A former convent is set to make way for a new multi-million dollar Performing Arts Centre at Caroline Chisholm Catholic College in Melbourne’s inner west.
The Braybrook-based school will open the new centre at its Christ the King Campus, located on the existing Madeleine Centre site that was once used as a convent for the Society of the Sacred Heart nuns.
The original building was erected in 1956, by the architect firm of Seabrook, Hunt and Dale who were engaged to commission the building of a church, convent, primary and secondary school on the land bordered by Cross Street, Margaret Crescent, Athol Street and Churchill Avenue.
Designed by leading Melbourne-based architects Branch Studios Architects, the new $5 million Performing Arts Centre will transform the old Madeleine Centre into more than 1400 square metres of state-of-the-art space for the school’s creative programs, situated over two-stories.
The design for the new centre is derived from a series of key architectural responses that relate directly to the site, context and culture. Opportunities for collaboration and social interaction are realised through the flexibility of spaces. The internal arrangement of spaces is curated around the idea of audience and performance mirroring one another.
Caroline Chisholm Catholic College Principal, Marco DiCesare, said, “The new building will be a creative hub offering opportunities for collaboration and inspiration from a variety of creative mediums. The facility will host drama and dance, music, studio and visual arts and will be flexible enough to also cater for large gatherings and performances.”
Caroline Chisholm Catholic College is committed to being a leader in learning excellence in its community and has invested significantly in its facilities over the past three years.
The new centre will open in late 2018, and become an iconic cultural destination for the community and an inspiration to young people seeking a future in the performing arts.
Image: Architectural renders of the new performing arts centre at Christ the King Campus.