Plans to develop a 46-level high rise above the heritage-listed Brisbane Synagogue on Mary Street in the inner city has been lodged with Council following more than a year of talks between The Brisbane Hebrew Congregation and the developers of Bellevue Terrace Properties.
Once approved, the development (DA A005637201) will see through the construction of the new building on 25 Mary Street. It will have 42 levels of semi-public, co-working spaces and 242 car parking spaces. The upper floors will be open for tenancy whilst the top two levels will include two four-bedroom penthouses, which developers say will be a “luxury housing stock.”
The remaining lower levels will integrate the heritage-listed religious site as a multiple-storey podium with ancillary facilities like the congregation’s offices, function space for worshippers, a kosher kitchen and an indoor recreational area for children. The rest of the spaces will be open for retail tenancies.
“The design of the proposal places a significant focus on the original setting of the existing heritage building and seeks to provide a cohesive and beneficial outcome for the future use of the place of worship,” the developers stated in the application.
The Brisbane Synagogue was built in 1885 and the developers said that it will be protected. However, an application for a heritage exemption certificate was also filed to allow the project to partially demolish structures of the building that were built in 1955 and 1990.
The plans include creating pedestrian access from Mary Street to Margaret Street, where the synagogue stands.
“The proposal seeks to provide high quality ‘next generation’ commercial office space that will support the day-to-day needs of future occupants and visitors whilst celebrating Brisbane’s significant heritage values in an integrated and cohesive fashion,” Urbis said.
“Importantly, the proposal will also provide facilities to support the ongoing operation of the Synagogue, to protect, and sustain its use for many generations to come.”
It comes as several major projects in the coming years will turn Mary Street into a significant connecting link for pedestrians traversing the CBD to get to the Queen’s Wharf, the Cross River Rail station on Albert Street and the proposed Waterfront Brisbane on Eagle Street.
