The City of Greater Geelong hosted its annual celebration of innovative and engaging projects that are actively conserving and celebrating Geelong's rich heritage this week.
Retaining heritage buildings helps preserve our cultural identity for future generations. These historical structures remind us of what has come before and shape the character of places we value.
The Greater Geelong Heritage Awards recognise excellence in the retention, restoration and reuse of heritage places in Geelong.
They celebrate achievements in conserving and undertaking sensitive redevelopment or adaptive reuse of heritage places.
The awards also celebrate advancements in how local historical groups communicate and engage with our community as well as the heritage research in academia taking place in Geelong.
The work undertaken by the Greater Geelong Heritage Awards winners ensures that Geelong's rich history remains an integral part of its future growth and development.
Award winners
- The 'Restoration of a Heritage Place' award winner was 164 Bellerine Street, Geelong – a Federation style timber bakery.
- The 'Creative Reuse of a Heritage Place' award recipient was 66 Elizabeth Street, West Geelong, which transformed a 101-year-old brick shopfront.
- The Glass House, North Geelong, formerly the Pilkington Glass factory, was also awarded for its 'Creative Reuse of a Heritage Place'. The factory has been transformed into a commercial use area while honouring its clever and creative exterior.
- A private residence on Avon Street, Geelong West won the 'Sustainability and Greening of a Heritage Place' award with its modern restoration and 8.6 thermal performance star rating.
- The 'New Work in a Heritage Overlay' award was won by 24 Stephen Street, Newtown, which saw the original brick garage integrated into a new residential home.
- The recipient of the 'Heritage Interpretation and Promotion' award was the Geelong Historical Society for their website transformation into a multimedia resource.
- In academia, PhD candidate Donya Masoomi Khameneh received the Next Generation award for her research examining the evolution of heritage perception in Geelong's wholesale landscape.
- Geoff Saunders was also honoured with the Jennifer Bantow OAM individual award for his long and distinguished contribution to the creative and sensitive adaptation of Geelong's heritage buildings.
This is the first time the Geelong Heritage Awards were aligned with Geelong's designation as a UNESCO City of Design.
Greater Geelong Mayor Stretch Kontelj OAM
This year's awards recognised exceptional projects spanning both commercial and residential places, each a testament to the power of thoughtful design and dedication.Every winner demonstrated remarkable craftsmanship, a strong commitment to sustainability, and an imaginative approach to conservation, restoration and adaptive reuse.
Through their work, they are not only preserving our rich history but also ensuring its enjoyment by future generations.
Geelong Heritage Advisory Committee chair Councillor Rowan Story AM, RFD
We are fortunate to have such a range of heritage places in Geelong.It was fantastic to see collaboration between builders, designers, tradespeople and architects demonstrated in exciting projects.
These awards show how many groups, businesses and individuals are passionate about preserving our region's heritage.
