THE Swan Hill Town Hall is performing beyond expectations, but the grand “old girl” is tired.
So the 87-year-old restored art deco performance space will soon get a lick of paint on its external facade – for the first time in almost 20 years.
“About two years ago when John McLinden (former chief executive) was here, we were walking back from the town hall and he said the old girl could do with a tidy up, and I said that would be great, but things were a bit tight with money and it was in the height of COVID,” Swan Hill Council director of community and cultural services Bruce Myers said.
“But a grant came up in which council put in an application for a number of projects, and one of them was $440,000 to fix up some cracks and repaint the outside of the town hall.”
The grant is from the Local Roads and Community Infrastructure (LRCI) Program.
Mr Myers said this wasn’t just to make the iconic building look good, but help with its longevity.
“It was in 1994 the last time it had a basic paint,” he said. “Then in 2001 we had the big upgrade inside before a government grant in 2013 to do a complete upgrade on the sound audio to have the same sound desk as the Opera House and LED lighting. So next big thing was to get the outside freshened up.”
A heritage consultant was approached to provide council with colour scheme options, working closely with the Swan Hill Genealogical and Historical Society to dig out old photos and compile a report.
“They told us two options; we could strip it right back to the bricks and go back to what it was in 1935 or you can go to the 1960s which is what people know,” Mr Myers said.
“If you want to go back to the original, you would need about $1 million, or this way we could do it in the budget, so we thought there’s no real option really.
“The heritage consultant did scrapings and drilling and looked at all the options. They came back with what the recommended colours are and said there is some variation there between some of the colours, just in terms of where some of the colours go.
“These will both preserve the building and complement its heritage status.”
Mr Myers said that’s where community engagement presented itself.
“We want people to look at the preferred option and the alternative option and get some feedback … so far we’ve had about 100 responses,” he said.
“The option we have got to repaint will see the town hall freshened up, you won’t see the dirt streaks, it will be fresh and brighter.
“For a building that’s not far off 90 years old, she’s in pretty good nick for her age.
“As far as performing arts centres go in this region, the town hall is second to none, we just need to make it more attractive on the outside.”
This project is expected to be completed by June 30, 2023.
Have your say at letstalk.swanhill.vic.gov.au/swan-hill-town-hall-colour-scheme.
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