Apartment 304, 117 Kippax Street is for sale through Jason Boon and Geoff Cox.

https://www.rwebay.com.au/5192619/

Surry Hills was previously well-known as a light industrial and warehouse area. In the early nineteenth century the area was made up of sandhills and market gardens and was considered “still in the bush”. By 1849 however, it boasted 1,900 houses.

A century later factories such as Lacey’s factory, the Globalite school case factory and warehouse, the Raleigh tobacco factory and clothing factories dominated the area. The Ford Sherington factory and the former News Limited newspaper printing presses were also located in Kippax Street.

Built in 1912 as a factory, No.1 Lacey is a distinguished, five-level Edwardian building in the heart of Surry Hills, a reminder of the area’s vibrant industrial and rag trader past. It has a 1,549 square metre footplate over five levels plus basement. A collection of new apartments in a distinctive 21st century design have been conceived to adaptively re-use its industrial structure.

In the historical section of the building, each of the 38 warehouse apartments are designed by Burton Katon Halliday, architects, to reveal and celebrate the original architecture. Raw brick work and large wooden beams have been retained and transformed to become an integral part of contemporary spaces. Features include bathrooms in glazed Paris Metro tiling, generous baths and top-of-the-line chrome and porcelain fixtures.

A five-storey central atrium adds drama and a sense of place and space.

The design has been awarded a design prize from the Urban Design Institute. Its President, Arthur Ilias, observed: “this project was exceptional, with the attention to detail and quality of the workmanship completing the package.”

Historian, Chris Keating, notes that “Surry Hills underwent a further architectural transformation in the 1990s … contemporary apartment buildings being added to the streetscape of historic terraces. The area … once the traditional rag trade area, has now become a hub for media, design and professional services. Today, the area has evolved into a colourful and diverse place that is well known for its art galleries, antique dealers, cafes and pubs, fashion and rag trade outlets” ex: Surry Hills: The City’s Backyard, Halstead Press, Sydney, 2008.

By Andrew Woodhouse

Heritage Solutions