WORK has commenced on Byron Arcade on the corner of Otho and Evans streets.
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This weekend marks five years since the building was destroyed by fire on Sunday, January 25, 2010.
From those ashes developers SA & JA Brogan intend to do a little more than just rebuild around the old façade. Their intention is to faithfully restore the building to its original architectural grandeur of 1901, to enhance the cultural precinct as well as reinstate some heritage.
Developer Stephen Brogan said there was a fair bit of serious engineering to go into the building.
For starters all the top parapets had to be tied together before all the top trusses could go on.
“We’re focussed on that for the next eight to 10 days, and hopefully by about the second week in February we’ll be able to put the big steel trusses in place so we can put a lid on,” Mr Brogan said.
“We went out yesterday and inspected the trusses being fabricated at Warialda, and they’re doing a great job. They’ve already got three assembled out of the eight. There’s a fair bit going on.”
Mr Brogan said the couple of gangs working on the outside of the building were repairing the render and taking out the last remnants of the burnt timber.
“They’re establishing the heights of the windows, so I can get the steel supports in place and do a final measure for the windows, because there will be a lead-time of about six to eight weeks on the manufacture of them,” Mr Brogan said.
The building is progressing and it is with an eye for detail, but Mr Brogan does need a little help from the community, and said he will buy photos if necessary.
“We’re looking for any information about the gates that were originally on the Otho Street frontage and the Evans Street frontage. We’re very keen to get at least a photograph of those so we can re-fabricate them and reinstate them,” Mr Brogan said. “They are a very important part of the aesthetics of the building. To do justice to the building we’ve got to make sure a lot of work is done on the externals.”
Mr Brogan said the new Byron Arcade building should be completed about this time next year; if the gods smiled upon his endeavour.
