By CASEY NEILL
ONE of Greater Dandenong’s most historic buildings is falling apart.
Sudden cracks in the walls forced City of Greater Dandenong to close the top floor of Laurel Lodge until August 2015, according to the Dandenong and District Historical Society.
The council’s arts and cultural development co-ordinator, Sarah Dugdale, said the closure followed an investigation to confirm the extent and significance of movement in the building’s footings.
“The closure has allowed structural engineers to fully assess the impact on the load-bearing structures and ensure any issues were not further exacerbated,” she said.
Ms Dugdale said the damage related to increased movement from the wet and drought extremes over the past decade and the impact of tree roots.
“Costs to repair the building will be able to be fully assessed once tenders are received for the work,” she said.
“This is expected to occur in December.”
Community services director Mark Doubleday told last week’s council meeting that at an outside estimate, the upper floor could remain closed for up to 18 months “if the nature of the works which are being contemplated at this stage needs to happen”.
The Langhorne Street house, on the Heritage Hills property, was built about 1869, and is one of the region’s oldest buildings.
Its past owners were prominent citizens of the district including early Dandenong pioneer Mrs Janet Bowman, district doctor Henry Ogle Moore and Secretary and Engineer of Dandenong Shire Robert Woodcock.
The property was also the site of an elite ladies private school between 1869 and 1884.
In a study of Dandenong’s architecture, titled The Character of 19th Century Dandenong, Sue Jarvis said Laurel Lodge was one of the most gracious and interesting homes in the region.
“Woodwork throughout the interior, including architraves, doors and the drawing room fireplace, are of highly-polished cedar of a quality not found elsewhere in Dandenong,” she said.
“This probably came from the fine cedar forests of New South Wales.
“Unlike the standard four-panelled door, those at Laurel Lodge are wider and higher than usual and are of six panels (more typical of regency Sydney in the 1830s) and are framed by wide, elegantly-moulded architraves.
“The golden brown panelling gives a warmth to the interior which is not found in any other Dandenong building.”
