Also read News Chronologies for 11 years:2014-2019; 2020; 2021-2022; 2023-2024; 2025
And related links, inlcuding our Facebook page, and :
PHM being Destroyed not Saved: 2023 Call to action
For Inquiry into Museums and Galleries webpage: Read more
For the Inquiry Committee’s Two Final Reports: Read more and media release Read more
For informed research, analysis and opinions, see What the Experts Say: Read more
To read about Museum history and issues with an early Heritage nomination, Read here.
‘Letters to Editors’: for related letters to the editors of newspapers, see the PMA web site, here: Read more
The News Chronologies include reports in newspapers, journals, newsletters, radio and TV, that draw on announcements, meetings, submissions and proposals of state government, city council and museum management issues about the future of the ‘saved’ Powerhouse Museum in Ultimo, and also its extra new site in Parramatta. Many experienced professional commentators provide critical observations and suggestions.
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3 February, 2026
(in print Feb 4)
‘Going, going … the cultural landmark disappearing before Sydney’s eyes’
In the Sydney Morning Herald, with a number of related photographs, Linda Morris discussed the strong public concerns about the current destruction of so much of the Powerhouse Museum in Ultimo, in relation to both its heritage and its future role. She started: ‘After nearly 40 years, the Powerhouse Museum’s Wran Building at Ultimo is being slowly demolished as critics of the project mourn the loss of a cultural landmark the Minns government says needs to make way for a museum rebuilt for a new century. Site clearing has already claimed much of the roof and some of the signature steel ribs that formed the backbone of the 1988 adaptation of the Ultimo Power Station, home of the Museum for Applied Arts and Sciences. The original steel sheeting has been peeled away, exposing the arched structure. This week, many of the 17 steel ribs of the main wing and the 19 of the adjacent Galleria will be moved out. Under the $300 million redevelopment, internal walls, mezzanines, and staircases within the next door heritage-listed Boiler House and Turbine Hall will be removed at a net loss of dedicated exhibition space…’
Alongside positive comments from Bruno Zinghini, Infrastructure NSW’s head of projects, Morris also reported that: ‘However, Jennifer Sanders, former deputy director and widow of the building’s architect, Lionel Glendenning, disputes the necessity of the teardown. She argues that the building was constructed to the highest standards and that any recent disrepair was a result of “neglected maintenance” rather than structural failure – a fix she claims would have been far cheaper than a total rebuild and is a catastrophic burden on taxpayers.’ And ‘Former trustee Kylie Winkworth warns that the site is being reduced to a form it never previously held, noting that “not even a paint scrape” will remain of the original 1988 fabric.’
Morris also noted that Arts Minister John Graham said earlier, at the closure of the site, ‘that heritage listing of the Ultimo site expressly stipulated it was to be used as museum for applied arts and sciences, and that: “The community expectation for the Powerhouse Museum Ultimo is clear: they want a museum, not a nightclub. The government will respect that view”.’
But it is clear now to our knowledgeable supporters that the serious changes being made will not lead to the Museum we knew so well, but an entertainment centre!
READ MORE HERE: and HERE: SMH 3 Feb 2026
5 February, 2026
‘Aussies outraged over the demolition of iconic landmark in Sydney: This was my favourite place’
And in the Daily Mail, Elise Wilson also wrote that: ‘Aussies are furious over the demolition of one of Sydney’s most recognisable cultural landmarks. The iconic Wran Building at the Powerhouse Museum Ultimo is now being quietly stripped back after nearly four decades, sparking grief and confusion among Sydneysiders. Much of the roof has already been removed, along with sections of the building’s signature steel ribs, which were once a defining architectural feature that shaped the soaring arched interior beloved by generations of visitors.
As demolition crews peel away the original steel sheeting, critics have voiced concerns that the cultural icon is disappearing before their eyes, replaced by what some fear will be a diluted version of the museum, and at a staggering cost … The museum abruptly closed two years ago to make way for the redevelopment, which was initially expected to reopen in 2027…
That timeline has since blown out, with completion now forecast for late 2028 or early 2029, with the final fit-out work likely to delay public access even further. The backlash has been swift and emotional, with Australians taking to social media to mourn the loss of a place many grew up visiting….
