Original sandstone exterior of the Blue Magnolia Modernising Heritage Buildings It’s always a bit of a challenge in Tasmania to retain the historic charm of a place, yet still make it user -friendly and adapted to modern living. People are busy. Both men and women work outside the home. We need our washing machines, our dishwashers and indoor bathrooms. When we come home we want to relax with our computers and televisions. One of the few places I managed to visit during this year’s Architecture Week which ran from late October to mid-November, was the “Blue Magnolia," once part of a conjoined pair of sandstone row houses in an internal block dating from the 1840s. Sadly, not many of their contemporaries have survived because they were knocked down over the years as the city expanded. Subtraction and Addition This pair had already undergone an unsympathetic renovation in the 1980s. The buildings had been partially merged into one and many of t...
Practising Geographer - nature culture places people