A growing number of camping chairs line Flinders Street at the front of Melbourne’s Forum Theatre where hundreds of Gracie Abrams fans sit, eager to secure themselves the best position on the floor.
Some will have waited in line for more than 30 hours when the concert eventually starts on Sunday night, most blissfully unaware of the possible dangers above them.
A heritage report outlined parts of the nearly century old building’s facade is at risk of collapse.
It said urgent work was needed for “public protection” with concrete parts of the southern and eastern facades, some as heavy as 60 kilograms, at risk of collapsing onto the street below.
“The shocking part is a lot of the beautiful, intricate decorations, especially at the top, could fall onto pedestrians at any second,” president of Melbourne Heritage Action Tristan Davies said.
It’s a key landmark located right next to one of the city’s busiest tourist spots, Hosier Lane.
“Thousands of tourists and locals are looking at this building and perhaps wondering why it is not better looked after,” Mr Davies said.
And he’s not wrong.
One passer by, Mike, pointed out the discolouration and said it was in a “pretty sorry state”.
“You don’t realise the state it’s in until you take a good look at it,” he said.
“You do take it for granted. You see these things and you think they’re going to last forever.”
Lauren agreed the wear and tear was visible.
“It’s a grand building that needs a little bit of love,” she said.
A key heritage building left to deteriorate
The Forum Theatre first opened in 1929, boasting the largest seating capacity of any theatre in Australia.
“It’s part of this very important wave of worldwide theatres that were built in the 1920s to show off a new world where people were wanting to explore more and learn more and see the entire world through the new medium of cinema,” Mr Davies said.
Today, he said it’s at the heart of Melbourne’s music, art and culture scene, bringing together a modern expression of Melbourne and its heritage.
And it has played an important role in helping the live music scene, particularly after the impacts of COVID-19 to the industry.
“It’s one of the few large independent theatres we have left in the city especially for live music,” Mr Davies said.
“It is one of our landmarks in the city, one of our key heritage buildings … and something I would expect the public would assume is protected and looked after.”
The last major works to be done to the outside of the building were back in 1981, according to the report.
Mr Davies said the Tuscan ceilings and blue skylights inside the grand old building were restored in the last few years but other than that, not much else has been done.
And for several years, scaffolding and a protection gantry installed above the footpath has taken away from the buildings facade, classic to the era in which it was built.
Heritage Victoria issued the buildings owner, the Marriner Group, a notice to show cause in May last year due to concerns regarding the maintenance of the property.
It said the Marriner Group had engaged a heritage architect to undertake a condition assessment of the building in compliance with the notice and that it was working with all parties involved.
“All state listed heritage places, including the Forum Theatre, are required by law to be kept in good repair and maintained to ensure their conservation,” a spokesperson said.
“We’re working closely with the Marriner Group and the City of Melbourne to ensure that repairs to the Forum Theatre are undertaken as soon as possible.”
An application for a permit was lodged this year to make urgent repairs and dismantle parts of the facades.
The Marriner Group did not respond to the ABC’s request for comment but Mr Davies said he has trust in the group to bring the building back to life.
“Given their amazing work at the Regent theatre … they’re generally very respectful of heritage and do a really good job of restoring it and making it modern as well,” he said.