By Holly McGuinness
Recently restored Keilor Police Hut has been awarded this year’s Victorian Architecture Award for Heritage – Conservation.
The Police Hut was noted by the Architecture Awards institute as an “exemplar of conservation work.”
Keilor Historical Society president, Susan Jennison said the award was a “David and Goliath” win for the restoration project, considering the large scale of the Architecture awards and the other organisations that they were up against.
“This win is promoting the history of the Keilor region, and we’re trying to get people to realize that there is such an extraordinary amount of history of a terribly big significance for our region,” Mrs Jennison said.
Officially opened in November last year by Brimbank council and the Keilor Historical Society, the restoration of the hut stands as an integral part of Keilor’s history, originally built in the 1850’s as a base for police officers during the gold rush era.
The restoration showcases a distinct synergy between the original corrugated iron in its current state, while the other half of the interior has been historically interpreted to showcase what it may have looked like based on the findings of an archeological report conducted during the restoration process.
The hut has been dismantled and rebuilt several times over the years, but this most recent restoration is located across from Harrick’s House in Keilor Park.
Not yet open to the public, the Keilor Historical Society is hoping to host an open day at the Police Hut in the near future for the public to view the award winning piece of their communities history.
