Owner hopes church heritage is retained
by Keith Anderson The former St Andrew’s Uniting Church, a prominent Warragul feature at the corner of Victoria and Albert Sts for almost 90 years, is under contract of sale subject to further due diligence.
The heritage listed building for which the foundation stone was laid in 1934 has not been used by the church since 2006 when a new Uniting church was built in Sutton St.
The property, that also includes a hall and former kindergarten building, now used by a skin and care business and for occasional community uses, has been on the market for about two years.
According to a listing on the website of one of the joint selling agents the asking price was $2.275 million.
The vendor, who requested his name not be used for this article, said he did not know the prospective purchaser’s intentions but said he’d like to see the buildings retained and repurposed, possibly as apartments.
He said although the church had not been used for that purpose since 1996, 10 years after the merger of the former St Andrew’s Presbyterian and Warragul Wesley Methodist churches in 2006, it had hosted nondenominational weddings and funerals for families that had a long connection with it.
“I’d hate to see it pulled down, too many heritage buildings in Warragul have already gone,” he said.
Total area of the property is just over 1950 square metres with the combined floor spaces of the church, hall and kindergarten buildings totalling 1078 square metres.
The former Methodist Church, located nearby in Victoria St and which was built in 1988, was bought by the Warragul Heritage Preservation Association in 2002.
The building has been retained and developed as a fine music venue, Wesley of Warragul, but is also available for weddings, funerals, seminars and meetings.