Those who’ve visited the new Footscray Hospital may have noticed a homage to its predecessor on display in the foyer.
Sitting in glass cabinets on the ground floor are four miniature models of the buildings at the old Footscray Hospital on Gordon Street.
They’re the work of Yarraville miniaturist David Hourigan who made his name making tiny versions of Melbourne music venues such as the Espy and The Tote as well as the Sun Theatre in Yarraville.
Around the same time that construction began on the new hospital began in 2021, Western Health approached Hourigan about adding the old hospital to his repertoire.
“It’s a few years ago,” Hourigan recalled.
“I’ve had to keep it a secret. It’s been really hard to keep my big trap shut.”
Before he could begin work, Hourigan had to research the old hospital, including buildings that had long been demolished, to ensure his imitations were as accurate as possible.
Once underway, the miniatures took between six weeks and three months to finish, with Hourigan using modelling foam, plaster, plastics, bits of wire and even plastic food containers to depict the real thing.
“For the glass windows I tend to use take away sushi containers,” Hourigan said, adding that he was proud to have modelled a building that was so important to so many.
“One of the things I’ve heard from a few people is that people are born in hospitals and die in hospitals and so they have such a strong connection to them.
“It’s pretty powerful to make something about place people have such a connection to.”
