Restoration of Trades Hall continues as part of $10 million heritage project

The world’s oldest continuously operating trade union building is undergoing its next phase of restoration, with global construction company Multiplex appointed to deliver Stage Three of the Victorian Trades Hall Living Heritage Project.

Located at the corner of Victoria and Lygon streets in Carlton, the Trades Hall has long stood as a symbol of the labour movement in Australia.

Built between 1874 and 1925, its origins are tied to the Eight Hour Day Movement – a campaign led by Melbourne stonemasons that secured one of the world’s first legislated eight-hour workdays in 1856.

The restoration works are being delivered under the Victorian Government’s $10 million Victorian Trades Hall Conservation Grant 2023–25, with the aim of preserving the Trades Hall’s rich architectural and cultural legacy.

Led by architects and heritage consultants Lovell Chen, the third stage of works will focus on the Victoria Street Wing and the original 1874 portion of the building. Multiplex, which completed Stage Two of the project in 2021, will now oversee the building’s structural strengthening, fire safety upgrades, bathroom restoration and other finish works.

One of the most significant aspects of the current phase is the unveiling of long-hidden honour boards in the foyer of the Victoria Street Wing. Originally painted around 1906 and expanded in 1910 and 1911, these artworks by Pierce and Land, E Turnbull and W. Dunstan were later covered with overpainting. They will now be revealed for the first time in decades, in collaboration with conservation specialists International Conservation Services.

Multiplex’s regional managing director for Victoria and South Australia Ross Snowball said the company was proud to continue work on such an iconic piece of history.

“The Victorian Trades Hall reflects our ability to deliver innovative solutions to complex projects of varying scale,” Mr Snowball said. “It also speaks to our experience in heritage projects, having refurbished 472 Bourke Street (Equity Chambers), Medina Grand (formerly Adelaide Treasury), and the heritage facades of the Australian Nursing & Midwifery Federation Building in Melbourne.”

The current restoration works are scheduled for completion by the end of September, just in time for the Melbourne Fringe Festival, which will see the revitalised Trades Hall filled with immersive art, music and theatre.

The Trades Hall was added to Australia’s National Heritage List in 2023 and is also being considered for UNESCO World Heritage listing. •