One of Orange’s grand old mansions is on the way to being restored to its former glory.
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Kinross Wolaroi School has submitted a development application to Orange City Council for the restoration of Wolaroi House, which houses offices and borders’ sleeping quarters at the school.
In the late 1920s, the upstairs verandah of the building was enclosed to provide a sleeping area for students.
Bursar Joe Donnelly said work to remove the wood enclosure and restore the building would cost about $350,000.
It will be funded with money raised by the Kinross Wolaroi Foundation and Ex-Students Association, along with some from the Federal Government’s schools stimulus package.
“All the wood is coming off and the verandah is getting put back with the metal lace,” Mr Donnelly said.
The mansion was built as a home for the family of James McLachlan.
They moved in in 1884, following three years of construction.
In 1893 the headmaster of Weymouth House, Mr T H Richards, moved his students from Weymouth House on the corner of Byng and Sale streets to the mansion and chose the name Wolaroi Grammar for his school at its new location.
It has been an educational building ever since.
Wolaroi House is listed as a heritage item within Orange City Council’s local environmental plan it is also included on the NSW Heritage Office State Heritage Inventory and the register of the NSW National Trust.
Principal Brian Kennelly said it was important to the school and the city as a whole to restore the building.
“It’s one of the four original heritage-listed mansions in Orange and it’s in desperate need of repair,” he said.
