THE NEW HAWTHORN ARTS CENTRE

Hawthorn Arts Centre

360 Burwood Rd, Hawthorn 3122
(02) 9278 4775 or www.boroondara.vic.gov.au/our-city/arts-culture/hawthorn-arts-centre-information

This November the Hawthorn Town Hall will open after 18 months of redevelopment, re-emerging as the Hawthorn Arts Centre – a first class arts and cultural facility for the City of Boroondara. The Centre will be a community, cultural and heritage hub giving priority to the presentation of arts and cultural activities.

With the vision to create ‘a city of harmony where citizens can celebrate, share, express and experience a rich arts and culture’, Boroondara Mayor, Councillor Jack Wegman says: “It will be the centre for Boroondara’s artistic and cultural life, and an important feature on greater Melbourne’s artistic landscape.”

Key features of the redevelopment include internal renovation works and restoration of the façade, but more specifically:
• Refurbishment of the Main Hall and surrounding spaces including new kitchens, amenities & meeting rooms
• A new arts studio and workshop spaces
• A new Gallery with expanded exhibition spaces
• A new café and retail area
• A refreshed annex building – with updated façade & entry

As part of the redevelopment, many of the spaces in the new Hawthorn Arts Centre have been renamed, some of them in honour of people prominent in Hawthorn’s history.

The official community launch of the facility will be from November 21 to 24 with four days of diverse and innovative multi-disciplinary arts programming – a mix of ticketed and free events. Additionally, a number of community arts projects currently in development will culminate at the launch.

With an estimated budget of $17.9 million, Peddle Thorp Melbourne Pty Ltd. was appointed as the architects for the redevelopment – both the renovation and the conceptual design of the new performance space.