I have been arguing about the need to protect Melbourne’s heritage architecture in The Grapevine for years. In recent times, it has appeared that the State Government and particularly the Victorian Heritage Council are far more interested in “job creation” than “heritage protection”. Three recent examples highlight the immediate problem at hand: the demolition of Lonsdale House, the gutting of Hamer Hall and the proposed 40% demolition of the Windsor Hotel.

Yet these are the tip of the ‘iceberg’ of destruction that is likely to hit our city in the coming year.

Thankfully, I am not the only person concerned about taking some action to defend Melbourne’s built heritage.

In recent times, a new advocacy group called Melbourne Heritage Action has been formed, and I am proud to say that I am a founding member. Many of the people involved with Melbourne Heritage Action were previously associated with the Save Lonsdale House movement (I am not one of them). Whilst the group is still in it’s infancy, I am impressed with the breadth of expertise we have pooled, as well as the broad community support. Even the National Trust has come on board to lend a hand, which is fantastic! Community interest is growing, too.

^{The Windsor Hotel}

Melbourne Heritage Action seeks to promote an awareness of Melbourne’s built heritage, using a range of social media,  public submissions, public campaigns and demonstrations, where need-be. Through these mechanisms it is hoped that we will raise community awareness, which will entice the State Government (and other responsible agencies) to place a greater value on heritage protection.

At present there is a lot of work to do.

The beautiful Equity Trustees building stands to be gutted and altered, the Spencer Street Power Station is about to be skewered by the legs of a skyscraper which will stand over it, and the Scots Church Hall and Melbourne’s first multi-storey car park are to be levelled, but only if the developers get their way.

^{Melbourne Heritage Action founding members (L-R): Helene Athanasiadis, Katrina Grant, Rupert Mann (President), Adam Dimech and Jim Barrett. (Image: The Age)}

In an election year that has also been witness to the Planning Minister’s questionable handling of the Windsor Hotel saga, there is considerable public interest in heritage and planning matters. Today, the Sunday Age has published an online article about Melbourne Heritage Action, which I hope will help garner further interest from the public.

If you’d like to help defend Melbourne’s significant buildings, and raise community awareness about planning and heritage matters in Melbourne, go to the Melbourne Heritage Action website at http://www.melbourneheritage.org.au/. If you think you can make a contribution or want to become more deeply involved, please send an email. We’d love to hear from you!

Three weeks ago, Melbourne’s famous Hamer Hall hosted its final concert before closing it’s doors to make way for a $128.5 million renovation, funded by the State Government.

Originally known as the Melbourne Concert Hall, the complex was designed by Sir Roy Grounds and opened in 1982 after a lengthy land dispute with the City of Melbourne, ongoing engineering problems and industrial action that had hampered its construction for several years.

^{The exterior of Hamer Hall, illuminated at dusk}

After its opening, the Melbourne Concert Hall became a much-loved cultural hub, playing host to the world’s finest performers, orchestras and groups from Australia and abroad.

Whilst the Melbourne Concert Hall wasn’t very striking from the outside, the interior was fitted-out by expatriate designer John Truscott, who created a distinctive and luscious environment in which the public could enjoy a ‘special night out’ in the city.

^{Cadbury-Schweppes Room}

John Truscott’s opulent interiors are very special: The colours have been very carefully selected to create a rich atmosphere (a signature trait of Truscott’s).

From the box office with its gold-leaf ceiling to the lobby spaces with their rich red carpet or the verdant green of the Cadbury-Schweppes Room, Truscott created unique and distinctive interior spaces that contained only the finest of furnishings and fittings. The use of padded leather as a ‘wallpaper’ in many of the corridor spaces is certainly something I have never seen elsewhere, but suited the building extraordinarily well.

Sadly, it seems that most of Truscott’s legacy is to be destroyed during the renovations.

The huge glass chandelier in the foyer, created by Michel Santry and called Arcturus, is to be removed permanently. And if  the official preview images are anything to go by, there won’t be much of Truscott’s work left when the renovation is complete. The Victorian Arts Centre website states rather vaguely:

“The important contribution made to the interiors by interior designer John Truscott has been a key consideration in planning the redevelopment of Hamer Hall. The proposed changes to the interiors, both in the foyers and the auditorium, have been arrived at following considerable thought and care to ensure that the existing interiors are retained as much as possible”.

I don’t see much evidence of this.

^{Illustration of the planned refurbishment of Hamer Hall}

Last year I made a detailed photographic study of Hamer Hall as part of Melbourne Open House. Recognising the significance of Hamer Hall’s interior architecture, and suspicious that the State Government would trash yet another of our modern architectural masterpieces in it’s never-ending quest for the “modern” , I made a studious attempt to capture the essence of Hamer Hall, before it was all destroyed.

And destroyed it will be.

The original plans showed a horrible glass shard that would pierce the rear balcony to create a new entrance, but the latest renders seem to have omitted this particularly ugly feature.

