After years of decay and a controversial five-year redevelopment, the iconic art deco heritage wall at North Sydney Olympic Pool has been painstakingly restored to its original 1930s appearance — just in time for the pool's scheduled reopening on Friday, August 7. A specialist team spent weeks repairing cracked stucco, broken bricks and crumbling plaster to revive one of Sydney Harbour's most celebrated architectural landmarks.
What the Restoration of North Sydney Pool's Heritage Wall Involved
The southern wall had suffered badly over the decades. Stucco was riddled with cracks, moulding had come loose, bricks were broken, and layers of paint applied during a 1980s renovation had begun peeling away to expose the deteriorating plaster beneath. Prolonged exposure to seawater and corrosive harbour air had only accelerated the decline of the complex, which first opened in 1936 and was designed by architects Rudder & Grout as an outstanding example of a 1930s Olympic pool facility.
Developer Icon handed the overhauled pool back to North Sydney Council in May, allowing the council to commission Traditional Restoration Company managing director James Ginter and his team to carry out the heritage work. Their scope covered the harbourside wall, sundeck and eastern stair tower — among the few original features still standing after the broader redevelopment.
Finishing touches included repairs to stucco motifs, plaster decorations, stained-glass windows and brickwork. Art conservator Pawel Ptaszek noted that many of the original red bricks were too badly damaged to salvage and had to be replaced entirely. Workers then hand-painted thousands of new bricks in shades of rust, red, green and yellow to match the originals.
"The original colour does not exist any more, so we had to match the colour in a different way. We used a special paint," Ptaszek said.
Cream Replaces 'Cartoonish' 1980s Colours on the Decorative Motifs
One of the most visible changes is the repainting of the wall's decorative motifs — scallop shells, seabirds and fish — back to a uniform cream shade, reverting to what heritage records confirm was the original 1930s colour scheme. The bright multicoloured palette that had become familiar to generations of visitors was introduced during a 1984 renovation by architect Feiko Bouman and had no basis in the pool's original design.
North Sydney Mayor Zoe Baker said a Kirribilli resident had written to her months earlier urging the council to restore the decorations to their original pearly white rather than reinstate what the resident described as "cartoonish" colours. The project's heritage consultant and council historian Ian Hoskins confirmed the original light colour scheme, guiding the decision to apply the cream finish.
"That's why we've got the restored cream stucco," Baker said.
Ginter said he was pleased with the outcome. "The [previous] colour scheme was a bit loud. The cream colour was the original. Things here were very understated in the 1920s: art deco is streamlined," he said, adding the complex represented "quite a unique architectural design and type of construction for the time it was built."
Cost and Context of the $122 Million Redevelopment
Baker confirmed the heritage restoration work had not been included in the previous council's original design brief for the revamp but was ultimately absorbed into the estimated $122 million total cost — a figure that reflects the project's well-documented history of cascading cost blowouts, scope creep and delays spanning five years.
The pool's heritage wall, Baker noted, is now "the most intact part" of the original complex still standing, making its careful restoration all the more significant as the site prepares to welcome swimmers back through the gates.
"It's a unique survivor," Ginter said. "It's an iconic place for everyone in Sydney."
