Restoration, tribute at Vajda House in Newtown after fire kills three men
The restoration of a razed Newtown boarding house is almost complete with a touching tribute planned for the three men who died in the blaze. See the exclusive pictures.
Inner West
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Pictures inside an Inner West boarding house razed in 2022, killing three men, have revealed the incredible restoration work on the building.
The developer behind the project also has plans for a touching tribute to the three men who lost their lives in the fire.
Three boarders died inside Newtown-based Vajda House when an accelerant was allegedly used to spark a blaze that led to a massive explosion.
One 79-year-old tenant, ‘Miracle Man’ Ronnie Serich, fell from a second-floor window where he was lucky to escape the blaze, breaking his pelvis and fracturing his spine in the process.
The identity of the three men who died has never been made public, although all three were long-term tenants of the boarding house, which was owned by Malaysian-born property millionaire Albert Wong, 71.
The property was then sold for $1.5 million in June to seasoned developer and respected building consultant Elie Farah, alongside a silent bidder, who said he was eager to give the building a new lease of life while paying respect to the lives lost.
Mr Farah exclusively revealed a look inside the redevelopment, which is now nearing completion, and explained he was keen to build a tribute to the three men who died in the blaze.
“Once we’ve got it open, I want to get a painter and dedicate a wall to the three (men) that passed away,” he said.
“I would love to put their faces on a mural on one of the external walls out of respect.”
Any mural will have to go through council, but Mr Farah encouraged local artists to reach out to him if they were interested in undertaking the project.
“If there’s anyone locally who is interested in creating a special mural dedicated to those three people I’d love for them to contact me,” he said.
The photos revealed the once-gutted house has been turned into a light, clean and modern property, with the final trimmings now awaiting approval from Inner West Council.
The bulk of the work was done under a Heritage Exemption Certificate.
Mr Farah said there were fears the building would collapse and revealed the level of destruction the blaze caused.
“Anything lightweight, like the timber walls, was totally fried,” he said
“But a lot of it is brickwork, which is mainly just charred.”
Mr Farah said although the first stages were tricky, the pace of restoration picked up thereafter.
“We had to go in under strict guidance from the council who were afraid the building could collapse,” he said.
As another nod to its history, the site will remain an affordable co-living space.
“It’ll remain a boarding house, an affordable co-living space,” Mr Farah said.
“Most people don’t call them boarding houses anymore, but it will be a co-living space, we’ve made it a really nice environment.”
A development application for the final stages of the property is awaiting approval from the Inner West Council when thereafter Mr Farah hopes the building will be completed in the winter.
One of the former occupants of the boarding house, Richard Hotoran, 45, was charged by police with three counts of murder over the incident and is behind bars on remand.
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