The new Winged Victory
A wider view of Winged Victory
A back view of Winged Victory
I’ve waited a suitable time before I posted about the Marrickville Town Hall upgrade in deference to those who lost their lives in the wars. Unfortunately I wasn’t able to attend the Marrickville Remembers March to mark the centenary of the Anzac landing at Gallipoli on 19th April 2015, but I am told it was a great success. During this event the new Winged Victory statue was unveiled, plus the refurbished forecourt & War Memorial.
I think the new Winged Victory is wonderful & it is great to have a statue back in this location. It is also great to see the War Memorial looking cared for, as it should be considering the 457 Marrickville soldiers who died during World War 1.
Over the last few years, people have written to ask me to take photos of their family member’s name on the War Memorial. Now that the soldiers’ names have been filled with gold & the War Memorial has been refurbished, I am happy to do this again. Contact me – Jacqueline savingourtrees@gmail.com
As for the $500,000 upgrade of the Town Hall Forecourt, it is exactly as I envisaged & not to my liking at all. I find it hard, grey & cold. It will be miserable in winter & hot in summer. I also miss the trees & the sound of birds, which is to be expected. Time will tell whether the community love these works or it is considered as bad as the upgrade of Alex Trevillion Plaza further down Marrickville Road.
The $75,000 plans for the Marrickville Town Hall Forecourt upgrade had the objective “….to create an austere response.” They achieved their objective. See what you think.
Plaque on the Marrickville War Memorial
The repaired Marrickville War memorial. Very nice to see wreaths & gold lettering.
Not so nice to see flooding around the War Memorial. This is brand new work & it should not be retaining water.
More retained water on the other side of the Marrickville War memorial.
Looking across the Marrickville War Memorial towards St Clement’s Church.
Looking at the Marrickville War Memorial from Petersham Road.
Brass rails from the Petersham Road side
The landscaping.
Looking across the Marrickville Town Hall forecourt down Marrickville Road & showing the Magnolia tree. .Note the car blocking the disabled entry into the Town Hall.
Seating & landscaping around the Magnolia tree.
A long view of the Marrickville Town Hall forecourt.
The side of Marrickville Town Hall denuded of trees.
SAVING OUR TREES - Marrickville municipality 
6 comments
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May 16, 2015 at 8:08 pm
Roger
Great post. I agree it has turned out to be a highly successful “austere response.” I am liking the unintended water retention around the monument though – wouldn’t a fountain soften and temper the bleakness of the area?Maybe we should request more of it and turn it into a welcoming feature!
May 17, 2015 at 2:08 am
ArchitectGJA
Marrickville Council have done their Community a disservice in this project. While the refurbishing of the memorial to those who died in the service of their country should certainly be lauded, the remainder of the forecourt is quite simply ghastly.
If it were possible to ask any of those non-returning soldiers for their preference for a memorial location, whether a green vibrant place sustaining wildlife or a cold grey expensive car park, it does not take much imagination to reach the obvious answer.
Beyond the removal of the existing trees whose canopy hosted the bird population, softened the hard edges of the structures and provided shade, the replacement forecourt sadly ignores the building for which it should be providing a welcome to visitors and a serene place for reflection of the service of the lost soldiers. The cold grey forecourt paving shows a closer colour affinity with the roadway, an unbroken extension of that roadway, while turning a hostile back to the warm colour palette of the town hall. The forecourt, despite all the expense, is now simply a lifeless wide place in the road. These embellishments have left the Town Hall looking like a tired old obstruction in the way of parking for motor vehicles, hardly a justifiable expense for the Community.
May 17, 2015 at 3:50 pm
hacked to bits
Agreed
May 19, 2015 at 10:40 am
jancallen
Well said ArchitectGJA and others /\. Unwelcoming, bleak and somber. The winged victory seems to be mourning not only the loss of the lives sacrificed to war but also the removal of life giving trees and birdsong lost to bad decisions.
What a sad apology that token Magnolia is! In 10 years somebody will be cursing the design as they have to dig up the cement and try to plant some shade.
May 19, 2015 at 8:06 pm
whimsicat
austere indeed. and sad.
May 31, 2015 at 1:00 pm
brenda
I agree with all the sentiments expressed above and feel so sad at the missed opportunity to showcase the Town Hall with pride.
I think it is cold, ugly and full of hard surfaces. It lacks colour or imagination. It does not exude personality and already looks as if it needs to be renovated and brought into the 21st century.
What a huge costly step backwards instead of a leap forward!