A tenant has yet to be confirmed for Bendigo's Beehive Building, which entered a new phase of restoration works on Monday.
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Owner Craig Lightfoot said the company was working through a few options, but hoped to open the space with tenant in place at the start of 2020.
It will definitely be a hospitality business that occupies the space, he said.
It's quite a clean-up that takes the rest of the year. But that's what is needed at the Beehive Building.
The latest stage of works began on Monday at the historic Mining Exchange.
Mr Lightfoot said this stage would involve the reinstatement of historic features, and cleaning and repairing damage from years of neglect.
"Essentially it means a reinstatement of some of the particular heritage fabric of the building. One of the classic things will be the old balustrades that were taken out and sold around Bendigo," Mr Lightfoot said.
These have been recast and reinstated.
"The staircases will be made good. Essentially then it's just cleaning the place up and repairing all the damage from years of neglect," Mr Lightfoot said.
Read more: Beehive Building works begin | PHOTOS
To date, contractors have pulled out the rubbish, got rid of the asbestos, and taken down old shop fronts to reveal the heritage fabric beneath.
It's work that came with some surprises. Mr Lightfoot said they discovered what was the door to the vault behind an old brick wall, in which gold was stored in the building's early days.
The door will be kept as a feature of the building, maybe as part of a feature wall or in a table.
A single tenant will likely occupy the whole building, Mr Lightfoot said.
One idea is that the tenant might have a couple of different hospitality options under a single roof.
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