Peeking out from St Georges Road stands St Luke’s Hungarian Reformed Church. This building has a rich history. It’s a story of faith and community.
St Luke’s Hungarian Reformed Church began as St Luke’s Anglican Church. The foundation stone was laid on December 21st 1870. But that wasn’t the end of the story. The stone was relaid on February 4th 1879.
The first section of St Luke’s Hungarian Reformed Church opened in 1879. The church building was designed by Crouch and Wilson. James Kennedy was the builder. He constructed the church for 3250 pounds.
The church wasn’t completed to its original design. The chancel and apse are temporary constructions. The church authorities applied to the Government for land in the 1850s. They wanted a site for a Church, School and Parsonage. The original site faced Alexandra Parade and Queen’s Parade.
However the Government revoked the reservation in 1869. They sold the land by public auction. This prompted letters from church authorities. Another reservation was granted in August 1869. A timber schoolroom was built in 1870. It was located between George and Napier Streets. The first service was held there on October 23rd 1870.
The location wasn’t ideal. It was on the southern boundary of the parish. There was a swamp to the south and gasworks to the east. The church was given permission to sell the site. The present location was bought on November 27th 1878. The stone was relaid at the new site.
The church is in the early decorated style of English architecture. When completed it would be 76 feet long. The portion commenced was 51.7 feet x 45 feet wide. The side walls are 23.6 feet high. The church is open to the ridge which is 47 feet high. It is finished with ornamental cast iron cresting. The roof is carried on 8 ornamental cast iron columns. They have foliated capitals.
The tower at the corner rises to 131 feet. It is surmounted with a wrought iron vane. At the south east corner is a turret. It has a high slated roof. Principal entrances are under the tower and the turret. There is a paved lobby lighted by stained glass windows. Above these is a large mullion window. The material used is bluestone. It is relieved with white pressed bricks and pressed cement.
The Hungarian Reformed Church was established in Melbourne in 1949. This building was bought by the church in 1979. The church’s stone records the establishment of the Hungarian Reformed Church in Australia. It also remembers the heroes of the 1956 Hungarian Revolution.
Melbourne has had a Hungarian presence since the 1850s. Successive waves of immigration were prompted by social and political crises. The partitioning of Hungary in 1921 left millions of ethnic Hungarians in surrounding countries. Other significant spurs to Hungarian migration included World War II.
The first Hungarian Society in Melbourne was founded in 1954. They established a Community Centre in Richmond in 1957. Work commenced on the Hungarian Community Cultural Centre in Wantirna in 1981. Today St Luke’s Hungarian Reformed Church stands as a testament. It is a testament to faith resilience and community spirit. It is a place where history and hope intertwine.