Kathleen Syme: a successfully repurposed building

In Faraday St, Carlton there is an example of an old 19th century building that has twice been successfully reconfigured and repurposed. Built 150 years ago as a state primary school, it is still in use today as a modern, well-used community centre and library.

It was built in the years after the introduction of the 1872 Education Act that made primary education compulsory in Victoria. This meant that a large number of schools had to be built over a short period of time to accommodate all the extra children now attending school.

The result was the largest education building program ever seen in this country – 615 new schools constructed in just five years. One of them was State School No. 112 in Faraday St, constructed in 1876-77. It was used as a primary school for nearly 100 years, including as a practice school for trainee teachers from the nearby Teachers Training College in Grattan St. The school was closed in 1972.

The building was then acquired by the adjacent Royal Women’s Hospital, and reconfigured as an education centre for the training of nurses. On May 22, 1978 it was officially opened as the Kathleen Syme Education Centre, named after Kathleen Alice Syme O.B.E. (1896 - 1977) who was an Australian journalist, company director, welfare worker, and member of the hospital’s Board.

The building was used as a nurse training centre for 30 years. In 2008 it was vacated when the Royal Women’s Hospital moved to a new site on the corner of Flemington Rd and Grattan St.

At this point, the whole of the old Royal Women’s Hospital site, bounded by Faraday, Swanston, Grattan and Cardigan streets and including the Kathleen Syme Centre, became available for sale. The University of Melbourne was keen to purchase it and eventually did.

However, a community campaign was mounted by the Carlton Residents’ Association to have the old school building excluded from the sale so that it could be used as a much-needed neighbourhood centre for the local community. The campaign was successful, and in 2010 the building was purchased by the Melbourne City Council for use as a library and community centre.

A $15.5 million restoration then transformed the old building into a creative, learning and community space. Opened in 2015 as the Kathleen Syme Library and Community Centre, the building is now home to a library of 40,000 items and a community centre with learning and training rooms, a computer lab, recording studio, meeting rooms, activity spaces, and a café.

Externally, the restored building remains faithful to its Victorian era architecture, but behind the facade is a modern centre where members of the community can read, connect, learn and create. •