Things are a lot brighter for the Civic Hall in more ways than one!

Tenders for works on Civic Hall:

Council has called for Design Services Tenders for the redevelopment of the Civic Hall.  This Tender closes on February 22 2017.

Tenders were also called for the Landscaping on the Doveton St side.  This Tender has now closed on February 8 2017   A car park has now been established on the Armstrong St side of the Civic Hall

https://www.tenderlink.com/ballarat/

Mood Lighting:

On December 17 the Civic Hall lit up for the first time in more than 15 years with beautiful mood lighting on the newly restored front facade and east and west sides.  If you have not seen it yet, take a walk or drive to the Civic Hall Site as it gets dark and watch it light up.  It looks spectacular!  After years of debate and angst, Civic Hall is finally being given the face lift it needs  to bring it into the 21st Century.  The work has really just begun, the interior is next…. it is a great start!

CEO Justine Linley, Mayor Samantha McIntosh. Councillors Rinaldi and Coates and  also members of the Save Civic Hall Group were present  to witness this monumental event on Dec 17 2016.

Heritage Victoria Appeal Hearing February 10, 2017:

In 2015 The Art Deco and Modernism Society of Australia nominated the Civic Hall to be added to the State Heritage Register for protection.  The Save Civic Hall group appealed the decision by the Executive Director not to add the building to the Heritage Register for State Listing.

The appeal was heard in Ballarat yesterday February 10.  The Executive Director agreed that the building has great social and cultural significance .  They also agreed with some of our arguments to have the building listed.  The Civic Hall is unique as it is the only “Stand Alone” civic hall of the Post WW2 era  in the State of Victoria  (maybe Australia?….research is continuing).  The Executive Director agreed that its size was monumental and no others compare.

The Executive Director also  agreed that the Civic Hall is rare.   Our research revealed that the Ballarat Civic Hall is a precursor to the later 1980’s Performing Arts Centres.   We have not found another example of an early pre-1960’s Stand Alone, mult-purpose events and performing arts venue in Victoria.    All others had Municipal offices attached or were part of a complex of municipal buildings.  We will have to wait for around 8 weeks for the Results of the hearing .

Watch this space!

A chance to make this artwork yours…

This wonderful artwork depicting the Ballarat Civic Hall is offered by  Silent Auction at the 60th Anniversary of the opening of the Civic Hall this Saturday 20th August at the Trades Hall and offered for sale by Silent auction on the day.  Bidding will commence shortly after 3pm at the Trades Hall and will close at 5pm when the winning bidder will be announced.

Artwork Details:

Artist:          By prize winning artist Brian Lawrence

Dimensions:    62 x 57 cm including the handcrafted  frame – Mounted with glass

Media:                Acrylic in Oil Style on Art Board

Please read terms and conditions before making a bid in Save Civic Hall messages on Facebook

Terms and Conditions:

We must be able to contact you on the day the event.  If there is no response by the winning bidder , the next highest bidder will be offered the opportunity to purchase the artwork at the price that he/she bid.

Payment must be made by cash or cheque only.   If paying by cheque, purchaser can not take delivery of the artwork until the cheque has cleared by the bank which is normally 3-5 working days after it has been deposited.  

The sale of this artwork  is a fund raiser and the proceeds of the auction will  benefit the Civic Hall into the future.

See You there!

You are invited to a free community event to celebrate the 60th Anniversary of the opening of the Civic Hall in 1956.  Commencing on Saturday 20th August at 2.00pm.

• Assemble at the Town Hall at 1.45pm to take part in a re-enactment of the original 1956 parade with Beaufort City Brass Band to the Civic Hall for an address by Mayor of the day (1956) Nathaniel Callow and Mayor of today Des Hudson.  Parade is expected to leave the Town Hall at 2.00pm

• Then proceed to the Trades Hall in Camp St  for an afternoon of celebration including some fabulous entertainment by innovative community groups, a talk on the Civic Hall by Historian Dr Anne Beggs Sunter and Brett Edgington, Secretary of The Ballarat Trades Hall, afternoon tea, and art auction of a fabulous Civic Hall artwork.

