The Victoria Theatre has lived a number of lives. Now, engineers have revealed the next steps in the revival of the historic building.
Redeveloper Century Venues says the project has reached an important stage but detailed investigations have confirmed that restoring the building's structure is more complex than they originally understood.
While the engineering reports do represent a setback to the restoration, the developer says they are not shying away from the challenge and remains committed.
"While the work ahead is more extensive than originally anticipated, Century's focus remains firmly on restoring and reopening the theatre as a cultural asset that Newcastle can be proud of for the next 100 years," Century Venues executive director Greg Khoury said.
"The latest now is we have commenced the design for plans for the actual build and the construction to be phased.
Mr Khoury said initial investigations had uncovered additional structural inadequacies that need to be further investigated.
"There is more work to be done there in identifying what they are and determine the solutions to remediate them," he said.
Victoria Theatre project manager Daniel Ballantyne said there were a number of structural issues they had not previously seen.
"It goes into building movement, the nature of foundations, it goes to termite damage and it goes to geological work we need to do," he said.
"There is nothing singularly difficult, but combined along with some of the historic changes that have been made to the original design, we need to come up with solutions."
Mr Khoury said that a lot had been done with the project despite setbacks including the pandemic.
"If we had been in here originally we would have been entombed by tonnes of gyprock, which was the second retail overlay," he said.
"We carefully dismantled and removed that over 18 months, 100 tonnes of it.
"We then commenced the development application process which took 18 months.
"Heritage buildings are notorious for revealing things in their own time frame, so it is not unusual for surprises to come up.
"It is about persevering and dealing with issues in a practical way."
Mr Khoury said getting the theatre opened as soon as possible remained the goal despite the challenges.
"I don't want to be coming in in a wheelchair," he said.
"Newcastle should be able to have any production, any performer, that plays Australia play Newcastle."
Since acquiring the building in 2016, Century Venues and the Next Century Trust have invested more than $5.5 million in protecting the theatre.
That investment included investigating its condition, expanding the project through the acquisition of 4-6 Perkins Street, securing government support and planning its return as a live performance venue.
Previous estimates had put the project at about $12 million to complete, but Mr Khoury said there could likely be more required and welcomed further government assistance.
"I don't know what that number will look like," he said.
"These building require that kind of investment, and essentially we are the custodians for the people of Newcastle.
"Once the building is safeguarded, reopened and working, we know it can be self-sufficient as it was from 1891 when it was a social enterprise.
"Government did not support this building, and nor should they in those days.
"We know these venues are more than a theatre in themselves, that it can operate on a surplus, but government have assisted Century and many of our colleagues' venues to upgrade and to help them flourish and we welcome that."
Former Newcastle councillor Carol Duncan said Novocastrians had a strong connection with the Victoria Theatre's storied past.
"I think everyone has some sort of memory depending on their age," Ms Duncan said.
"If you are old enough you may have seen a stage production. You may have come here to see a movie when it was Hoyts, or you may have dragged your parents here when it was a toy shop, or got your first pair of flared jeans here when it was a department store.
"Every Novocastrian has a relationship and story with this building.
"When people see this space, you watch their face come alive with just the beauty of what it is, even though at the moment she needs work, but its full of that potential of what this is going to bring back to the performing arts community."
