By Steve Hart
To encourage more community feedback on how a section of the former lunatic asylum on Jacksons Hill can be used as cultural precinct, Hume City Council is opening it visitors.
During my visit to the female refractory ward on Saturday 20 April I was told how the building was taken over by weeds during the years it was abandoned by the State Government. Clean-up work began after it was handed over to Hume City Council under a lease arrangement in 2022.
The refractory ward, commonly known as Building 22, was first opened to house the criminally insane, but was used solely for women (records show many were not criminals). The building is a large rectangular affair with covered walkways, and a central building that’s been remodelled as a school theatre/exhibition space.
In one of the rooms is a display of past shows performed by members of the Boilerhouse Theatre Company.
Modernised when in the hands of Victoria University (1992-2011), many of the building’s wards/cells now have metal framed glass doors. Most were locked during my visit.
However, the original padded cell was open. And stepping inside to stand next to a [broken] chair that looks as old as the building, I was pleased to cross the threshold back outside to the walkway (quick-smart).
Having completed two tours of the facility, and taking in a display put on by the council, it is easy to see how this building could be used as workspaces – so long as tenants don’t want much of a view – the windows are too high, and the doors open up to the courtyard.
Still, if all you want is a space to work (in relative isolation), then it is clear this building fits the bill. And one can easily imagine a thriving community of creatives sharing ideas and collaborating in this historic environment.
But whatever decision is made by the council, we won’t hear about it until 2025-26 according to a flow chart on display at a temporary on-site visitor centre.
Building 22 open days are – 10am to 2pm:
- Saturday 27 April
- Saturday 4 May
- Saturday 11 May
Email your ideas and suggestions about Building 22 to: [email protected]
Further reading: Karen Martin‘s book The Women’s Jail Project. Above is an interview with Karen Martin following her 1999 play about the asylum.
