This year is a big one for Ipswich and its city heart – starting with celebrating its 164th anniversary as a municipality on Sunday 3 March.
From reimagining d’Arcy Doyle Place and the former Jamie’s Kitchen site nearby, to rejuvenating Bell Street starting with the removal of the former pedestrian overpass, and the new entertainment and leisure hub and beloved Hotel Commonwealth both opening their doors in Nicholas Street Precinct later this year, there is so much to look forward to in the emerging city heart.
Renewing d’Arcy Doyle Place as a connecting thoroughfare for Ipswich Central is a key step to enhancing access and awareness of surrounding historical buildings, entry to the Ipswich Art Gallery,
Nicholas Street Precinct and Ipswich Civic Centre while showcasing Ipswich’s heritage and culture.
Preliminary concept design is now underway on plans to reshape d’Arcy Doyle Place based on community consultation completed earlier this year.
Nearby, Ipswich City Council has announced that the former Jamie’s Kitchen site is set to reopen as the new Ipswich Art Workshop, an arts hub for the city’s creative community.
All cooking equipment and appliances from the decommissioned training kitchen have been removed with stove tops, ovens, cooking equipment and small appliances transferred to charity organisation GIVIT to be provided to community organisations.
Initial activations at the new Ipswich Art Workshop, a name recommended by the Ipswich Arts Advisory Group, includes weekend and evening classes and workshops programmed by the Ipswich Art Gallery, and ad hoc masterclass workshops organised to enhance the skills of local artists.
Meanwhile on Bell Street, the pedestrian overbridge built in the 1970s will be removed starting this month, with facades of the buildings adjacent to also be updated.
Council is working closely with the Queensland Government, which owns the overpass and surrounding infrastructure, to help activate and revitalise the area.
A new-look Bell Street is expected to be unveiled in five months’ time, weather permitting.
From Bell Street through Tulmur Walk to Nicholas Street Precinct, work continues behind the screens at both the flagship Venue entertainment building and the revitalised Hotel Commonwealth, both opening their doors later this year.
At the Venue, the building’s fundamentals are continuing at pace including electrical cabling, roof replacement and wall plastering, to make way for an epic new entertainment hub.
The distinctive archway façade that marks the entry way to Venue from Nicholas Street is progressing well, with most of its 12,000 bricks now in place. The internal structure is also taking shape, with more than 28,000 square metres of plasterboard now installed.”
