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BAPTIST CHURCH
170-174 COLLINS STREET MELBOURNE, MELBOURNE CITY
BAPTIST CHURCH
170-174 COLLINS STREET MELBOURNE, MELBOURNE CITY
All information on this page is maintained by Heritage Victoria.
Click below for their website and contact details.
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BAPTIST CHURCH SOHE 2008
![BAPTIST CHURCH SOHE 2008 BAPTIST CHURCH SOHE 2008](https://vhd.heritagecouncil.vic.gov.au/vhd-images/places/000/078/486.jpg)
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![baptist church melb interior balcony baptist church melb interior balcony](https://vhd.heritagecouncil.vic.gov.au/vhd-images/places/000/000/026.jpg)
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On this page:
Statement of Significance
What is significant?
The first Baptist service in the colony was held in 1838 in a tent on the site where the Regent Theatre now stands. The Baptist Church obtained a grant for their present site in 1845 and work commenced soon afterwards on a brick structure with round headed windows and a simple stuccoed facade with gabled pediment. The architect was John Gill and the contractor Mr Monger. This building was enlarged in 1858. It was replaced in 1861-62 by a chapel designed by architects Reed and Barnes to seat at least 1000 people and constructed by John Holtom. The majority of the windows (except for four coloured glass windows at the Collins Street end of the building) were replaced about 1929 with the new windows featuring the letters CSBC. The extent of any remnants of the 1845 structure is unknown.
During the Depression the church embarked on a building program as a revenue producing venture which also provided jobs, as the income from Sunday giving had declined. The building to the north of the church fronting little Collins Street, Central Hall, was financed by the Victoria Palace Hall and opened in October 1928. The land was then leased from the church for the following 65 years and now forms part of the Victoria Hotel. Following the commencement of the Central Hall project, another building called Central House was designed by architects Gawler and Drummond and opened on 19 March 1929. It comprises eight floors and a basement and was constructed adjoining the rear of the church. The church had presumed that this building would provide offices for the Baptist Union of Victoria as their administration offices but this did not eventuate. The shop fronting Collins Street was also added during this period to provide revenue. Central House has been used mainly by philanthropic groups, with two of the floors now providing accommodation for the homeless.
How is it significant?
The Baptist Church in Collins Street is of architectural and historical importance to the state of Victoria.
Why is significant?
The Baptist Church is of architectural importance as the grandest classical church in Victoria. The facade of the building is modelled on a Roman temple and is Reed's finest and purest achievement in the giant Corinthian Order. The steps and lamp standards enhance this grandeur. The portico with its finely detailed dentils and brackets is the oldest reasonably complete surviving example on any non-residential building in the state. The interior is a fine example of a Baptist hall church and the most intact surviving from the early 1860's. The gallery is supported on elegant cast iron columns. The Classical style of the building contrasts with the Gothic designs which were so popular at the time and this reflects the independence of the Baptist Church.
The Baptist Church in Collins Street is of historical importance as the site of the earliest permanent Baptist Church building in Victoria, and for its continuing function as a Baptist Church today. Central House is of historic importance as a reminder of the building program embarked upon by the Baptist Church during the Depression.
The first Baptist service in the colony was held in 1838 in a tent on the site where the Regent Theatre now stands. The Baptist Church obtained a grant for their present site in 1845 and work commenced soon afterwards on a brick structure with round headed windows and a simple stuccoed facade with gabled pediment. The architect was John Gill and the contractor Mr Monger. This building was enlarged in 1858. It was replaced in 1861-62 by a chapel designed by architects Reed and Barnes to seat at least 1000 people and constructed by John Holtom. The majority of the windows (except for four coloured glass windows at the Collins Street end of the building) were replaced about 1929 with the new windows featuring the letters CSBC. The extent of any remnants of the 1845 structure is unknown.
During the Depression the church embarked on a building program as a revenue producing venture which also provided jobs, as the income from Sunday giving had declined. The building to the north of the church fronting little Collins Street, Central Hall, was financed by the Victoria Palace Hall and opened in October 1928. The land was then leased from the church for the following 65 years and now forms part of the Victoria Hotel. Following the commencement of the Central Hall project, another building called Central House was designed by architects Gawler and Drummond and opened on 19 March 1929. It comprises eight floors and a basement and was constructed adjoining the rear of the church. The church had presumed that this building would provide offices for the Baptist Union of Victoria as their administration offices but this did not eventuate. The shop fronting Collins Street was also added during this period to provide revenue. Central House has been used mainly by philanthropic groups, with two of the floors now providing accommodation for the homeless.
