The old Newcastle post office might be a renovator’s nightmare, a pigeon poo palace and a potential moneypit, but it’s back in public hands as of today.
Newcastle MP Jodi McKay has already called for federal government money to start the makeover.
Ms McKay has asked Arts and Heritage Minister Peter Garrett for $730,000 to weatherproof the iconic building, and consultant APP Corporation will report in four weeks on the scope and potential cost of works required.
The NSW government will call for expressions of interest from the private sector in August.
Early indications are that about $2million will be needed to ensure the building is fit to be let to tenants. No one is saying it’s easy times ahead.
During her first walk through a limited part of the ground floor yesterday, Ms McKay said: ‘‘God only knows what we’ll find and how long it will take, but we’ll have a much better picture of things in about three or four weeks.’’
She hopes to have the building safe enough to open to the public for a ‘‘reclaim the old post office’’ day soon.
The extent of deterioration was obvious during the walk-through. Water fell heavily from numerous internal points, parts of the ceiling had collapsed, foul-smelling stagnant black muck filled an exposed interior well, and Ms McKay was unable to inspect the basement or upper floor because of safety concerns.
Structural damage is a great and potentially expensive unknown. Water poured from a major beam which appeared ominously softened.
‘‘We really don’t know yet,’’ said Karen Fowler, a senior project officer with the Land and Property Management Authority.
When Mrs Fowler first walked into the building several months ago it was calf-deep in pigeon poo, pigeon corpses, syringes and other items she didn’t really want to identify.
‘‘I just thought what a beautiful building but how sad that it had come to this, and what a shame it ever went out of public hands,’’ she said.
It was in a worse state than most other heritage buildings she had seen.
‘‘With Sydney post office it was just a case of changing the use from one day to the next. The building was in good condition.’’
Ms McKay acknowledged the building was a potential renovator’s nightmare, but said that was ‘‘no reason not to buy it’’.
‘‘This was a decision about what the community wanted,’’ she said.
‘‘That’s why I’ve written to Peter Garrett to ask for federal funding because this should never have gone out of public hands.
‘‘It was a Howard government decision, but I still believe the federal government has a responsibility to help us bring it back to its former glory.’’
From upstairs yesterday a small waterfall could be heard and, downstairs, four pigeons still called the old post office home.
Ms McKay declined an invitation to play amateur renovator.
‘‘My renovating’s limited to painting and lounge covers, certainly not anything like this,’’ she said.
She remembered the second-last time she was at the old post office, some time after the federal government sold it.
‘‘There was a ball here that I went to. The room was filled with plush tables. It was lovely then,’’ Ms McKay said.
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