IF the walls could talk at number three Dawson Street, they would tell tales of baptisms and weddings, fine dining, and nights of partying to dance music.<\/p>\n
They could also share some more recent action.<\/p>\n
The old Baptist church has been restored since 2019 by owner, Michael Whitehead, and the construction project will be presented in the ABC\u2019s latest series of Restoration Australia<\/em>, hosted by architect and historian, Stuart Harrison.<\/p>\n Derelict for more than a decade and a home to vermin, Mr Whitehead relished the chance to show some love to the CBD icon, known for its former church, nightclub and restaurant days, and its column fa\u00e7ade.<\/p>\n \u201cOur focus was to honour the architecture of the building while also creating a liveable, modern residence,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n \u201cWe not only retained and restored the building\u2019s striking roman columns, but have also incorporated the original Baptism pit as a feature of the main living area,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n Builder Nat Twaits arrived on the scene when it was only \u201cdirt floors with four walls,\u201d following some previous preparation and labouring work.<\/p>\n He said Restoration Australia visited about five times, showing the project at varying stages of completion.<\/p>\n \u201cWe rang them before we laid the hydronically heated floor, which is very unique in Australia, and they came up, filming us putting it down,\u201d Mr Twaits said.<\/p>\n \u201cThey came back when it was all framed up and watched my crew, then when it was all plastered, when structural steel was going in, when we put the double-glazed glass windows in, and then the final.\u201d<\/p>\n He\u2019s rapt that Ballarat can see what became of the church they feel connected to, with fond memories of its previous lives.<\/p>\n \u201cI have a passionate team and we\u2019re really proud. The response has already been astronomical on Facebook. It\u2019s the best advertising we could get.\u201d<\/p>\n Restoration Australia is airing on Sunday nights, 7.40pm.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" IF the walls could talk at number three Dawson Street, they would tell tales of baptisms and weddings, fine dining, and nights of partying to dance music. They could also share some more recent action. The old Baptist church has been restored since 2019 by owner, Michael Whitehead, and the construction project will be presented […]<\/p>\n