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A museum would preserve a Northbourne Avenue public housing block for posterity under an ACT government plan described to Arts Minister Gordon Ramsay. While curious visitors can learn about the homes and lives of early 20th century Canberrans at Calthorpes' House, and get a taste of 1850s Australia at Lanyon Homestead, the government's arts agencies told Mr Ramsay they feared the city's "house museums" failed to reflect more recent times. A brief prepared for Mr Ramsay as he took over the ministry in late 2016, released under freedom of information laws, said the government could solve the problem by opening heritage-listed units of the run-down Dickson and Lyneham public housing precinct. It said the government should advance plans to give Canberra a "house museum" on the city's main thoroughfare showcasing the flats, which were built in the post-war international modernist-style. "The presentation of one or more units would assist in demonstrating the government's commitment to the heritage significance of the precinct at a time when the area is undergoing major redevelopment in association with the light rail project," Mr Ramsay was told. While ACT government estimates for the museum's capital cost were redacted from documents, it predicted early recurring spending could reach up to $250,000 annually. "Some costs could potentially be met as developer contributions or rental from a sympathetic tenancy within part of the museum," the documents said. Despite the briefing, the government on Tuesday said it was not "actively considering" creating a new public housing museum in one of the blocks, which were the centre of a fight over plans to bulldoze the area for new, private buildings. National Trust ACT spokesman Eric Martin supported the museum idea, saying Canberra needed a place to celebrate its more recent, nationally-recognised architecture. Calthorpes' House, on Red Hill's Mugga Way, takes visitors back in time to the 1920s, preserving its original furnishings, household appliances and photos. Lanyon Homestead at Tharwa has been restored and furnished for visitors. During arguments over the government's demolition plans for the units at Dickson and Lyneham, heritage experts repeatedly warned the precinct was a unique example of National Capital Development Commission architecture and important to Canberra's public housing history. ACT Council of Social Service president Susan Helyar described the idea for a showcase in one of the decommissioned flats as a "reasonable proposal". "The cost of this would need to come out of the cultural facilities budget, not current public housing funds," she said. The briefing told Mr Ramsay that by announcing its plan for a museum early, the government would be "in a proactive position to respond to concerns from heritage groups on this matter." Correction: A previous version of this article said the ACT government planned to establish a museum at the Northbourne Flats, not the public housing precinct at Dickson and Lyneham.

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