Prahran Arcade Façade Works
Location
Wurundjeri Country
Prahran VIC, Australia
Client
Private
Significance
State Significance
VHR H1960
Completed
2022
Services Provided
Conservation Works, Building Conditions Assessment, Conservation Management Plans, Heritage Permits
Awards
2024 AIA Victorian Architecture Awards | Award for Heritage Conservation
“The jury was impressed with the specially developed render, the craft of hand-pulled plasterwork, and the creative use of a balcony floor to structurally pin the facade back to the building.”
At its completion in1890, the extravagant Prahran Arcade reflected Melbourne’s ‘boom-time’ optimism. Despite its initial opulence, its condition gradually worsened over the decades, with cracks, damaged render and flaking paint visible for 50 years.
RBA were engaged in late 2018, commencing to with a condition survey of the façade. To establish the project scope, the nonoriginal layers of paint were carefully stripped back revealing long-lost aspects of the facade, including imprints of the original ‘PRAHRAN ARCADE’ lettering, which was faithfully restored. Structural repairs to corroded steel elements in the balcony were discretely integrated with conservation works to both the ceiling and floor, and the decorative details, including two large eagles, were carefully rebuilt. A traditional skim coat rendered finish chosen to match the soft tones of the original, completed the conservation works.
The outcome, guided by evidence-based conservation practice and respect for multilayered stories, is a revitalised Prahran Arcade once again expressing the lateVictorian ambition of the area.
Image Credits: Thurston Empson + Finder Seeker Photography