Those community members with mobility issues who feel they can not march  to the Civic Hall are encouraged to make their way to  the Trades Hall round 2.45pm to secure a seat.  

PHOTOGRAPH:  Clarendon College Debutante Ball is courtesy of Ball Organizer Gwendoline Blake

CIVIC HALL NEEDS TO BE SEEN AS AN OPPORTUNITY

Save Civic Hall (SCH) is delighted that maintenance work has now begun on the Civic Hall. Since 2013, SCH has advocated for reopening the Civic Hall as Ballarat’s largest multi-purpose venue for flat floor events, such as festivals, balls, exhibitions and more.

On 9 December 2015, we applauded Council’s decision to abandon moves towards demolition, whilst opposing suggestions to make expensive, permanent alterations to the foyer, balcony and stage, which would seriously reduce its future viability. Despite these and other concerns with the process, we continued to encourage participation with the Here Studio-led studio in the foyer, until Council recently announced its cessation.

SCH thanks Here Studio for leading this process to its present state of two possible designs being offered for Council analysis, tweaking and decision. We hope Council will endeavour to have the Civic Hall repaired in time for its 60th Anniversary on 20 August 2016. Last year, SCH organised a small 59th celebration in the foyer with a cake adorned with a cartoon by The Courier’s Ditchy.

We also enjoyed a poem by a “ghost of past performers” and the Ballarat Ukulele Kollective. Imagine a grander re-opening of the main hall on 20 August this year with some of the original performers – Graeme Vendy and the Vibratones, and Trevor Gleason, as well as more contemporary local music, theatre and dance groups. That was how the original opening was celebrated. Let’s do it again and celebrate!

Merle Hathaway, Secretary, Save Civic Hall

This letter appeared in The Courier 16th March 2016

Where else could you see so many people dancing at any one time in Ballarat?  We need to save this amazing dance floor.   We don’t know what we’ve got till it’s gone!

                                                      photo courtesy of Brendan Britt

Replacement of  broken windows:

Work has commenced on the Civic Hall.  On Thursday Glaziers were spotted replacing the windows of the western side of the Main Hall.  After so many years of neglect this is a large undertaking that will take time.   Save Civic Hall believes that this work shows a genuine commitment by Council prepare the hall for future use by the community.

The Participatory Design Process has officially concluded:

http://www.thecourier.com.au/story/3767415/design-process-dead/?cs=62

As reported in today’s Courier Saturday 5th March, The Participatory Design Process has officially concluded in the Foyer of the Civic Hall.   We thank Here Studio and their staff for collecting and synthesizing all the information and data relating to  people’s memories, views on the future uses and expectations of the Civic Hall.

Here Studio did a wonderful job during their consultation and occupation of the hall’s foyer, encouraging all members of  the community to visit and share their thoughts and opinions.  Some valuable information was collected and can be used in any further development of the hall.  Thanks must also go the the public of Ballarat and District for embracing the Community Consultation and sharing their memories and aspirations.

The final five concepts were developed  by Here Studio and presented to Council who in turn accompanied Here Studio to the  Victorian Design Review Panel  (Victorian Architect).  In the below report from VDRP it was suggested that the final 5 design concepts were not viable and made further  recommendations to further explore  the 5 concepts..  Council have now moved  to the final stage are in the process of developing one design.

Save Civic Hall members of the Partnership Group will continue in an advisory capacity to achieve an appropriate outcome for the future use of the Ballarat Civic hall.

