The second half of the twentieth century saw unprecedented transformation of our cities. Modernist ideas of architecture and planning swept aside thousands of years of tradition and collective knowledge, wiping the slate clean in the name of progress and profit. Sydney suffered devastatingly under this wave, losing much of its recent and Indigenous history.
In the 1970s, the first rumblings of concern over the destruction of Sydney’s built heritage were given voice through local community groups and, later, union bans that successfully saved many historic buildings and neighbourhoods. The 1980s saw “facadism” as a concession between heritage and development. This kept the street front as an
