School warms its new “piano building” campus

Independent school Preshil has thrown “a housewarming party” at its recently acquired building at Lincoln Square South in Carlton.

Preshil principal Aaron McKinnon said more than 400 people, including some neighbours and local business owners the school had built relationships with turned up to the celebration on Saturday, May 31, along with students, alumni, families, teachers and friends of Preshil, architects NMBW and “other partners from the broader area”.

“It was really an event to bring our community together and celebrate this new campus that we’re going to have and fill it with Preshil spirit before the actual fit-out starts,” the principal said.

“It’s a brilliant venue that can have everyone come together – it’s so large.”

“The floor plates are 900 square metres, and we had the whole thing pumping with artworks and music and other things. It was great.”

The school snapped up the heritage-listed former Allan & Co “piano building” to convert into a secondary campus last December, surprising stakeholders, who had expected a major multi-storey redevelopment of the building.

Preshil’s plans will see the five-storey structure retained in its current form.

The fit-out of the building is due to start in the third quarter of the year, so could begin any time though it won’t be apparent from the outside, the principal said.

“It starts off with internal works but later it will be more obvious,” Mr McKinnon said.

“Over the next 18 months it gets ready then we move in for the 2028 school year.”

The campus will accommodate students from Years 9 to 12.