The January 2016 report from the Victorian Design Review Panel:

https://d3n8a8pro7vhmx.cloudfront.net/civichallsite/pages/148/attachments/original/1455784437/160120_OVGA_VDRP_Ballarat_Civic_Hall_Report.pdf?1455784437

60th Anniversary of the Opening of The Civic Hall…20th August 2016

We now turn our attention to the Civic Hall’s forth coming 60th Anniversary of its opening on 20th August 1956.   The keys were turned and the door was locked on the Alfred Hall (now occupied by Big W)on the very same day for the very last time.  From the Alfred Hall a procession marched up Mair Street to the new Civic Hall and the crowd was addressed by Mayor Callow who declared that the new  Civic Hall gives  the people of Ballarat “New Hope” following the dark and dismal days of World War 2.  A huge celebration with concerts followed the official opening.

It is hoped that the Civic Hall would re-open on the 20th August 2016 marking this monumental event.  Wouldn’t it be wonderful to have a re-enactment of the procession up Mair Street to re-open the Civic Hall followed by celebrations and concerts?

Wouldn’t this be an amazing tribute to the forefathers of Ballarat?….. especially Herbert Leslie Coburn, former Councilor and Mayor of Ballarat 1945,  who was an Architect and Teacher of Architecture at the School of Mines.  He designed the Civic Hall but unfortunately died just prior to its official opening.

Concepts K and L

According to Here Studio Director Concept L or K are indicative of the final design for consideration by the Council.

Save Civic Hall supports concept L as the Civic Hall is retained as a dedicated Entertainment and Events venue .

In Concept K  the Library moves into the Lower Hall with the possible loss of the Stage and Flytower to that development.   The ribbon of Library spaces (appears in red) is disjointed and disconnected.  The existing  Library building  becomes offices.  The  wonderful existing reading room would be lost as the windows in the Lower Hall would not provide sufficient natural light.

There are no costings or business plan available for public viewing for the Concept Developments at this stage.

Extracts from The latest Here Studio Newsletter #44..

CORE TEAM UPDATE
Crunch times

The past fortnight has been hard work for our team, working to support our Council considering a recommendation from the Partnership Group that we should now select from the 5 Concepts just 1. This required a lot of back and forth, negotiation, developing arguments, pulling together narratives, briefing, new drawings, sketches, quick cost appraisals, report writing and a presentation to Council Assembly.
We did long days (early starts and late finishes) all hands on deck. It was important to provide our Councillors as much as possible to make an informed decision.
Last night Council Assembly determined not to advance to the Council Chamber on this decision – we hope to learn a bit more from the Councillors in the Partnership Group meeting next week and discuss together what we can do as a group to focus the project.

What we observed were divisions between Concept L and K, Library and Community Hub and definitions of Event Space, mixing and keeping things separate, making some last minute changes, and staying the course. Key issues for Stage 1 are still car parking and funding – and behind these, more specific determinations of use. As a Partnership Group we have discussed looking for understanding and agreement at high level of purpose and principles, before discussing further detail.

Meanwhile, the Architectural Team have been setting up and progressing the next Phase of formal design work, preparing technical consultants, briefs, and scoping design ideas and issues for different scenarios.
We have contracted an ‘As Existing’ surveyor AAM – a state of the art, highly experienced ‘Geospatial Services company specialising in the collection, analysis, presentation and delivery of geospatial information’. AAM will start on Monday using laser and photo technology to survey the Civic Hall in its existing state so we can build a ‘BIM’ model This will save our team time, lower risks, and improve the quality of collaboration between the technical consultants going forward.

Last week our team received a presentation from a researcher/architect in hands-on participation (particularly of young people) in projects in Malawi and the US – Jillian Hopkins. We have since been positively re-energised, refocussing on user groups, and are developing tangible ways for people to keep involved in the development of the site, even as we get into the detail of formal design work. Jillian came to visit us on Tuesday and we sketched out some early ideas. More to come!
We have also developed the Landscape Architecture Plan for Stage 1, and hope to share some new images and drawings next week!

