Former Daylesford Convent
Project
The project involved the refurbishment and conversion of a former convent and girls boarding school to an art gallery, café, restaurant, bar and boutique accommodation.
Site
Located in the township of Daylesford, the convent occupies a prominent site on Wombat Hill next to the botanical gardens. Originally constructed in the 1860s as a grand home, the building was first used as the private residence of the Gold Commissioner. It was purchased by the Catholic Church in the 1880s and in 1892 was opened as the Holy Cross Convent and boarding school for girls. Various extensions were added from 1904 until 1927. The school was closed in the 1973 and the nuns were later relocated.
Challenges
The site includes several buildings and substantial grounds with mature trees. The overall size of the site provided an opportunity for a variety of possible new uses. The limitation however was the cellular and compartmentalised nature of the buildings. Some of the spaces such as the nuns cells were quite small and potential new uses would be constrained by these spaces.
The heritage overlay includes controls on the external paint, internal alterations and the trees. This placed limitations on internal modifications to accommodate new uses and on possible extensions. Any new use would have limited opportunity for extensions and would need to work with the existing internal layout.
Solutions
The former house and convent school was purchased for commercial purposes in 1988 and has undergone extensive refurbishment. The main building with its multiple extensions now houses an art gallery, café, function rooms, bar and penthouse apartment. The grand character of the buildings and gardens has been restored. The difficult spaces now serve several functions. The smaller rooms and long corridors provide focused spaces for displaying art in the gallery, the former chapel is used for private wedding ceremonies and the verandah and balcony have been filled in and provide the space for the Atrium Café.
Integrated with the new uses are glimpses into the buildings past. Several of the nun’s cells are still intact and presented an opportunity for interpretive heritage. One cell serves as an exhibition space for the gallery, while the neighbouring cell has its original austere layout recreated with simple bed, white linen and wall hung icons. More of the original contents are displayed in the various function rooms and the bar. A small museum room is located in the basement and has historic photos and items on display.
Lessons
The requirement to maintain much of the internal layout of the original buildings constrained the suitability of future reuse options. The new uses rather than treating these constraints as obstacles to be overcome, have embraced and highlighted these unique spaces. The function of the building as a gallery sits comfortably alongside the inclusion of interpretive heritage elements. The change of use, which allows the public to leisurely roam around the gallery and gardens, has optimised the appreciation of this grand heritage building.