The heritage-listed Ginninderra Police Station has burned down in a suspicious blaze that is under investigation by police.
The fire was spotted by police on mobile patrol near the Barton Highway about 12.50am Thursday.
ACT Fire and Rescue extinguished the blaze but the structure had been left in ruins. Police have assessed the scene and deemed the fire suspicious.
Former ACT Heritage Council chair Ken Heffernan said the destruction of the station was a loss to the community.
Dr Heffernan, who now volunteers with the Hall Heritage Centre, said the station was one of the first sites to be heritage-listed in the ACT in 1992.
"It's the only Federation-style building that was built in the Federation period ... of the early 1900s in the ACT, so it's important as part of the historical story of Ginninderra and of Canberra ... and also important as an architectural site," he said.
"It's devastating for people who are interested in the history of Canberra."
The station was built around 1906 to replace its predecessor, which was lost in a bushfire.
It closed down decades later and has more recently been showcased as a historical site by conservation organisations.
Dr Heffernan said it formed part of a complex of historic places in Ginninderra that tell the story of population growth in the region.
He added that the station, being a mostly wooden structure, was one of the more fragile heritage-listed sites and difficult to look after.
"This is a reminder of the importance of investment in systems to manage the risks of fire and insect damage and things like that," he said.
"If you don't invest, we will lose these places and just end up with brick and stone and no wood structures left.
"And wooden structures were what Australia was about for a long time."
ACT Heritage Council chair Duncan Marshall said he hoped there would be discussions about the future of the site once it is released back to the government.
"In particular, whether the ruins of the building ... should be stabilised whether it should be reconstructed. There are a series of questions that need to be considered in terms of the future of the site," he said.
An ACT government spokesperson said due to the ongoing police investigation they could not at this stage provide details about future plans for the site.
"The site was fully-fenced, secure and regularly maintained," the spokesperson said.
"There were no active plans for changes to the site prior to today's fire."
Police are urging anyone with information regarding this incident to contact Crime Stoppers, quoting reference 7716264.
