Deputy Premier and State Member for Bathurst Paul Toole, visited Lithgow Library on Thursday 4 August 2022 to view the recently completed works to construct a new Library façade and awning.
“The project consists of a new façade using materials which are in keeping with the industrial nature of Lithgow’s heritage,” Mr Toole said.
“The library parapet and signage has been redesigned so that they fit in with the heritage aspect that runs along the Main Street. It has given the building a new lease on life”
In 2019 structural issues were identified with the original 1940s façade and awning that required removal. Council received grant funding from the NSW Government’s Resources for Regions Program to replace them.
Being an important public building in a heritage part of the Lithgow CBD, Council wanted the new design to be something special and unique that could speak to Lithgow’s heritage. An architect was engaged whose design, in a nod to Lithgow’s former iron and steel industry, incorporates genuine Lithgow bricks from Lithgow’s brickworks and the use of Corten steel, a finish that is designed to show surface rust.
While Corten steel, which rusts over time, has been widely used elsewhere for a number of years, this is the first time that Corten has been used in commercial buildings in Lithgow. The repurposed Lithgow bricks give an edgy contemporary look to the façade. The works included new verandah posts and a pressed metal awning lining as seen in other Main Street facades. The work was undertaken by local builder Dean Horten.
“I am very pleased that these works have now been completed and that the Library is now fully functional,” said the Mayor Maree Statham.
“The design is really something special that adds a lot to Lithgow’s Main Street and is something that the community can be very proud of. I would especially like to thank our local Member Paul Toole MP for his support in gaining the funding for these works.”