^{The latest render of the redeveloped Hamer Hall.}

We can’t halt progress forever, but it seems a tragedy to me that we care so little about mid- to late- 20th century interior design. The National Gallery of Victoria had it’s interior destroyed, now it seems to be Hamer Hall’s turn. I wonder what we’ll have left from this period, if even John Truscott’s work is not considered significant enough to preserve?

Some pictures, for posterity:

It is with deep sadness that I advise readers of The Grapevine that the Minister for Planning, Justin Madden, has approved the hideous Windsor Hotel redevelopment that I wrote about in October.

After the fiasco surrounding a leaked government memo that revealed a plot to hold a “sham public consultation“, approval from the Minister already seemed like a fait accomplis. Then last Wednesday (16 March 2010), the Heritage Council of Victoria granted approval for the redevelopment plans, subject to various revisions. So it came as no surprise when the Minister made his announcement today.

The following ABC News Victoria clip outlines the whole saga beautifully, including the Minister’s woeful performance at today’s press conference.

I won’t outline my objections to this project again, as they’re already outlined in my previous blog post.

I’ll just reiterate my disappointment at the vandalism that’s about to be wreaked upon the grand Windsor Hotel. I made the effort to write a lengthy submission to the Heritage Council, objecting to this proposal, but it seems it was in vain. Nevertheless, they have removed some of the “rough edges” from the design, which is of some value.

To those in Melbourne, I say enjoy this view, one last time… because it won’t be there for much longer.

A key portion of Bacchus Marsh‘s famous ‘Avenue of Honour’ is under direct threat if VicRoads proceeds with a plan to add a round-a-bout at the intersection of Woolpack and Bacchus Marsh Roads.

The historic boulevard, which commemorates the town’s war dead, was planted in 1918 and consists of 312 trees and 3.3 kilometres of road. Between 10 and 12 trees will be removed under the proposal.

The trees are Dutch elms (Ulmus ×hollandica), grafted onto either U. procera or U. glabra. Not all of those 312 trees commemorate war dead, but there is a dedicated section which consists of the 1918 plantings. There are some older trees at the town end from a series of plantings in 1880, and a younger section of trees planted in the 1960′s for a road realignment.

The Bacchus Marsh ‘Avenue of Honour’ is one of the oldest and most magnificent in Australia, being the catalyst for similar avenues that emerged in many towns and cities after World War 1.

What’s proposed?

The State Government of Victoria, through VicRoads, has been granted stimulus funding from the Commonwealth Government to re-align the Western Highway around Arthur’s Cutting, which is a particularly steep and dangerous section of road.

According to The Age, the works will also include extending Woolpack Road north to the Western Highway, which will enable motorists to bypass half of the Avenue of Honour from the eastern (or Melbourne) end. The works will include the creation of a four-lane road, and a round-a-bout in the middle of the Avenue, which will see the removal of at least 12 trees and the addition of lighting. The round-a-bout will be of sufficient size to enable B-Double trucks to enter.

The National Trust is particularly concerned about the plans, as is the Shire council. The Trust says that the Avenue is of national significance because of its over-arching canopy, intactness, the curvature in the road and the historical and cultural significance of the plantings. Owing to Dutch Elm Disease, which has decimated European elm plantings, Australia remains as a disease-free refuge, and therefore hosts some of the finest remaining plantings in the world. (You can read the Trust’s full statement here).

The Victorian Heritage Council does not list the Avenue of Honour on the Victorian Heritage Register, but it is listed by the National Trust and the Shire of Moorabool is keen to have it listed on the Register of the National Estate. In 2004, the Shire of Moorabool drafted an extensive Strategic Management Plan for the Avenue, which provides a wealth of information. The full report can be downloaded here.

Unfortunately, there seems to have been considerable secrecy surrounding this project, perhaps because the State Government is aware of the outcry that could materialise? The Avenue of Honour is much-cherished by the people of Bacchus Marsh, and Victoria. The National Trust have complained that neither themselves nor the Returned and Services League (RSL) were consulted about the proposal until November 2009, whereby it was presented as a fait accomplis.

Work is to commence this month, but still there are no maps and illustrations available on the project website. (As an aside, it seems ironic that there are no plans available for this project as part of the Victorian Transport Plan. Is secrecy part of the plan, too?)

The Minister for Planning has the power to ‘call in’ the project, but instead Mr. Madden has exempted it from various planning and environmental checks (source). Part of his justification for exemption is that the project is urgent, and acknowledges that “third parties will not have formal submissions to the planning authority”.

Saving the Avenue of Honour

The experience of driving the length of the Avenue of Honour is unparalleled. On both sides of the road are market gardens and orchards, which can be seen between the tree trunks. Above, the sky is concealed by a deep canopy of leaves. In Autumn, the Avenue is especially magic as the golden colour of the leaves develops. I have taken several international visitors to the Avenue of Honour, and all have been impressed.

In my view, the desecration of a war memorial is a disgrace. But worse still, the prevention of public participation in the planning process is outrageous in a democracy.

