Historic Heart of Perth Inc management is finalising its projects before handing the scheme to a community-run successor, having revitalised the east end of Perth since 2017.
Historic Heart of Perth Inc management is finalising its projects before handing the scheme to a community-run successor, having revitalised the east end of Perth since 2017.
Originally the idea of property developer Adrian Fini, Historic Heart has attracted about $1.6 million in public and private funding over the course of the past four years.
Charged with a mission to give life to the quieter side of town, the registered charity has created walking tours for bars, coffee shops, small museums, architecture and art, commissioned artists to create colourful planter boxes and is in the process of lighting up dark laneways with art to improve safety.
The group recently installed its second piece of laneway art by Joshua Webb at 572 Hay Street.
Coincidentally, last month, Cox Architecture won an award at the Australian Institute of Architecture Awards for its 125 Murray Street building, including its revitalisation of an adjacent laneway that featured Historic Heart’s first lighting project.
The organisation is also creating a children’s mobile app which will be completed in the next couple of months, a mural and is working with its own community group, Historic Heartbeat, to establish a dog park and organise a community activation event.
Historic Heart project manager Sandy Anghie said the plan had always been to hand the project to the community.
“Historic Heartbeat is basically a combination of residents, small businesses and people who work in the area who came along to one of our community workshops and, from that point, have been meeting and working on projects,” Ms Anghie told Business News.
Historic Heart vice president and long-time resident Aarom Wilson said Historic Heart had done well revitalising the area and the group of volunteers was going to continue the work to create cultural, artistic and economic vibrancy.
“They (Historic Heart) have done an amazing job of creating that vibrancy in the area and hats off to them, which is why we can hopefully come in and take that baton and continue the great work they have done,” Mr Wilson told Business News.
With five core members, including the owners of local restaurants 43 Below and My Place, the group is searching for more people in the community to get involved.
The City of Perth has started its own East End Revitalisation program in June, which it started planning in 2014.
