It was almost deemed a lost cause, but a future has now been secured for Awaba House after fire ravaged the waterfront building two years ago.
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Lake Macquarie City Council lodged plans on Monday to resurrect and expand the heritage listed house at Booragul as well as construct a new terrace area for outdoor dining, a walkway connecting to the Museum of Art and Culture yapang and new timber decking to provide a ceremony area for weddings and events.
Construction is expected to cost $3.6 million and will likely start next year, with project completion scheduled for mid-2023.
It comes after the house was extensively damaged in a blaze on August 20, 2019, the cause of which remains undetermined but is not deemed suspicious.
The plans were developed following community consultation with a community reference group that was established early last year. Members of the group came from various backgrounds including architecture, design, engineering, hospitality and community service.
Lake Macquarie City Council executive manager future city David Antcliff said what came through strongly in the consultation process was a desire to retain the heritage aspects of the house.
"When the fire happened, the thinking was this building was lost, it won't be able to be restored, it won't be able to be saved," Mr Antcliff said. "The engineering guys internally for Lake Mac as well as some of our consultants have done a massive amount of work to be able to save the historic facade."
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Lake Macquarie Mayor Kay Fraser said this was an exciting step in the revitalisation of the heritage site.
"This is a landmark site that will once again become a destination for locals and visitors alike," Cr Fraser said.
When the fire happened, the thinking was this building was lost
- David Antcliff
The plans will go through the development application process, which is expected to take about six months, before being put out to tender.
The first Awaba House was built on the site in 1887, but was replaced in the late 1920s by the current building.
It was first a private home but was later abandoned and sat derelict before council acquired the property in 1995. The site served as the city's art gallery in the late 1990s and as a restaurant and function centre until 2019.
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