Saturday, July 22, 2006
BCA Forum and Heritage Pics
Today I went to Blind Citizens WA's 2006 forum. The Midland trains didn't run due to track work, so I caught a replacement bendy bus from Perth station. Just as I wondered if I needed to press the bell for the bus to stop at Maylands, it pulled up right outside the venue - the Senses Foundation building on Whatley Crescent, opposite the railway. How's that for service?
BCWA currently have an office in the building, which once housed the Royal WA Institute for the Blind and the cane and brush factories that employed blind people. The factories closed a few years ago and I met a woman today who worked here for 24 years. The property has now been sold. The facade is heritage listed and will remain, while the inside is likely to be demolished for apartments. Here's a pic from the corner.
I've heard the buildings kindly described as rambling - a rabbit warren. The toilet block, which is clean and neat, is outdoors from the main front building. From outside between buildings, I looked up at the walkways attached to the second storeys.
The gutters at the base of the main building are deep and I wonder if there have always been guard rails to prevent people falling in?
Despite the institutional walls, there's a warm glow from the resource room, where a woman is washing cups and saucers at the sink.
Nooks and crannies surprise me. Stacks of blue plastic chairs stand behind the wire fence protecting this nook.
From the car park the building looms large over people chatting out the front.
BCWA currently have an office in the building, which once housed the Royal WA Institute for the Blind and the cane and brush factories that employed blind people. The factories closed a few years ago and I met a woman today who worked here for 24 years. The property has now been sold. The facade is heritage listed and will remain, while the inside is likely to be demolished for apartments. Here's a pic from the corner.
I've heard the buildings kindly described as rambling - a rabbit warren. The toilet block, which is clean and neat, is outdoors from the main front building. From outside between buildings, I looked up at the walkways attached to the second storeys.
The gutters at the base of the main building are deep and I wonder if there have always been guard rails to prevent people falling in?
Despite the institutional walls, there's a warm glow from the resource room, where a woman is washing cups and saucers at the sink.
Nooks and crannies surprise me. Stacks of blue plastic chairs stand behind the wire fence protecting this nook.
From the car park the building looms large over people chatting out the front.
Comments:
Hi Rodney, I'm glad I filled in some blanks for you. I've only visited parts of the property and I'd like to ramble about some more, or read more about its history.
Hi XXXX, I've been around and about. :-) I'll be in chat tomorrow (Wednesday) night. Tim's planning on coming too and I think I'll bring some vino. Look forward to catching up then! I think I saw you in my stats tonight, looking at this entry - but I had no way to contact you and I only just received the comment in my e-mail. D'oh. Too roo for now.
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