It turns out that the Powerhouse Museum’s extraordinary 1001 Remarkable Objects exhibition marks the last showcase at the Ultimo venue for a while. After the exhibition packs up on February 5, 2024, so too will the whole venue – for three whole years. The aim of the renovations is to give more space for exhibitions and also to increase the venue’s capacity for more fun and educational learning programs.
It comes as part of the Labor government’s big $250 million heritage revitalisation plan for one of the best museums in Sydney. The Ultimo museum's makeover includes a new outdoor public square, more exhibition space inside, and a relocation of the entrance so that it faces the Goods Line, the walkway connecting Central Station and Haymarket. All this will do more to show off the original facades of the 1899 power station.
Part of the renovations also include the building of dorms in the museum as part of the space dedicated to the ‘Powerhouse Academy’. This initiative, in partnership with the University of Technology Sydney will allow regional students in NSW to visit and spend the night at the Powerhouse. (That’s the stuff of our Night at the Museum dreams!)
While previous plans for the regeneration of the Ultimo museum involved a $500 million budget, the figure has since been halved. Instead of rebuilding the museum and totally shifting it over to a new campus in Parramatta, the new budget will focus on the heritage aspects of the old structure in Ultimo.
The re-opening date for the Powerhouse Ultimo hasn’t been confirmed yet, but the project is estimated to take up to three years. Meanwhile, the Powerhouse Parramatta outpost is currently under construction, and is due to open in 2025. While a visit to the Powerhouse's collections will be a sad absence from our cultural calendars, we can consider ourselves lucky that the Harbour City will soon have double the Powerhouse action (considering that the original plan was to sell off the Ultimo museum to developers who would likely turn it into high rise apartments.)
Meanwhile, you can still visit the Powerhouse Ultimo for incredible exhibitions such as 1001 Remarkable Objects (the Powerhouse also just published a stunning book to accompany it), Yuki Kihara's Paradise Camp, and Absolutely Queer. The museum is open every day (except Christmas Day) before it closes on February 5 in the new year.