Community > Town Hall Redevelopment Project
For bookings for the 500-seat auditorium, the town hall and associated spaces, please contact:
Venue Manager, 03 5382 9592
Visit the website at www.horshamtownhall.com.au and see how you can be involved in this exciting new era of arts, culture and community in Horsham.
Latest News:
Bird's Eye View #3 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OltxbTjSrTw
Newsletter January 2016 (Last One)
Progress Photos of the Redevelopment from Feb 2014 to Jan 2015
Launch of Website and Community Fundraising Appeal
The Horsham Town Hall website and community fundraising appeal was launched on 10 September 2014 at a gala event which included a performance by Horsham-born national musical theatre star, Alex Rathgeber. Visit the website at www.horshamtownhall.com.au and see how you can be involved in this exciting new era of arts, culture and community in Horsham.
Alex Rathgeber https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2V9LS_DP_c0
Former Horsham residents who are now nationally acclaimed performers and technicians provided video messages of support. Mark Henstridge, Technical Director for Disney Theatre Productions Australia, delivered his message from backstage of the Lion King, the production he is currently working on. And, renowned pianist Linda O'Brien, who also grew up in Horsham provided a video message encouraging the community to support the project. Both Mark and Linda spoke of the wonderful start Horsham provided to their creative education and careers, and expressed hope that the Horsham Town Hall will provide even better opportunities for many more young people in the future.
Watch their videos here...
Mark Henstridge https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=THfMVOhn9SE
Linda O'Brien http://youtu.be/pJyyJHZSNS0
Time Lapse Camera
A time lapse camera has been capturing progress on site. Click on the image below to see the slideshow.
Video
Watch a video of the Horsham Town Hall Redevelopment project.
Media Releases:
22 January 2014 - A new view of Horsham Town Hall
14 January 2014 - Town Hall Redevelopment Underway
12 February 2014 - Free parking this week at Town Hall site
3 September 2014 - Town Hall project back in full swing
Newsletters:
Redevelopment of the Horsham Town Hall and Regional Art Gallery is underway. Work commenced in January 2014 and is expected to be completed in mid-2015.
The Hon. Hugh Delahunty, Member for Lowan, turned the first sod at an official ceremony on 12 February 2014.
Member for Lowan Hugh Delahunty with Mayor of Horsham Rural City Council Cr David Grimble and Project Manager from Kane Constructions, Peter Mann using the 1867 ceremonial shovel to turn the first sod.
Key features of the redevelopment
Refurbishment of the heritage listed Town Hall and Regional Art Gallery
- A new 501-seat Auditorium with 10 metre stage, green room, dressing rooms, 17m fly tower for scenery changes and audio-visual technology
- Heritage features such as the façade, foyer, terazzo seal, box office, stair case and the Hall itself will all be carefully retained.
- Wilson and Pynsent Streets will be connected by a foyer running the length of the building
- The Gallery, Town Hall, Auditorium, entries and backstage facilities will be fully accessible for people of all abilities
Horsham Town Hall
Constructed in 1938 and listed on the Victorian Heritage Register in 2011, the Town Hall will be refurbished. There will be no structural change to the Town Hall.
The view from Wilson Street
Key features:
- The façade, terrazzo seal, box office and staircase will be refurbished as part of the redevelopment
- The Wilson Street entrance of the Horsham Town Hall will be enhanced by extended public space, a taxi drop off point and an entrance that will be accessible for all.
- A new lighting and audio system will be installed
- Heating and cooling will be installed
- The Hall and Balcony will be repainted
Horsham Regional Art Gallery
The Horsham Regional Art Gallery, housed within the heritage-listed building will benefit from extensive refurbishments and improvements to hanging space, education space and collection storage.
Key features:
- A larger reception and shop area
- A dedicated freight delivery area so that staff no longer need to load and unload artwork on the side of the road (Wimmera Highway)
- A climate-controlled store room big enough to safely house the Gallery’s extensive and valuable collection
- A workshop where the Curator can preserve artworks, including works of local historical significance
- A large, permanent education space where the Gallery’s successful schools and education program can be delivered
- Walls will be resurfaced and the hanging space increased
Auditorium
The new part of the project will be the construction of an auditorium behind the current building, facing Pynsent Street.
Key features:
- A 501-seat auditorium with the capacity to remove some seats to accommodate up to 24 wheelchairs
- A 10 metre stage with 5 metre backstage area either side
- The latest sound and lighting technology
- A 17 metre fly tower for scenery changes
- 5 dressing rooms which are all accessible for people of all abilities
- A green room for performers to gather before performances
- A lift and stairs to the first floor and stage
- Toilets and laundry facilities
The view from Pynsent Street
Café Site
The redevelopment will include a space where a café will be situated in the future. It will be leased to a commercial operator. Until that stage, the space will be available for community use, for example for meetings, functions, pop-up shops or short-term exhibitions.
Ground Floor - Floorplan
First Floor - Floorplan
Economic benefits during construction
Economic modelling of the project’s benefits indicates that the investment during construction phase alone will see a rise in demand for goods and services in Horsham worth more than $13 million. This will be accompanied by flow on consumption (a proportion of wages paid to people working on the project which will be captured by the local economy) worth $5.5 million.
Redevelopment Process
The redevelopment is being funded by State and Federal Government grants, combined with local fundraising and a contribution from Council.
Construction will commence in mid-January 2014 and be completed by July 2015. For more information about the redevelopment or to subscribe to our newsletter please email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Attachments
A walking tour highlighting changes, refurbishments and additions was held on 17 April 2013. Notes from the tour can be downloaded here.
You can also view video footage of the Horsham Town Hall Redevelopment Project on YouTube.
Social Documentary Horsham Town Hall | 75 Years of Memories
Part 1 - Main Feature, Running Time 26:44
Part 2 - Horsham Town Hall Memory Bank, Over 2 hours of extended interviews
The Horsham Town Hall has been the social hub for the Wimmera community for the last 75 years. 'Horsham Town Hall - 75 Years of Memories' is a documentary project undertaken in 2013 to capture stories of the past. It was funded by the Australian Government's Your Community Heritage Program. Copies of the DVD are available to purchase at the Customer Service Desk at Horsham Rural City Council, Horsham Regional Art Gallery and Horsham Visitor Information Centre for $15 each.
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