Powerhouse Museum: heritage significance since 1988

After many years of planning for the new Powerhouse Museum in Ultimo as the primary venue for the long-established Museum of Applied Arts and Sciences, the Museum opened at 500 Harris Street  in March 1988.
It was widely acknowledged for the adaptive reuse of the original Powerhouse buildings, for the addition of new related spaces, and for the interpretive opening exhibitions which crossed science and technology, decorative arts and design and social history.
Significantly, the museum was acknowledged world-wide for its design and exhibition approach, and won important awards, notably the Sir John Sulman Award for public buildings.

 11 March, 1988
Our new museum is ‘one of the best’
Joseph Glasgott, in the Sydney Morning Herald, the day before opening.
PHM SMH Joseph Glascott 11 March 1988 opened 10 March 2020-02-23pdf

1988
‘Powerhouse – cover story’
Colin Wood, Design world, No 14, 1988
‘Perhaps the most significant Australian development in providing insights into the applications of design skills, especially as they apply when coupled with technology and in the wider context of social history.’ PHM Design World No 14 1988

15 June 1988
‘Government Architects win 11 top design awards’
Sydney Morning Herald
Category 1: The Sir John Sulman Award for public buildings
Winner: The Powerhouse Museum (Government Architect’s Office, Lionel Glendinning, principal architect)  PHM Architecture Awards 1988 SMH Geraldine O’Brien 150688 2020-02-23

1988
Architecture Australia National Awards, 1988
The President’s Award for Recycled Buildings
The Belle Interiors Award, for Interior Design
The Sir Zelman Cowan Award, Finalist
Winner: Powerhouse Museum, Sydney
‘This is the first project ever to have been nominated for three categories in the National Architecture Awards.’  PHM Architecture Australia National Awards 1988 2020-02-16

1988 Architecture Bulletin
Includes mention of the Sulman Award to the Powerhouse Museum, in the annual NSW RAIA Chapter Awards.  PHM Sulman Architecture Bulletin 1988 July – sulman prize

31 October, 1987
‘The Powerhouse: Making an exhibition of itself’
Bob Evans, Good Weekend, Sydney Morning Herald
PHM Good Weekend Oct 31 1987 pre opening 10 March 1988

1987-1988
See further reports, reviews and announcements, from the Powerhouse Museum archives:  Working 1987  ,  1988 opening clippings ,  1988 clippings (2)