Last chance for entries in Cultural Heritage awards

There’s still time to place an entry in this year’s Cultural Heritage awards, run by Orange City Council to encourage local restoration projects.

Orange City Council’s Cultural Heritage Committee Chair Reg Kidd said the awards acknowledge the commitment that property owners have put into maintaining and conserving the city’s heritage buildings and places using heritage conservation principles.

“Orange has some fantastic examples of restored buildings that have won awards in recent years,” Reg Kidd said. “The Wilson-Piggot-Miller office in the old Dudley Hospital on the corner of Summer and Hill Streets is a good example of adaptive reuse of an existing building. The Orange Dermatology on the corner of Moulder Street and McNamara Lane is another good example.”

“There’s been a good response to nominations for the awards but there’s still time for more. Entries can come from family, friends and relatives who have watched a restoration project develop. It could also be a builder or tradesman who has worked on a project who can make the nomination.”

“There are many projects completed over the last few years that you drive past daily,” Cr Reg Kidd said. “Fancy Dish at 109 Moulder Street and Factory Expresso in Kite Street are good examples of conservation principles and were winners of awards in recent years. “

“The Awards not only acknowledge conservation work, but are about building community interest in the design and construction of sympathetic infill development, alterations and additions to buildings.

Categories for awards are :

• Restoration of a Residential Heritage Building,
• Streetscape Element Restoration,
• Best Infill Development,
• Best Heritage Treatment of a Commercial Building,
• Best Improvement to a Building under 50 years old,
• Best Landscape/garden Design which is appropriate to its environment, and
• Best Contribution to the Cultural Heritage Environment of Orange; Best interpretation of publication

Telling the stories

“The last category recognizes the importance of encouraging people to tell the story of their restoration they’ve done,” Cr Reg Kidd said. “It could be small sign on their building. It might be an extra page on a business’ web site. It’s about going the extra mile of telling the story of a building’s history or how a restoration pro0ject was done.”

Projects must have been completed within the last 5 years.

The Cultural Heritage Community Committee established the awards criteria that enables judging of the nominated properties. All sections of the form must be completed and should be accompanied by a before and after photo. Nominations need to be returned by 5.00pm, Friday 14 October 2016.

Judging will be held in October and the awards presentation will be held at the Orange Regional Museum on Friday, 11 November 2016 at 5.30pm.

Nomination forms are available from www.orange.nsw.gov.au/heritage or the Orange Visitor Information Centre. Completed forms can be emailed to Orange Regional Museum or for further information contact Museum & Heritage Coordinator A Russell – 6393 8170 museum@orange.nsw.gov.au or delivered to the at Orange City Council, Byng Street, Orange.