This Co-Masonic Temple on Regent Street in the inner city suburb of Chippendale was built in 1898. An unsuccessful development proposal was lodged in 2000 to demolish this building and replace it with a nine storey apartment block. Luckily it was decided that the temple is of historic significance due to its strong physical link to the Wesleyan Church and the Co-Masons. Co-Masonry or Co-Freemasonry is a form of Freemasonry which admits both men and women. In 2008, a successful redevelopment retained the temple for commercial use. A hall was demolished and replaced with more suitable residential buildings up to five storeys beside and behind the temple building.
A temporary public art project called “Artists In Residence” occupies the heritage brewery buildings during redevelopment of the Central Park site, in the inner city suburb of Chippendale. “Local Memory” by Brook Andrew comprises of a series of portraits of people who worked in or were associated with the brewery’s history between 1909 and 1998. The 18 portraits are almost 3 metres high each and fit neatly into the exposed grid of floors and walls on the northern exterior wall of the old Irving Street Brewery building. Each portrait is illuminated by a neon frame which flahes on and off in a series of programmed sequences. I missed out on photographing this artwork the previous week due to poor light but unfortunately when I returned last week workmen had just erected a billboard advertising beer. One workman can be seen here climbing down a rope, securing power cable conduits to the wall.
This chimney stack at the former Kent Brewery in the inner city suburb of Chippendale dominates the skyline. The old brewery had also been known as the Carlton and United brewery, the Irving Street brewery and the Tooth brewery. The stack and these heritage buildings have been retained to be incorporated in the new Central Park redevelopment.