Others questioned the broader strategy behind the Powerhouse overhaul, particularly the decision to shift focus toward the new Parramatta site. ‘What tourist will travel to Parramatta
to see the Powerhouse?’ another said, adding that the decision to move it there was ‘crazy’. ‘
And despite also quoting Arts Minister Graham’s comments that: ‘’When it reopens, the Powerhouse Museum Ultimo will continue to deliver an applied arts and sciences program,’ and that ‘The community expectation for the Powerhouse Museum Ultimo is clear: they want a museum, not a nightclub. The government will respect that view.’, Wilson concludes: ‘For many Sydneysiders, however, that reassurance offers little comfort as one of the city’s most loved cultural landmarks is dismantled piece by piece.’
READ MORE HERE: and HERE: Daily Mail 5 February 2026
18 January, 2026
As well as further reports documented on Instagram by the Parramatta Advertiser, watch Meade’s video of the water gushing around the buildings, HERE:
11 January 2026
‘IS THIS THE END?’
Following the recent Inquiry that included many submissions about saving the Powerhouse Museum in Ultimo, and the recent news that work would start on the Museum buildings, Save the Powerhouse Museum advocacy team circulated comments by email and Facebook including:
‘In just one week, most of the Wran Building and Galleria glazing—and large sections of their corrugated roofs—have been stripped away. Within weeks, during the depths of the summer break,, the entire Wran-era heritage that the Arts Minister pledged to save, and that the Heritage Minister formally listed only eighteen months ago, will be destroyed forever.
Rarely has a community been misled so cynically by the very politicians who promised to protect their beloved museum in order to win office. (Read “Only Labor will save the Powerhouse Museum” http://tiny.cc/y7hx001)
$2 billion of taxpayers’ money has been squandered Read HERE.
A respected, world-class museum designed to last 100 years has been demolished after less than 40 years of highly successful operation, only to be replaced by three unviable commercial venues that will burden the NSW arts budget for decades to come.
“It is time for a fresh start in arts and culture policy in NSW,” the Arts Minister declared just days before the election. So why did he leave in place the MAAS–Create NSW–Infrastructure NSW team he inherited from the previous government—allowing them to press on with exactly the same destructive project? Yes IT IS TIME FOR A FRESH START and we cannot wait for the next election!’
Save also included some impressive photos of the destruction taking place on these award-winning buildings. READ and SEE HERE: Save the P 11 Jan 2026
2 January, 2026
‘HOW SYDNEY’s POWERHOUSE MUSEUM WAS LOST’
Save the Powerhouse campaign reminds us on their Facebook page HERE, of Infrastructure NSW’s announcement in December, noting that: ‘In just three days’ time—on Monday 5 January 2026—pedestrian footpaths on Harris and Macarthur Streets around the Powerhouse Museum will close for the (unknown!) duration of the so-called “Revitalisation” project. “These temporary closures are required to expand the project hoarding” Infrastructure NSW (INSW) advises, “to allow (the demolition contractor) greater access to the Harris Street forecourt and eventually the new building.” The 501 bus stop at Harris and Macarthur Streets has already been removed.’
Save then asks further: ‘To follow is the full demolition of the recently state heritage-listed Wran Building and Galleria—the destruction of the Wran Heritage—and with it the irreversible loss of Sydney’s world-famous Museum of Applied Arts and Sciences.
How did this happen, despite 11 years of sustained opposition from the community and heritage experts alike?
Our joint petition READ HERE to keep the Powerhouse Museum in Ultimo open gathered more than 11,000 signatures, yet received no response when forwarded to the Minister for the Arts.
Want the full story? A supporter’s fact-packed video exposes the incompetence, politics, greed and pharaonic public money waste behind this disaster.
Watch https://youtu.be/QRwxKb0cC-Y. ‘
I January, 2026
‘How Sydney’s Powerhouse Museum Was Lost’
Entering the new year of 2026, and following the recent government Inquiry into cultural funding, and 10 years of protests about the ‘destruction’ of the Powerhouse Museum in its city site in Ultimo, a thoughtful researcher has put together a video of the Museum’s history, and the many issues faced along the way. Video producer and Presenter, identified as TDW, is credited at the end, along with support from Save the Powerhouse Museum and the Powerhouse Museum Alliance, and others. Save the Powerhouse has posted TDW’s video HERE.
They provide the following context, of which we are well aware:
‘Sydney’s beloved Powerhouse Museum was an original, inventive institution that told the story of technology, scientific discovery, and the creativity they generated…. This video tells the story of how anti-democratic planning processes and political failures at every level have led to the destruction of one of the world’s most distinctive cultural institutions.’
For more information visit: https://www.facebook.com/savethepowerhouse
https://powerhousemuseumalliance.com/news-chronology-2025/ (and earlier links)
It is recommended by TDW that we contact our local members of Parliament, and PMA adds that we request followup to recommendations made in submissions to the recent Inquiry.