Snow’s Dry Cleaning

Architect: Esmond Dorney (1957)

Dorney on Main Road

What happens when one of Tasmania’s most distinctive modernist buildings appears in the middle of suburban Glenorchy?

Step inside Snow’s Dry Cleaning and discover a remarkable piece of post-war architecture by celebrated Tasmanian architect Esmond Dorney.

Designed in 1957 as a dry-cleaning premises, the building is a striking example of Dorney’s experimental approach to modern architecture. Look closely and you’ll discover lightweight steel construction, extensive glazing and an expressive structure that gives the building its distinctive character.

For its time, this was a very different kind of building. Rather than hiding its construction, Dorney made the structure part of the architecture, creating a light, open and highly functional space for an everyday business on Main Road.

After sitting vacant for several years, the heritage-listed building has entered a new chapter. It has been carefully adapted to become the Glenorchy Medicare Mental Health Centre, giving this remarkable piece of mid-century architecture a new purpose within the community.

Look closely at the building and you’ll see how much of Dorney’s original character remains, while new interventions have been introduced to support the building’s contemporary use.

Come and have a look inside, discover the details that make this little building so special and see how a 1950s piece of Tasmanian modernism is being given a new life on Main Road.

Open: Sun 8 Nov, 12.00pm – 1.30pm