As any Sydney-dwelling science lover will be well aware, Ultimo’s Powerhouse Museum is currently out of action – undergoing a huge $300-million renovation that will keep it looking fresh for decades to come. And thanks to a recent government decision, the museum has just had its heritage status extended – guaranteeing that the inner-city site will remain a museum of applied arts and sciences well into the future.
Starting its life in the Garden Palace inside the Botanic Gardens way back in 1879, Powerhouse Museum is a 145-year-old institution, with a collection of more than 500,000 objects across the applied arts and sciences.
Custodians of one of the most extensive and diverse museum collections in Australia, Powerhouse Museum is committed to sharing insights into “any or all branches of applied science and art and the development of industry”, with a mission to share knowledge with the wider community set by the legislation of the Museum of Applied Arts and Sciences Act back in 1945. Since then, the museum has continued to follow through – with boundary-pushing events and award-winning, horizon-expanding exhibitions (such as the recent 1,001 Remarkable Objects exhibition, which was crowned Best Museum Exhibition at the inaugural Time Out Sydney Arts and Culture Awards). Now, its continuation into the future has been guaranteed, with an extension of its heritage status meaning the entire Powerhouse Museum Complex will be recognised and protected as part of Sydney’s cultural and educational landscape well into the future.
Heritage NSW Executive Director Sam Kidman explained: “The expanded heritage listing of the Powerhouse Museum Complex reaffirms its significance as a cultural landmark in NSW.”
The renovations currently underway at the museum involve the addition of a new garden square that will make it more easily accessible from surrounding precincts like Haymarket and Railway Square, along with major upgrades to the centuries-old buildings which were initially built back in the 1800s as turbine halls, tram depots and factory rooms.
As well as restoring the building’s heritage-listed shell, the renovations will introduce new exhibition spaces, with Powerhouse Museum Ultimo Chief Executive Lisa Havilah explaining: “The heritage revitalisation will enable the Powerhouse Museum to continue connecting the communities of NSW with the applied arts and sciences through our iconic collection…once reopened the Powerhouse will have more and vastly improved museum exhibition spaces, circulation spaces that will create a wonderful experience for our audiences and revitalised buildings that will protect and enhance the presentation of the Powerhouse Collection.”
While the original Ultimo Powerhouse is being restored, a whole new outpost is taking shape in Sydney’s second CBD – with Powerhouse Parramatta due to open on the banks of the Parramatta River over the next few years. You can keep up to date over here.
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