Apologies in advance for this somewhat lengthy post... Downer Primary School was commissioned by the National Capital Development Commission (NCDC) in 1959. I had been in no particular hurry to post about this school, until I stumbled across a document on the internet a few days ago, announcing its demise. I am gutted. The school opened its doors to students in 1962. For a primary school, the facilities were first-rate, and great care was taken in the planning and furnishing of the classrooms, staff areas and surrounding environment. The building incorporated a huge courtyard designed by MS&Ms in-house landscape architect, Beryl Mann. She appointed the sculptor, Hermann Hohaus, to produce a feature statue... a bronze kangaroo... which has since been nicked... or in the words of a Downer community member taken into protective custody by an ex-student, whom I imagine would prefer to remain anonymous, police charges pending. ;) In 1964, MS&M received the Canberra Medallion / Meritorious Architectural Award, from the ACT Chapter of the Royal Australian Institute of Architects, for the schools design. Sadly, being officially acknowledged as a noteworthy building, wasnt enough to save it from the wrecking ball. As a result of a merger with two other primary schools, Downer closed its doors in 1988. The buildings were repurposed and occupied by the Canberra Business Centre. Then in 2011, the Economic Development Directorate began discussions about redeveloping the site for a housing complex, and went about preparing the site for a direct sale to CHC Affordable Housing. After numerous design submissions, the sale was finalised in July 2012. Demolition of Downer Primary School commenced on 12 May 2014. I am profoundly upset by the loss of this wonderful building. What has warmed my heart however, is learning of the love and respect for it, felt by former students. Upon hearing of their schools demise, dozens of them made the trip to the site (many from interstate) to souvenir a memento. With Skippy out of the picture, they turned to salvaging bricks and door knobs. If Id known about all this earlier, Id have driven to Canberra and joined them.
Posted on: Fri, 03 Oct 2014 02:27:01 +0000
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