I believe that the Western Highway realignment should progress. That section of highway is dangerous and difficult to navigate. However, the widening and extension of Woolpack Road should be put on hold immediatelty until such time as an opportunity for full public consultation is provided, a heritage assessment performed, and an alternative road plan generated.

It has taken 92 years for the Avenue of Honour to become what it is. I certainly hope this plan is abandoned, because any damage that’s done now will take another 92 years to repair. And if that’s the case, most of us won’t be here to appreciate it.

Melbourne’s preeminent hotel, and the only remaining grand 19th century hotel in the city, is at risk of irreparable damage if a proposal to redevelop the site is approved.

The owners of the Windsor Hotel, which was built in 1887, want to add a 25-storey extension to the rear of the building and demolish two existing wings. They argue that the hotel is not commercially viable as it currently stands.

^{The Windsor Hotel}

The proposal was designed by local architects Denton Corker Marshall. A massive glass curtain, which the architects describe as a “slim and elegant” backdrop for the heritage-listed hotel, provides the main focus for the design. The proposal also includes a series of alterations to the existing  configuration of rooms.

^{The proposed tower to be constructed behind the Windsor Hotel. (Image: National Trust)}

Naturally, the National Trust are unimpressed with the plans. The Trust argues that the 25-storey tower will destroy the heritage character of the area and breach building height controls that exist along Spring Street. Current buildings are limited to 25 metres, yet this proposal is for a 92-metre tower.

In addition to the tower, the north and rear wings will be demolished and the lobby will be enlarged via the removal of the Cricketers’ Bar. The rest of the heritage part of the building will be restored, including full reinstatement of the external façade, towers, and slate roof. In total, the plan will cost the hotel owners $260 million, and the project is expected to take 36 months to complete.

^{The lobby of the Windsor Hotel}

The Windsor Hotel is of major cultural significance to the State of Victoria. The hotel started off as a temperance-inspired coffee palace before it became a hotel in the 1920′s. Over the past 130 years, the Windsor has hosted royalty, celebrities, politicians and foreign dignitaries. For generations, Melburnians have enjoyed scrumptious afternoon teas at the Windsor, in the firm knowledge that no better can be experienced anywhere else. It has also been the first choice for many newly-weds.

Where Melbourne once had two other ‘grand’ 19th-century hotels, the Windsor is the only one remaining after the Menzies Hotel and the Federal Coffee Palace were demolished several decades ago. It is therefore of significant heritage value, especially since so much of the building is intact.

^{The grand staircase at the Windsor Hotel}

Plans to demolish portions of the Windsor Hotel have been lodged with the Victorian Heritage Commission (see here). And whilst I might have had some difficulty accepting all the arguments for saving Lonsdale House (another heritage building currently at risk), I firmly believe that the Windsor warrants a strong community response to defend it from changes that I believe will irrevocably damage her character and integrity.

My concerns are as follows:

1. Since “all of the building” is listed on the Victorian Heritage Register (File No. H0764), demolition of any portion of the building should be prohibited, to not only protect the building but the integrity of the Register itself.

2. The “curtain wall” is stylistically and aesthetically in contrast with the remainder of the building, and as such will distract from the Windsor’s appearance by reducing its sense of scale and grandeur.

3. Proposals to incorporate major alterations to the interior, including the removal of the Cricketers’ Bar, and reconfiguration of the other elements, will fundamentally destroy the interior as an authentic 19th century hotel.

4. The 25-metre height limit should be maintained. Such planning restrictions have preserved the low-scale integrity of the Parliamentary precinct, and therefore the area remains as a reasonably representative 19th century streetscape.

5. Whilst I appreciate that the architects have attempted to design a structure that is as unobtrusive as possible, I am not convinced that the tower will be appreciated in 30 years, let alone 130 years. I am concerned that the Windsor will be left with a Southern Cross Hotel on it’s back.

^{The proposed extension to the Windsor Hotel. (Image: The Age)}

There’s no doubt that the Windsor Hotel must remain profitable to survive. The admirable commitment of the hotel owners to plough so much money into this project shows that they believe the Windsor has a future and that they wish to see it flourish. This investment is most commendable given the decline in the Australian economy over the past 18 months.

That said, purposefully submitting plans that far exceed allowable hight limits is questionable.  I also believe that demolishing a significant portion of the hotel to ‘save’ the remainder is inconsistent with a treatment that ought be afforded to a building of such significance.

I believe that a hotel extension should be horizontal, instead of vertical. This could be achieved through the acquisition of surrounding properties. I also believe that any proposal should feature a full restoration of the 19th century portion of the building, rather than demolition and/or reconfiguration.

More information?

The National Trust’s Save The Windsor website encourages people to lodge objections to the various authorities, whilst the hotel owner’s Future of the Windsor website provides some details of the plans.

The official submissions to the Heritage Council can be viewed here. Objections must be lodged by 5pm on Thursday 15 October, 2009.

Update: With some modifications, this project was approved by the Minister for Planning on 18 March 2010. More information in my latest article at http://blog.adonline.id.au/windsor-hotel-redevelopment/