with the capacity for 1,500 people, to be located on a large block north of the Bankstown railway station between Chapel Road, Rickard Road, Appian Way and The Mall. The Council Chambers was the first building completed and took the form of a roundhouse and was built by Monier Builders Pty Ltd, with the interior fittings and furniture designed by Maison Paul Pty Ltd of Greenacre, featuring timberwork in Queensland walnut timber (Endiandra palmerstonii). The consulting engineers for the project were M. G. Bull (structural) and John R. Wallis, Spratt & Associates (electrical and mechanical). Administration Building The Administration Building was officially opened on 2 December 1963. It was built to house the majority of Council's staff and departments, and was a two-storey square block with an external colonnade and basement level for parking. The rates, health & building, and Town Clerk's departments were located on the ground floor, while the upper floor contained the engineering and planning departments. The building's main lobby featured a mosaic mural by Michael Santry depicting the history of Bankstown, in addition to marble-clad columns, timber panelling, and terrazzo floors. In 1964, the exterior lighting of the Civic Centre received an award for meritorious lighting from the Australian Illuminating Engineering Society. In 1966 a new fountain, the "Dane Fountain", was unveiled outside the building to commemorate the service of H. W. Dane as administrator of the council. On Tuesday 1 July 1997, a fire in the building, caused by a spark from maintenance works to bring the building up to modern standards, resulted in the complete destruction of the Administration Building, along with a large number of Council records and historical items. With the Council offices relocated to the nearby Bankstown Civic Tower, the remains of the Administration Building were cleared and its site became the location for a new central park which was officially named Paul Keating Park on 13 June 2000. Spirit of Botany In 1963, as part of the works to complete the new Bankstown Civic Centre, the council commissioned sculptor Alan Ingham to create a memorial statue to Sir Joseph Banks. Ingham accepted on the basis that he would create a statue