Heritage listed original Geelong Grammar building back on the market

A grand and historic building with 47 rooms surely has lots of potential. It could be a hotel, guest house, student accommodation, hostel, conference centre – or even a school.

After all, this imposing piece of Victoria’s early history does have form in that area – it is the original Geelong Grammar.

At 55 Maud Street, the Gothic Tudor style building, with rendered bluestone walls and slate roof, is for sale for $2,100,000.

As well as all those rooms, it has a large kitchen and dining/conference room, three bathrooms and relaxing back garden.

Laurie McGovan, of PRDnationwide Geelong, is selling the heritage listed building in conjunction with Andrew Lewis, of Colliers International. It was built over four levels in 1857/58.  There is a large front garden and rear second dwelling/ caretaker residence and courtyard.

The land size of 2100 square metres is zoned residential 1. It is on two titles with seven lots and a frontage to Maud Street of 44.81 metres.

Wayne Thompson, on behalf of Colliers International, told Property Observer that they had conducted a host of inspections – maybe 200 - over the two and a half years the old school has been on the market. "It’s a property that captures the imagination but it does need some work and people put it in the ‘too hard’ basket."

He said the property was thought to be sold 18 months ago but the ‘buyer’ failed to settle and it was taken off the market. Six months ago it was relisted at $2.1 million.

The old Geelong architectural firm of Backhouse and Reynolds won a competition in the mid-1850s to design the school for 525 pupils and a master's residence. The foundation stone was laid in June 1857 by the Governor of Victoria, Sir Henry Barkly, with the Bishop of Melbourne and the Archdeacon of Geelong in attendance, the website Onmydoorstep reports.

The new school, built with four wings around a quadrangle, opened a year later.

However, in 1860 the school was forced into bankruptcy and closed – only to reopen in 1863 with a new group of trustees and the support of influential Western District squatters. Well known families such as the Armytages, Chirnsides and Manifolds have been associated with the school from this time. By the 1870s boarding played a significant role and, despite the depression causing a decline in student numbers in the 1890s, they soon increased again.

Some alterations and additions were undertaken from 1906-1909, including a single storey extension to the north wing. But, in 1911, the school moved to a 162-hectare site at Corio, on the outskirts of Geelong.

The former Geelong Grammar School is regarded as being of architectural and historical significance to Victoria as it is an important and substantial work of Backhouse and Reynolds.

Although a portion of the building has been demolished, the remaining section is illustrative of the original school. The use of the Gothic style, particularly in the quadrangle form, shows connections to prestigious British colleges.

Also, it is regarded as historic due to its association with the founding of one of Victoria's major private schools and by its association with the early development of education in Geelong.

 staylor@propertyobserver.com.au

Correction: In a previous version of the article, the spokesperson was incorrectly referred to as Andrew Thompson.