From fighting flames to hot opportunity: Former fire station up for grabs

A 100-year-old, heritage-listed former fire station in western Sydney has hit the market, with a price guide of $4.2 to $4.4 million. 

With approved plans in place for a boarding house development, the free classical style building at 3 William Street, Fairfield opened as a fire station in 1924 and is set on a large square 954sqm landholding. 

Featuring two street accesses, the fire station building cannot be demolished due to its place on the New South Wales State Heritage Inventory but sales agent Sam Ruisi from Raine & Horne Wetherill Park said plans had been approved to convert it into a medical suite. 

Mr Ruisi said a local developer bought the site about ten years ago to develop the site, but it never eventuated, and the building has sat idle. 

The Fairfield property is set on a large square 954sqm landholding. Picture: realcommercial.com.au

“Obviously, it’s a really, really big site and I think what he has done to get it approved is a really big outlay … and he is excited to move on to other projects that aren’t as big but more sort of short-term modification,” he said. 

Plans for a single-storey retail space in the fire station building have also been granted approval, and the four-storey boarding house is a 22-room venue designed to seamlessly integrate with the historic station building on the western side. 

A build height approval of 24 metres is already in place, and the site has a B4 Mixed Use Zoning. 

According to its heritage statement of significance, the property is important for historical and aesthetic reasons as it was a “representative of Interwar period Fire Stations that is relatively rare in local government area context.” 

An artist’s impression of the site, which has planning approval to be redeveloped into a variety of uses. Picture: realcommercial.com.au

“Its existence presents evidence of the development of Fairfield as a separate local centre in the Sydney Metropolitan area,” the statement reads.  

 “The building makes an important contribution to the streetscape and presents one of the local area landmarks.   

“Architecturally, it is typical of Inter-War Fire Stations, a good example of Free Classical style public building.  It has additional social and historical significance as a record of the history of the local fire brigade.” 

The Sydney property has a price guide of $4.2 to $4.4 million. Picture: realcommercial.com.au

The inter-war period fire station features face brick walls, a hipped asbestos tiled roof with terracotta ridge capping, gambrels with timber louvres and a segmental rendered parapet over vehicle door with heavy moulded cornices, the register described. 

With other possible uses as a childcare centre, or office space, Mr Ruisi said interest from local developers has been steady. 

“It’s absolutely unique – I have been an agent in Fairfield for 18 years and not once have I listed a property as rare,” he said.