A city's past informs its future.
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Over the past couple of decades, Wagga historian Geoff Burch has noticed a resurgence of interest in the city's historic infrastructure. It is a trend he has openly welcomed.
Particularly with regards to the main streets - Fitzmaurice and Baylis - Mr Burch is encouraged to see work going into restoring aspects of the city's historic infrastructure.
As buildings such as the old bank building beside the courthouse have changed hands, they have retained their old-world charm.
Some private businesses, including the Hunter Brothers shopfront across the street, have incorporated the past and the present sensibilities, and it is this theme that Mr Burch expects will become the norm around the city.
"It can live together, the old and the new," he said.
"Keep the facades and build around what's already existing, a lot of businesses will be finding that balance.
"These older buildings that are attractive, we don't need to lose them. We might need to change them a little on the inside, but the facades are important history."
Mr Burch spoke of feeling a personal sense of regret knowing that in his own lifetime, some of the nostalgic old buildings have been re-developed and changed beyond recognition to suit a "modern ideal".
"I think a lot of people still really love these old buildings and would be sad to see them all go," he said.
The shopfront may well be one of Wagga's oldest remaining commercial buildings, having been established in 1866, just 17 years after Wagga was founded.
But Mr Burch believes the city's main streets are now on the precipice of great change.
"I'm no expert, but I think things are moving to become more residential," he said.
"I wouldn't be surprised to see high rises taking up the main street [in the near future].
"Housing is going up quickly in some areas of the city, but the shopping side is falling away, and that probably has something to do with online shopping."
Referencing the support for the Riverside apartments and other high-density accommodation developments around the city, Mr Burch said there is a rapid establishment of "cosmopolitan living".
"[The main streets] don't seem viable for retailers. When you walk around, you do seem to notice a lot more empty shops, and then couple that with the growth of cafes, not just here but across Australia," Mr Burch said.
"Go anywhere on a Sunday morning, and it's amazing how many people are enjoying a leisurely coffee. It's become an important part of our culture in the last couple of decades."
"As more people come to regional centres from the cities, they bring new flavours, and it seems to be that people want to be more cosmopolitan."