6 days ago
Melbourne historic church could fetch $5.5m
A landmark Armadale church linked to a former Victorian premier and coffee house baron has been listed for sale with $5.5m+ price hopes.
Wealthy businessman and land owner James Munro laid the heritage-listed Uniting Church's foundation stone in 1886.
Mr Munro, who served as Victorian Premier from 1880-1882, purchased the land at 86B Kooyong Rd for the house of worship to be built upon.
Designed by the Melbourne architecture firm Terry & Oakden, the Early English Gothic-style church features a nave, transept, apsis, organ, tower and spire, and seven car spaces.
The 1438sq m site is also home to an interconnected building that has been converted to an office and is leased out on a short-term basis to a commercial tenant.
CVA Property Consultants' managing director Ian Angelico and director Daniel Philip have the General Residential zoned-listing.
'The church is definitely a landmark,' Mr Angelico.
'The architecture is just magnificent, the stained glass windows are absolutely stunning.'
He is expecting potential buyers to include community and religious groups, developers and owner-occupiers.
'There is scope to develop because of the very high ceilings, that would be subject to planning approval and the building would have to remain intact because of its heritage status,' Mr Angelico said.
'It could also possibly become an auction house or something similar.'
Stonnington Council heritage documents state that the church is of historical significance for reasons including its association with Mr Munro.
Alongside his political career and many business interests, he established several coffee palaces – accommodation and dining venues that did not serve alcohol – in locations including Melbourne, Geelong and Broken Hill in the 1800s.
He was a partner in a company that bought Spring St's Grand Hotel, later Hotel Windsor, and turned it into a coffee palace.
The church is 220m from Armadale train station and on the corner of High St's shopping strip.
A post on the church's website stated that 'the hard decision to close' was made due the congregation's declining numbers and finances needed to support a minister and other expenses across the next five years.
A church spokesperson said their last service was held in May, with congregation members joining other nearby places of worship including the Toorak Uniting Church.
The Armadale site has roots going back to 1876 with the establishment of a Sunday school by the then-Toorak Presbyterian Church.
