WORK to restore the verandah to the corner of Albury's Sodens hotel has begun, nine months after it fell down when a driver crashed into its columns.
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Three repaired metal posts were installed on Friday along with other steel work in preparation for the return of the awning.
Publican Brendan Tracey was delighted to see work start being quizzed three or four times a day by people wondering when it would happen.
"It's great," he said.
"After the hanging we've copped with COVID it's good to see something positive."
Strangely, the regional NSW lockdown which has forced Sodens to cease trading until at least next Saturday provided good timing for the work.
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"It's sort of a blessing because it was always scheduled for now, being in lockdown it's not going to really affect our trade which is one positive," Mr Tracey said.
A crane was used to lift the 400-kilogram columns, which house drainpipes, into place before they were bolted down.
The roof structure is expected to be installed next month and leadlighting added to criss-cross patterned metal structures below the verandah two months later.
A mould of the pressed tin ceiling of the awning has been taken and an artisan is being sought to undertake that job.
The reconstruction is expected to cost over $300,000 and will be covered by insurance.
Mr Tracey hopes it will be completed by Christmas "fingers crossed".
The verandah was originally constructed in the 1920s to link up porticos at the hotel's entrances along David and Wilson streets.
Like the entire building it is heritage-listed and the restoration will be inspected by a specialist to ensure it complies with that status.
