Should this Beaumaris building receive heritage protection?

A humble brick building set to face the wrecking ball has caused outcry among residents in Bayside.

Architecture enthusiasts and art studio students are campaigning against Bayside City Council plans to demolish the modest 1960s building for modern new art facilities.

Save the Beaumaris Art Group Studio campaigner Jamie Paterson says residents paid for a National Trust heritage assessment without council’s knowledge. The group wants the Reserve Rd building to be saved and used into the future.

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“In the short term, some simple maintenance and refurbishment is adequate and long term it could be renovated or adapted so its heritage quality is retained and disruption to the art group is minimised,” Paterson says.

Locals want to save the humble 1960s building. Picture: Supplied.

The Trust’s heritage experts labelled the studio as significant on a local level and potentially at a state level in a letter to residents. It said the council should assess the property in its ongoing mid-century heritage study.

The Charles Bricknell design has been home to the Beaumaris Art Group for more than 50 years. The studio was opened by National Gallery of Victoria director Eric Westbrook and members included prolific artists like Joan McCrae and Inez Hutchinson.

Improvements are needed at the site. Picture: Supplied.

Its mid-century character, connection to notable local figures and Bayside culture stood out to heritage assessors.

A student of the studio, who did not want to be named, says the modest building is one-of-a-kind.

The Beaumaris Art Group have used the studio for more than 50 years.

“It’s a space that’s deceptively simple and yet has a certain magic that makes it a special place to work,” she says.

“Beaumaris has been a centre for creative endeavours over three centuries and the Heidelberg School painters (and) the modernist architects, and this mid-century modernist building is very much a part of that.

“Demolish the building and you demolish its rich history and its legacy for future generations.”

Suzanne Savona help a fashion exhibition at the studio.

Bayside City Council community and customer experience director Bryce Craggs says two new buildings are planned for the arts group and the Beaumaris Reserve Sports Pavilion.

“Beaumaris Arts Group has advocated to council on several occasions for a new arts building to grow its arts program,” Craggs says.

“The aim is to provide the best facility that meets the needs of the Beaumaris arts community and this is the driving force behind the redevelopment.”

This article from the Herald Sun originally appeared as “Beaumaris residents fight to save brick art studio facing demolition”.