Less than 20 years ago Wollongong's historic town hall was facing the wrecking ball, deemed unsafe and well past its use-by date.
Today, the 1956 art deco building is about to get a new lease of life with Council confirming plans for a multi-million-dollar upgrade.
Let's call it a 70th birthday gift for the grand old lady. Next year marks the 70th year of the official opening of the town hall, which took place amidst much fanfare, by the NSW Governor General Sir John Northcott on 10 November 1956.
It was in the late 1980s that Council relocated from the ageing town hall to their flash new 10-storey headquarters across Burelli Street. Following an award-winning architectural project, a large part of the old building was converted into gallery spaces to house the Wollongong Art Gallery. It opened in August 1991.
Safety concerns cause problems
Just 15 years later, things took a turn for the worse, and in 2006 Wollongong Town Hall lost its licence to be a place of public entertainment due to safety concerns, with major concerts transferred to Anita's Theatre in Thirroul.
A controversial plan to clear the entire site and build a new town hall, art gallery and theatre were assessed as "ahead of its time" (code for "too expensive") by consultants PricewaterhouseCoopers.
That left our Council in a bind. Council's then commercial and property manager, Peter Coyte, said a decision had been made to demolish the town hall, but the Council had no idea what to replace it with. It sparked community outrage and a big campaign to save the much-loved building.
In 2008, the issue took a surprising twist. Council had been sacked for systemic corruption following a lengthy ICAC inquiry and the administrators who took charge of Council's affairs resolved not to demolish the town hall. Instead, they approved significant capital works to refurbish it.
Music saved our town hall
In the end, it was a one-off music recital that led to the building being spared.
Council's former head of planning, David Winterbottom, suggested the city's Administrator, Gabrielle Kibble, should attend a recital featuring acclaimed conductor and violinist Richard Tognetti, a Wollongong-raised musician. She was so impressed by the acoustics, she decided on the spot an upgrade was the best use of the Council's budget.
"It seemed all things considered that we needed to look very seriously at the cost, and ability to get the town hall back into use ... and we understood that very effectively today, that the acoustics are of a quality to make it worth saving," Ms Kibble told the ABC at the time.
In 2010, upon receiving his Australia Day honour, Richard Tognetti told the Sydney Morning Herald “saving Wollongong Town Hall is amongst our accomplishments and every time the ACO walks on to the stage in that city I’m proud that we still have an audience sitting there in spite of the efforts of councillors who tried to demolish the building, and what I see as the heart and soul of the city”.
Fast forward to 2025, and the former town hall, again showing its age, is about to undergo what might be the biggest refurb in the building's history.
A council spokesperson said the works included upgrades to the art gallery and town hall's air-conditioning, roof and ancillary building works. Four companies submitted tenders that are now under consideration.
"These works are essential renewal and upgrade works as the building's roofs are showing signs of their age, and to ensure the air-conditioning operations meet the expectations of the community," the Council spokesman said.
At this time, the works are scheduled to be completed by 2027.
The Australian Chamber Orchestra returns to Wollongong Town Hall this Saturday, August 16, when Richard Tognetti directs Gershwin's Rhapsody in Blue and Shostakovich’s Piano Concerto No.1 with superstar pianist Alexander Gavrylyuk. Tickets from $59 at the ACO's website
