Community services group LiveBetter is moving into one of Orange’s most iconic sites.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
The former Carrington Hotel on the corner of Byng Street and Lords Place, a just-completed modern glass building next door and the adjacent former Max Davidson motor upholstery and more recently Anglicare building will become the new corporate headquarters for LiveBetter.
The Carrington has been refurbished and exterior balconies have been reinstated many years after they were damaged in a storm and later removed.
Final clean-up and painting works at the site were being completed this week.
LiveBetter chief customer officer Chris Rawlins said 150 staff from various sites around Orange would be consolidated in the new premises.
“We’re moving our existing staff and catering for future growth,” he said.
Some have already moved into the former Davidson building while the rest would progressively move in before the end of next month.
“LiveBetter is proudly Orange, it has a heritage of more than 30 years in Orange,” he said.
LiveBetter will be tenants at the site.
Project manager Peter Archer of Saran Engineers and Managers said only verandah painting remained to be done before LiveBetter staff could move in.
“They’ve started moving the furniture in,” he said.
“It’s gone fairly well.”
“There was a lot more rectification to the old building than we thought necessary.”
Mr Archer said the old and new buildings were connected by a walkway.
The work has taken just under a year to complete.
He said the building would be still named the Carrington and a plaque and photo wall had been placed in the building to recognise its history.
The plaque says the oldest part of the building was constructed in 1871 as a stores building for John Peisley who became the first chairman of the Orange Municipal Council.
“It is believed to be the oldest brick commercial building in Orange,” it said.
It became solicitor J.C. McLachlan’s office before becoming the Railway Hotel in 1873 then the Belmore, Carrington Club and Carrington hotels.
Orange and District Historical Society president Liz Edwards told the Central Western Daily the verandah was damaged in 1963.
DO YOU WANT MORE ORANGE NEWS?
- Receive our free newsletter delivered to your inbox every morning, as well as breaking news alerts. Sign up here