Victorian Design Review Panel  (The Victorian Government Architect)

We (Here Studio) have now received the Report from the Victorian Design Review Panel of OVGA (the Office of the Victorian Government Architect) – which we discussed in the last Newsletter. It is now in the downloads section of the website here.

https://d3n8a8pro7vhmx.cloudfront.net/civichallsite/pages/148/attachments/original/1455784437/160120_OVGA_VDRP_Ballarat_Civic_Hall_Report.pdf?1455784437

This Document is most interesting with recommendations from the Victorian Government Architect:

“There is a risk that by continuing with the current program of reducing the number of options for the site to the preferred five and then three, the outcome will be a compromised solution rather than the best possible outcome for the site and the Ballarat community.”   (From the VDRP report January 2016)

THE FIVE DESIGN CONCEPTS

A Transition Exhibition on the 14th November was launched by Councillors Samantha McIntosh and Belinda Coats.  The exhibition revealed the 5 Design concepts for Phase 3 of The Community Participatory Design Process that began one year ago.

While Save Civic Hall is pleased that the designs keep the external structure, in most of the designs the Lower Hall could become part of the library or partly demolished, and the stage, balcony and foyer are lost.

The only design that retains  both halls is Concept “L”, however this  design is seriously flawed as it retains it only for the limited use as a Performing Arts space, with raked seating, removing any usage for dances, exhibitions, trade shows, dinners etc. it’s original use – as a multi-function space – has gone.

All five designs include offices, shops and residential apartments.  We must question some of the designs and ask … Is this what the community wants?   Is it appropriate to have residential properties on a site that is used as a performing arts venue?  This would surely impact on events when noise levels could be an issue, so why create the problem in the first place?  Why is there so much office space earmarked for the site?  Who is going to occupy the offices?…certainly there has been no commitment by government department, Vic Roads which was once thought to be a stakeholder .

STAGE 1 DEVELOPMENT- THE MOST CONTROVERSIAL

An estimate for stage 1 of the Development of the Main Hall  is $10-12 Million, and this would take place before a final decision is made on the whole site.

A proposal will be put to Council by Here Studio to proceed with Stage 1 of the redevelopment of the Civic Hall site, and a planning permit will need to be prepared.   This includes the main Hall, foyer, division of the balcony, west landscape, Civic Plaza and rearranged car parking.

Whilst we welcome The Civic Plaza and west landscape, concern mounts for the potential  loss of it’s multi-purpose function in favour of raked seating that could become permanent.  This would mean that the beautiful wooden flat floor would be lost, therefore there would no longer be a dance floor, restricting the type of events that could be staged in the main hall.

The stage and flytower is to be closed off with a new and smaller stage erected in front of the original stage.  The wings either side would be lost so there would be no retreat or dressing rooms for performers.

The upper level Dress Circle would be divided into three small theatres and small viewing area, obstructing the view of the stage.  It is proposed to use these for lectures, meeting rooms or art-house cinema which, incidentally, was not permitted in the past.  The only films which could be shown in the hall were educational or documentary.

The existing foyer would be converted into a kitchen with a loss of the two snack bars just inside the main hall.  A lift for disability access would be installed. A new, Art Deco inspired  spiral staircase would also be installed.  The foyer public space would be severely reduced.

There would also be a reduced overall seating capacity which would make it impossible to position it away from its major competitors.  Save Civic Hall understands that the budgeted $8 million could have provided a basic paint and polish to get the hall event ready without unnecessary modifications.

THE 5 CONCEPTS ARE CURRENTLY ON SHOW AT THE LIBRARY

The 5 concepts are now on show at the Library.  A report is expected to be presented to the Council Chambers at the Council meeting on the 9th December.  Community members are encouraged to attend the meeting and share their thoughts on the “Civic Hall Site”.

The Civic Hall foyer will re-open soon and it is critical for residents to visit and give feedback on the 5 concepts.  Please view the designs and ask questions.  Save Civic Hall believes it is important that the Civic Hall is retained for community use as a multi-purpose venue with maximum capacity for generations to come.