Project: Ararat Performing Arts Centre & Ararat Regional Art Gallery

The Ararat Regional Art Gallery and the Ararat Performing Arts Centre are located in the former Ararat Town Hall which was constructed in 1899 to a design by architects Molloy and Smith and extended by architects Gunn Hayball Pty Ltd in 1979. The building is included in the Heritage Overlay of the Ararat Planning Scheme.

Following engagement by the Rural City of Ararat to design and document a minor refurbishment of the Ararat Regional Art Gallery, Coleman Architects were subsequently engaged to assist the council with their application for funding to upgrade the facility.

We developed a master plan for the facility to demonstrate how it could be reconfigured to improve access to, and operation of the spaces, and to provide new storage areas to improve the flexibility of the facility. The ensuing submission to the Victorian State Government was successful and over $6m was committed to the project which was ultimately carried out to a revised design by Williams and Boag Architects and opened in August 2018. We are proud of the significant input our work played in the initiation of the project.