How is it significant?
The Baptist Church in Collins Street is of architectural and historical importance to the state of Victoria.
Why is significant?
The Baptist Church is of architectural importance as the grandest classical church in Victoria. The facade of the building is modelled on a Roman temple and is Reed's finest and purest achievement in the giant Corinthian Order. The steps and lamp standards enhance this grandeur. The portico with its finely detailed dentils and brackets is the oldest reasonably complete surviving example on any non-residential building in the state. The interior is a fine example of a Baptist hall church and the most intact surviving from the early 1860's. The gallery is supported on elegant cast iron columns. The Classical style of the building contrasts with the Gothic designs which were so popular at the time and this reflects the independence of the Baptist Church.
The Baptist Church in Collins Street is of historical importance as the site of the earliest permanent Baptist Church building in Victoria, and for its continuing function as a Baptist Church today. Central House is of historic importance as a reminder of the building program embarked upon by the Baptist Church during the Depression.
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BAPTIST CHURCH - History
Associated People:
BAPTIST CHURCH - Permit Exemptions
General Exemptions:General exemptions apply to all places and objects included in the Victorian Heritage Register (VHR). General exemptions have been designed to allow everyday activities, maintenance and changes to your property, which don’t harm its cultural heritage significance, to proceed without the need to obtain approvals under the Heritage Act 2017.Places of worship: In some circumstances, you can alter a place of worship to accommodate religious practices without a permit, but you must notify the Executive Director of Heritage Victoria before you start the works or activities at least 20 business days before the works or activities are to commence.Subdivision/consolidation: Permit exemptions exist for some subdivisions and consolidations. If the subdivision or consolidation is in accordance with a planning permit granted under Part 4 of the Planning and Environment Act 1987 and the application for the planning permit was referred to the Executive Director of Heritage Victoria as a determining referral authority, a permit is not required.Specific exemptions may also apply to your registered place or object. If applicable, these are listed below. Specific exemptions are tailored to the conservation and management needs of an individual registered place or object and set out works and activities that are exempt from the requirements of a permit. Specific exemptions prevail if they conflict with general exemptions. Find out more about heritage permit exemptions here.Specific Exemptions:EXEMPTIONS FROM PERMITS:
(Classes of works or activities which may be undertaken without a permit under
Part 4 of the Heritage Act 1995)
General Conditions:
1. All exempted alterations are to be planned and carried out in a manner
which prevents damage to the fabric of the registered place or object.
2. Should it become apparent during further inspection or the carrying out of
alterations that original or previously hidden or inaccessible details of the
place or object are revealed which relate to the significance of the place or
object, then the exemption covering such alteration shall cease and the
Executive Director shall be notified as soon as possible.
3. If there is a conservation policy and plan approved by the Executive
Director, all works shall be in accordance with it.
4. Nothing in this declaration prevents the Executive Director from amending
or rescinding all or any of the permit exemptions.
5. Nothing in this declaration exempts owners or their agents from the
responsibility to seek relevant planning or building permits from the
responsible authority where applicable.
The following exemptions apply to Central House (B-2) and the shop (B-3) only:
* Interior painting to walls , provided the preparation work does not remove
evidence of the building's original paint or other decorative scheme.
* Removal of existing carpets and flexible floor coverings.
* Installation of carpet and flexible floor coverings.
* Installation of curtain track, rods, blinds and other internal window
dressings.
* Refurbishment of existing kitchen including removal of existing benches and
fixtures and installation of new kitchen benches and fixtures including
associated wiring and plumbing.
The following exemptions apply to Central House (B-2) only:
* Exterior repair works including replacement of windows with those of similar
materials and form, and repairs and application of cladding to the exterior
walls, provided the cladding has a plain, non-reflective finish, and is not
patterned or panelled.
* All interior non-structural works to those areas which are not part of the
general circulation spaces, that is - lift lobbies, passageways and stairwells. Installation of external security camera to retail shop (B3 on extent of registration diagram H0006) and associated wiring and equipment to interior of B3
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