The Old Masonic Lodge located in central Mordialloc was a job of epic proportions in more ways than one. The building, circa 1925, had sat, unused and unloved for years while the owners, the Freemasons, sought an owner. No one wanted to take on the gracious old building so Kingston City Council joined the crusade and bought the neglected building. Their plan was to rejuvenate this grand historic building and use it as a community facility for recreational, educational or cultural pursuits.
CBG set about careful part-demolition and re-roofed the building to make it weatherproof. Not surprisingly, there were large amounts of asbestos to remove. This took absolute care as there was a school next door.
Other large-scale works included bringing a new stormwater line from the building into the main road, which meant significant traffic management over three days.
As part of the stabilisation works, we liaised with an historian so that all our works were like-for-like. A combination of new and reconditioned windows were installed including new steel lintels to all windows. The external brickwork and intricate render were painstakingly repaired.
Community groups were allowed restricted access during construction so they could assess the site for potential uses and contribute to a community consultation for the next stage of this grand old building’s life.