Wesley Place named finalist in 2023 Victorian Premier’s Design Awards

Wesley Place, a revitalised precinct in Lonsdale St featuring a popular green space, is up for a prestigious design award.

Completed in 2021, the Charter Hall development includes a new office tower, open space, as well as retail and culinary offerings, and the restoration of historic buildings.

Also connecting the historic Wesley Church at 130-150 Lonsdale St, the precinct has been announced as a finalist in the architectural design category of the 2023 Victorian Premier’s Design Awards - the state's highest design accolade.

The awards shine a light on Victorian designers, architects and businesses that are using design to improve the way people “live, work, learn and interact”.

Designed in collaboration with COX, Oculus, and Lovell Chen architects, Wesley Place has become a popular destination for locals and tourists alike, with the open space featuring seating, gardens, and a lawn.

It also houses a heritage-listed olive tree said to be brought from Jerusalem around 1839, planted in 1875, and relocated to its current position in 1988.

Oculus senior associate Tim Mitchell said their team was delighted with the announcement.  

“We often visit for lunch and it’s a joy to see how well-used the outdoor space is,” he said.

This project reinforces the value of landscape architecture and has set a new benchmark for adaptive re-use and placemaking in Australia. We are proud of our involvement.

The project’s designers said Wesley Place “preserves a heritage building complex and delivers an important green space to Melbourne”.  

“Wesley Place is an important addition to inner Melbourne’s public spaces. It offers refuge from adjoining city streets and creates a new pedestrian connection through the site, which previously didn’t exist."

The redevelopment of Wesley Place also honoured the original neo-gothic architecture of the complex, first designed by renowned architect Joseph Reed in the mid-19th century.

Winners of the 2023 Victorian Premier’s Design Awards will be announced at a ceremony in March.

Wesley Place has been recognised for good design on a state, national and international level. The adaptive reuse of the Caretakers Cottage into ‘Melbourne’s Smallest pub’ has received global recognition, ranking 60th on ‘The World’s 50 Best Bars’ list for 2022.

Caption: Lonsdale St's Wesley Place.