Melbourne's old meat market long ago lost its original use. It was
converted to a craft centre in the 1970s but this eventually failed, mainly due to the building's relatively remote location from related activities and the specific nature of its internal spaces. This failure and the desire of the responsible Ministry to find a viable use led to our appointment.

A wide-ranging consultative feasibility study determined that half
the main hall would be adapted for use as a flat-floor multi-purpose performance space. To meet heritage constraints, the entire theatre is totally removable. A new timber floor floats over the original bluestone cobbles, supported on a steel frame on pad footings. Extensive acoustic treatments have been installed to minimise traffic noise.

The main new architectural feature is a foyer-creating screen wall. Its neatly designed openable fanlight allows the public to see the full expanse of the beautiful original timber vaulted roof. At 16m wide, this span was one of the largest in timber in the state at the time of its construction.

Many of the building's numerous small cubicles, which were
originally single-bed rooms linked to the hotel that surrounded the market, have been adapted for use by arts organisations