Toll Cottage (formerly Rose Cottage) on Bolton Street and the Segenhoe Flats on Wolfe Street have both been entered onto the State Heritage Register following community campaigns to have the sites formally protected.

Toll Cottage is one of the city's oldest buildings and is a rare example of Victorian Georgian-style domestic housing in the state's second city.

The building is particularly unique as an early exhibition of this Colonial Georgian style that has survived in an urban setting.

The cottage was built in 1857 at the time of Newcastle's transition from a small town to major port and rail terminus, demonstrating the domestic living conditions of an 1850s working class family.

Segenhoe is a special example of the modernist architecture of Emil Sodersten, who was regarded as a prominent member of the early modern movement. It is the only apartment building designed by Sodersten in Newcastle.

The iconic block of flats is of technical significance as it is an early 1930s example of modern city living with refrigeration, hot water, an automated elevator, garbage disposal and a resident caretaker.

It is also historically important in Newcastle, demonstrating the changing attitudes to housing in the 1930s with the move to dense, high-rise apartment living.

Parliamentary Secretary for the Hunter Catherine Cusack said she was delighted that both sites had been entered onto the State Heritage Register.

"These listings highlight the amazing heritage of Newcastle as it developed," Ms Cusack said.

"It's important to applaud the efforts of the local community and owners who have been advocates for the preservation of Newcastle's colonial and modernist heritage.

"I commend their efforts."

The State Heritage Register is a list of places and objects of particular importance to the people of NSW. It currently includes more than 1,650 items of significance across the state.

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