Uniting Church to sell 145-year-old South Sydney church

An historic gothic-style church in inner-city Sydney has hit the market in one of 2017’s most unique commercial property offerings.

The Uniting Church-owned, heritage-listed property was built in 1872 and until recently was occupied by the Uniting Church’s Tonga Parish.

While much of the church’s facade will need to be preserved under heritage laws, it is zoned for mixed-use and could accommodate residential and/or commercial uses.

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It could also be refurbished and continue its life as a church, with the property still offering place of worship use rights.

The church has been there for 145 years.

Situated 300m from Redfern Station, the church sits on 360sqm of land.

CBRE’s Peter Vines and Stephen Grant have been appointed to market the property on behalf of the Uniting Church, with Vines saying there is nothing else like it on the market in Sydney.

“This space is truly unique due to its gothic architecture, existing use rights as a place of worship and close proximity to the CBD,” he says.

The church could be reborn as a residential development, as well as commercial uses.

“Besides its existing use a place of worship, there is also potential to split the back section of the property to create terrace housing and covert the church into office, medical, boarding house or food and beverage.”

But the purchase of religious properties by other church groups is not unprecedented. Last year a heritage church in the Sydney suburb of Surry Hills sold for $3.45 million to an Indonesian church group, having been used by a 3D media company in the years prior.

The church will go to auction on-site on Wednesday, September 6.