The “History of Transport” mural by Harold Freedman (1915-1999) depicts the first 100 years of transport in Victoria.
The mural has been fully restored and currently located in Southern Cross Station shopping centre: Spencer Street.
The 36.6 metre long and 7.32 metre high History of Transport mural featured across the main concourse of the Spencer Street railway station (now Southern Cross Railway Station), depicting the first century of transport in Victoria (1835-1935), was commissioned by the State Government in 1973.
Timeline
- 1973 – The mural was commissioned by the State Government of Victoria for the main wall of the Spencer Street Station foyer.
- 1973 – Harold Freedman (State Artist) undertook six months of painstaking research before making a single sketch for the mural, highlighting his accuracy and attention to detail.
- 1973-1978 – The mural was painted in five main sections at the East Camberwell railway substation, and erected in stages above the Spencer Street station concourse. It took Mr Freedman and his assistants five years to complete.
- 1978 – The completed mural was unveiled by the Premier of Victoria on 30 January 1978.
- 2002-2006 – Spencer Street Station redeveloped into Southern Cross Station[1]
- 2002 – During redevelopment[2] of Spencer Street Station[3], the mural was removed and placed in storage.
- 2004 – Conservators from the Centre for Cultural Materials Conservation at the University of Melbourne supervised the removal, storage and restoration of the artwork. The mural was separated into 27 panels and professionally removed from the station and put into storage.
- 2006-2007 – The mural was returned[4] to the renamed Southern Cross Station and received its final treatment by one of the original artists when the joins between the 27 individual panels on which the mural were filled and painted to match the original.
(FROM A FACT SHEET – GIVEN BY SHOPPING CENTRE MANAGEMENT)
- The redevelopment of Southern Cross Station (formerly known as Spencer Street Station) began in 2002 and was completed in 2006.
- The station redevelopment project was managed by the Department of Transport in partnership with the Civic Nexus Consortium.
- During the redevlopment, they wanted to discard the mural … totally …. Heritage Victoria insisted it be reinstated in the new station … they required a bond during the construction of Southern Cross to ensure its reinstatement … the authority was keen to give up the bond and just demolish/destroy the mural so they found an obscure spot to hide it…. says volumes about the architects and rail authorities …. and Southern Cross Station – Chris Benham
- It was relocated to the rear of the DFO from its original position in the old Spencer Street when the new station was built.