Orange City Council has recognised the outstanding efforts of local residents, businesses and community groups in preserving the city's unique history, with winners announced at the 2025 Cultural Heritage Awards.
Nominees for 'Individual or Group contribution to the Cultural Heritage of Orange' award.
Orange City Council's 2025 Cultural Heritage Awards have been presented.
The awards, a key action of Council's Heritage Community Committee, celebrate excellence in conserving and adapting Orange's heritage buildings and places.
The Heritage Awards are more than recognition, they inspire others in the community to follow good conservation principles
The awards, a key action of Council's Heritage Community Committee, celebrate excellence in conserving and adapting Orange's heritage buildings and places. Categories this year ranged from residential conservation to adaptive re-use of commercial buildings, with projects demonstrating the community's strong commitment to safeguarding local character.
Orange Mayor Tony Mileto says the awards highlight the value of Orange's built heritage and the pride the community takes in protecting it.
"Our city's history is written not only in books, but in the homes, shopfronts and landmarks that shape Orange's streetscapes. The Heritage Awards foster and encourage good conservation work, and tonight's winners show just how much can be achieved with vision, care and dedication," Cr Mileto said.
Heritage Community Committee Chair, Cr Gerald Power, says the awards play an important role in supporting Council's broader heritage strategy.
"The Heritage Awards are more than recognition - they inspire others in the community to follow good conservation principles. Alongside Council's Heritage Adviser and the Local Heritage Assistance Fund, the awards are helping to safeguard the city's historic fabric for generations to come," Cr Power said.
Over the past two decades, winners have included iconic landmarks such as Duntryleague, the Masonic Lodge, Kelly's Hotel, and many heritage homes in Orange, Lucknow and Spring Hill. This year's winners continue that tradition, showing that heritage can be both respected and reimagined.
2025 Heritage Awards - Winners
Restoration of a Residential Heritage Building
- 156 McLachlan Street - Recognised for the sensitive restoration of a residential property that retains original features and strengthens the heritage streetscape.
Adaptive Reuse of a Heritage Building
- Dirty Janes - Awarded for a successful adaptive reuse project that gives new life to a historic structure.
Infill Development in a Heritage Area
- The Mac - Recognised for a new development that complements surrounding heritage character through sympathetic design and scale.
Best Heritage Treatment of a Commercial Building
- The Metropolitan Hotel - Commended for works that enhance the building's heritage significance and ensure its continued role in Orange's historic townscape.
Best individual or group contribution to the cultural heritage of Orange
- Orange & District Historical Society – Emmco/Email/Electrolux Research Group – for researching and identifying photographs of Emmco, Email and Electrolux in Orange, 1946-2016
