The Mont Albert heritage station is gearing up for the next phase of its life, with the 112-year-old building’s refurbishment nearing completion.
The heritage station building was returned to site last month, taking pride of place in the new Mont Albert heritage plaza connecting Hamilton Street Village with Beresford Street and serving as a community hub, with a central grassed area, seating, colourful garden beds and a community garden.
The station building, completed in 1911, was dismantled in February and restored at an off-site facility during the 3-month construction blitz to remove the dangerous and congested Union Road and Mont Albert Road level crossings.
The painstaking restoration process challenged the project team in meeting strict building and safety standards, while still retaining as many of the building’s Edwardian period features as possible.
“Once off site, an inspection of the building was completed to determine the suitability of salvaged materials. Unfortunately, the building had suffered significant deterioration in terms of extensive water and termite damage, asbestos in the roof, and the pressed-metal ceilings were almost completely disintegrated and covered in lead paint,” station project engineer Beau said.
“It was a challenge to salvage and enhance what we could considering the deterioration, while still complying with current building codes.”
Under the guidance of a heritage architect, the project team carefully repaired damaged sections of the building, replacing the termite-infested original timber frame with a steel frame and restoring many of the decorative features to their former glory. This included the period window frames and ticket window, and the original brick chimneys and fireplaces, complete with surrounding decals.
The building was lifted back in sections and reassembled close to the former station's original position, finished with the restored canopy and supporting columns.
“It will be a fantastic addition to the area and for the local community. While we have built a modern station to meet current needs, it is still important to preserve history where we can,” Beau said.
“The station building was an important part of the area’s heritage and will continue to be so for future generations for another hundred years or more.”
The heritage plaza will open to the public in spring, along with the precinct’s other new and upgraded open spaces. Future use of the Mont Albert heritage station building will be determined by the council.
