Creating a local Aboriginal knowledge and culture centre in Redfern
Working with community to share First Nations cultures.
Project Status: Completed
Works to install a lift and provide accessible entry to the building started in March 2022 and were completed in August 2023.
Community consultation
In 2022, we worked with an Indigenous-owned consultancy to ask the local Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community for their views on the future use of 119 Redfern Street. Read the results of this community consultation.
City of Sydney
- GPO Box 1591Sydney 2001
- 02 9265 9333
- [email protected]
What we’re doing
We purchased 119 Redfern Street to progress our commitment in providing a local Aboriginal knowledge and culture centre in Redfern.
The premises will provide 2 levels of multipurpose community and commercial space within a highly visible and culturally significant location near existing community and cultural services in Redfern.
Why we’re doing this
We’re committed to respond to the community need for culturally safe community space to practice and share First Nations cultures.
Our Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Advisory Panel has regularly highlighted the need for space to gather, share and practice the cultures of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples living in and connected to Sydney.
This is the final pillar under the 4 interlinked projects of the Eora Journey.
Background
A local Aboriginal knowledge and culture centre is a major component of the City of Sydney’s Eora Journey – 4 long-term projects that celebrate the living cultures of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities in Sydney.
Our Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Advisory Panel assisted us in deciding to purchase the building in 2018. The panel inspected the property and provided advice on its potential to support the needs of the community.
The building is in the heart of Redfern, an area synonymous with Indigenous activism for rights and self-determination.
We will work closely with local Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities to determine the building’s future use. Community consultation was delayed due to the Covid-19 pandemic and took place in 2022.
Tenants vacated the property in late 2019 and minor works will make the building accessible. This accessibility upgrade includes a new entry, installing a lift, bathroom upgrades and other building improvements.
We’ve developed a conservation management plan that includes historical information from the community about the site’s significance and its social history. It also includes design research and development done in collaboration with an Indigenous design consultant.
119 Redfern Street, Redfern
