94 Illawarra Road is neither a heritage item nor located in a heritage conservation area. It is a significant period building and notable corner building. The building was constructed ca. 1900 and served as a corner store to both the local community and the staff/visitors of Marrickville’s first Town Hall (1879 until 1922) located across Council Street. The attached historical image shows participants of the last council meeting and part of the building’s awning. On the awning the name ‘George Edward Siddens’ was written, who had a grocers shop in the building from the 1900’s until at least 1933.
In 1988 the building was subdivided into two separate terrace dwellings. This change resulted in the building use becoming private and internally orientated. In 2019 a DA was approved to convert the ground floor into a commercial office with an apartment on the first floor.
The design of 94 Illawarra Road provides an appropriate historical context to the original Marrickville Town Hall, a respectfully amended corner building and outward oriented space providing new life to the area.
Externally ad hoc out buildings and contemporary layers of paint were removed. All openings, shopfront windows, doors and remaining details were retained and restored. Existing security bars were removed. A timber clad volume was added at the rear of the first floor clearly separated from the original building. The timber clad volume is cantilevered over the rear courtyard, providing additional floor space for the upper-level unit. The rest of the first floor was largely retained
The garden at the rear was converted in a courtyard, utility storage, an accessible entry point and car parking.
Internally very little of the original building remained through previous alterations and subdivision work. It was considered appropriate to provide a single open plan office space with utility rooms along the side and glazing to the rear courtyard. The office is used as an architect design studio and maintains the existing shop front windows to Illawarra Road and Council Street, providing visual interest to passing pedestrians.
The heritage significance has been enhanced by reinvigorating and making the existing building useful, visually opening up the ground floor and continuing the life of the existing building, the structure has again become an asset to the community in itself and as part of the direct context of the old town hall building.
The board and batten timber of the cladding was stained black to contrast the existing building envelope and provide a clear differentiation from the old to the new. The two parts are separated by a full height window and allow the stepped detail of the brickwork to be maintained. A playful composition of old and new is created.
Material Used:
1. Facade cladding: Abodo timber
2. Flooring: Spotted Gum, hardwood
3. Doors: Aluminum, commercial grade
4. Windows: Aluminum, commercial grade
5. Roofing: Colorbond
6. Interior lighting: Switch lighting & TecLED
