Upon this very spot once stood a different St Andrews Scots Presbyterian Church. This wasn’t just any church. It was the first Presbyterian church in Sydney. Founded in 1824 by the influential John Dunmore Lang it held a special place in the city’s heart.
Imagine the bustling Church Hill of the 1820s. St Philip’s Anglican Church already stood tall. A Wesleyan Methodist chapel was nearby. Then came the foundation stone for St Andrews Scots Presbyterian Church in July 1824. It opened its doors in 1826 seating 900. Its Norman-Gothic style reflected the architecture of rural Scotland.
John Dunmore Lang the founding pastor served for an impressive 55 years. The church wasn’t just a place of worship. It also housed the Presbyterian Church offices from 1892 to 1904. Think of the sermons the hymns the lives touched within those walls.
But time marches on. In 1926 the NSW Government resumed the land. The Sydney Harbour Bridge and Wynyard railway station were to be built. The original St Andrews Scots Presbyterian Church was demolished in 1929. Its final services were held on November 28 1926. Five ministers served the church during its more than a century of existence.
Yet the spirit of St Andrews Scots Presbyterian Church was not to be extinguished. Through a complex series of land swaps and agreements a new church rose. Designed by Rosenthal Rutledge & Beattie and built by Beat Bros it opened in 1929. This magnificent structure a six-storey Inter-War Gothic Revival building with ashlar sandstone and a granite base stands before you today.
The new St Andrews Scots Presbyterian Church could seat 1350. Monuments and tablets from the old church found a new home in the building. But the joy was short-lived. The church faced ongoing disputes over building control. Eventually in the 1970s they vacated the building.
The church building saw various uses. It was even home to artists and community groups for a time. There were many redevelopment proposals some involving demolition. But thankfully the iconic building survived. In 2005 a redevelopment project saw 148 apartments added. The restoration work faced many challenges such as leaky ceilings and crumbling sandstone. The project was finally completed and won awards for its sensitive preservation of history and innovative design.
Today a new multi-generational multicultural congregation thrives within the walls of St Andrews Scots Presbyterian Church. It is a testament to the resilience of faith the enduring legacy of this landmark building and the power of perseverance in the face of adversity. So let’s take a moment and reflect on the remarkable journey of this historical landmark.