Original post 11 Feb 2021:
Pleased to report (belatedly) that the proposal to create a cafe by inserting a mezzanine and infilling the stage area of the 1938 Nicholas Hall next to the Wesley Church on Lonsdale Street was refused by Heritage Victoria in August last year – they did not agree that that the requirement for ‘328 covers’ was sufficient justification for the alterations. Not so pleased to report the developers have now asked for a review by the Heritage Council – I hope they’ll uphold the decision, an example of how Heritage Victoria recently has become more strict (as strict perhaps as they should have been all along!). The hall is a delightful example of Art Deco, designed by #HarryNorris, and yet another gift from the Nicholas family to the Wesley church, which sits behind the recently revealed ‘ghost wall’ of the 1888 Conference Hall, demolished in the 1970s. I don’t know where I got the first image, the others are from the submission to HV, the ghost wall is mine.
Update : in May 2021 the Heritage Council issued a permit for amended plans that had a smaller mezzanine and no alterations to the windows.
Storey of Melbourne 