Description

A former court house and police station, this building dating back to 1888 on the edge of Kew Junction has had a colourful past. Connected to a former post office, the site was a functioning court house until 1971, and a police station until 1982.

A passionate community campaign in 2006, led by the Kew Historical Society, raised over $500,000 to save the site from developers. The City of Boroondara purchased the site from the State Government in 2007 and, with the assistance of the fundraising campaign and numerous grants, redeveloped the site into an arts venue which opened in 2011.

In 2012 the redevelopment project won the State Planning Minister’s Heritage Award in recognition of the outstanding restoration of the building and the Sustainable Cities Community Government Partnerships Award.

The venue now boasts an intimate, 80-seat black box theatre and meeting room, and is home to resident community groups including QArts, Kew Historical Society and e.motion21.

What's On

Explore the Kew Historical Society rooms in your own time or join a guided building tour.

Time your visit with this special talk: 'The Kew Court House: Repurposing a Kew landmark'. Hear from Norm Jackson as he shares his experiences and insights on the challenges and successes of repurposing a historical landmark.