After 14 months and a multi-million dollar makeover, the much-loved 140-year-old Parramatta Town Hall has finally reopened.
It was the final piece of the puzzle in the Parramatta Square transformation, and now the more than $30 million restoration of the local Town Hall has bought the city’s past into the present.
Last week, Lord Mayors and Councillors, past and present, gathered with other dignitaries for a special civic opening in the Grand Hall and Southern Terrace.
The restored Town Hall, built and originally opened in 1883, adjoins the city’s modern civic, cultural and community hub, PHIVE.
“Growing up here I have watched the city transform before my eyes, but this building has been a constant,” City of Parramatta Lord Mayor Pierre Esber said.
“I’m proud this much-loved gathering place of our community has now been restored to its former glory so it can long be a part of our future.”
Parramatta Town Hall was originally identified and marked out by Australia’s first Governor, Arthur Phillip in 1792.
It was built in two stages – the Council chambers, which were opened in 1881, and the Town Hall itself, which opened two years later as a place for community meetings, concerts and other recreational activities.
Today, the Town Hall features new “state-of-the-art” audio visual and lighting features in the main hall, a commercial prep kitchen and a passenger lift to the upper level.
A contemporary glassed-in southern terrace, overlooking Parramatta Square, is just one of the new features designed to turn the 19th century building into a 21st century meeting place.
Esber said everyone has a story about Town Hall.
“Our Town Hall has seen everything – from the first performance at the venue by the Parramatta Glee Club in 1883, to the world-famous Trapp Family Singers who inspired The Sound of Music, to serving as a backdrop for a music video for Delta Goodrem and American rapper Gizzle and, of course, hundreds of council meetings,” he added.
“Thousands of locals have their own special memories of Town Hall from concerts to birthdays and even weddings. Now that the doors are reopening, I look forward to a whole new generation creating memories at Town Hall.”
The works were made possible with the assistance of award-winning French Architect Manuelle Gautrand, in partnership with Australian architecture firms Lacoste + Stevenson and DesignInc, along with heritage specialists TKD Architects and Australian construction group Built.
Free guided tours of Parramatta Town Hall are now available to the public.
Ellie Busby is a news reporter for Western Sydney Publishing Group. A graduate of the University of Hertfordshire and Western Sydney University, she is a journalism Major. Ellie has worked with Universal Media, The Cova Project and for a range of other organisations. In 2024, Ellie was named Young Writer of the Year at the Mumbrella Publish Awards.