Candalepas Associates is leading the design for restoration and redevelopment the Greek Orthodox Cathedral of the Annunciation of Our Lady at 242 Cleveland Street in Redfern.
The $15 million project will include conservation works to the Cathedral building, the construction of a new crypt and alterations and additions to the former St Paul’s rectory.
It will also see the construction of two, three-storey buildings and the demolition of the existing theological college building.
The former rectory and the new buildings will be connected and will together accommodate worship spaces, function rooms, a museum, library, offices, theological college domiciles, guest domiciles, bookstore and the dean’s residence. A new café is also included in the scheme.
The church, now known as the Cathedral of the Annunciation of Our Lady, was designed by Edmund Blacket built from 1848. The rectory was designed by John Burcham Clamp. It was an Anglican church for its first century, before being reconsecrated to the Orthodox faith in 1970, reflecting changes in demographics brought about by post-war immigration.
The redeveloped Cathedral of the Annunciation of Our Lady by Candalepas Associates.
It’s listed on the state heritage register for its significance as an “early ecclesiastical design in the architectural career of Edmund Blacket. Originally St Paul’s Anglican Church, its Decorated Gothic design became one of the established architectural models for parish church construction throughout NSW.”
It’s also noted as significant for its association with the migrant communities that settled in NSW following World War II.
In a heritage impact statement prepared for the development application, Urbis writes that the new layer of development will make an important contribution to the significance of the site both architecturally and for its representative values. “It is likely that the new architectural program of design excellence, will, in time, be recognised to be of significant heritage value,” the report reads.
Candelepas Assosiates won widespread acclaim for its design of Punchbowl Mosque, described in Architecture Australia as “a modern architectural masterpiece”.
The development application for the updates to Cathedral of the Annunciation of Our Lady is on public exhibition until 9 February.
