News / Planning
Repairs underway on long-neglected church
Plans will see landmark building adapted for commercial use
Ava Wilcox
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Long-awaited repair works have begun on the landmark former Wesleyan Church on Sydney Road after years of concern over the vacant building’s worsening condition.
Since the last tenants moved out in 2022, the main church building has rapidly deteriorated, raising fears that it might never again be a functional part of Brunswick’s main street. But after many delays, the 154-year-old church is finally being restored.
According to a heritage permit granted to the property owners last October, conservation works will be conducted on both the exterior and interior of the church.
These will include internal repairs to the floor, walls, and ceiling, as well as a full restoration of notable external features including the stained glass and leadlight windows on the building’s façade which have been falling from their frames since 2017.
As previously reported by Brunswick Voice, repair work on the heritage-listed building faced years of delays due to a drawn-out legal dispute beginning in 2023 between the property owners, Bunjil Pty Ltd and Tempbak Pty Ltd, and the previous tenant, the Department of Education, over who was responsible for the building’s maintenance.
The site was occupied by the Sydney Road Community School for half a century.
In April 2023 and February 2024, Heritage Victoria issued two “show cause” notices to the owners for failing to maintain the property after concluding that the majority of the repairs were “landlord responsibilities”.
A spokesperson for Heritage Victoria confirmed that the concerns raised in these notices are now being addressed by the owners and said that the organisation was “encouraged by the works that are underway to repair and conserve this important state-listed heritage place”.
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Duncan McPherson, one of Bunjil’s directors, said the property owners wanted to ensure that the church was both “preserved and purposeful”.
He said the owners hoped to breathe new life into the church precinct – which includes several other buildings and considerable open space – by making commercial use of the restored building to provide a sustainable economic foundation without compromising on its heritage, history and community importance.
They have already converted the adjoining former Sunday school building into offices which are currently leased by the Melbourne-based real estate firm Nelson Alexander (McPherson is chairman of Nelson Alexander).
McPherson said this type of commercial activation could play a role in preserving heritage properties rather than leaving them underutilised or vulnerable to decline.
“Thoughtful commercial enhancement can provide the resources necessary to protect the site’s heritage while creating opportunities for renewed community activity and long-term sustainability,” he said.
The Wesleyan Church was built in 1872 on property donated by one of the suburb’s earliest colonial landowners, Thomas Wilkinson, who was often called “the father of Brunswick”. The space was originally intended to be both a religious and social gathering place for the suburb’s early residents.
Elisabeth Jackson, president of the Brunswick Community History Group, said she was happy to see the building finally receive attention.
“I’m really pleased that they’re restoring it at last,” she said.
“It has been a long wait. It’s been dreadful to see such an important building decaying … so having it fixed up is wonderful news.”
Peter Tregear, a member of the now dismantled Former Friends of the Wesleyan Church group and resident in the neighbouring Cumberland Apartments, has campaigned since 2021 for the church to be restored and returned to the community for use. He said he was happy to see the building undergo repairs, but still strongly disapproved of the property being used for private, commercial purposes.
“Look, I’m a realist,” Tregear said.
“It’s better that the building is getting repaired than it fall apart. So, that’s a win [but] I just think we ought to be having a proper conversation that properly recognises the intangible heritage as well as the tangible heritage.”
Volga Tunca, the owner of Mazi Mediterranean Bar and Grill which sits opposite to the church on Sydney Road, was less pleased by the repairs and held little hope that the restoration would ever be completed after the many delays it has already faced.
“If it’s [done] before five years, I’ll be super surprised,” he said.
So far, the property owners have not publicly announced when the repairs on the church are expected to be finished, but the heritage permit for the current restorations expires in October next year.
The church’s roof has already been replaced and its frontage onto Sydney Road has been covered in scaffolding for several weeks with construction is ongoing.
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It’s been pleasing to see the recent renovations and have it signal that the building could become a functional part of the neighbourhood again. I’d love to see it host live music and community events.