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It’s one of a handful of areas that I literally crane my neck to stare at every time I drive past.At the far end of Canberra Avenue, at the axis of Empire Circuit, is the most gorgeous cluster of 1930s-designed buildings known as the Forrest Fire Station precinct.<img alt="33-canberra-avenue-forrest-act-2603-108284-image-0-20240917033237996150-thumbnail-1920x1920-70" class="richtext-image full-width" height="533" src="https://d2t3vhau9g43uy.cloudfront.net/media/images/33-canberra-avenue-forrest-act-2603-108284-ima.width-800.jpg" width="800">Built in 1939, the fire station and the seven double-brick buildings surrounding it are a stunning example of interwar functionalist architecture. Their narrow windows, small cantilevered balconies and interlocking horizontal and vertical elements were the design of then government architects E H Henderson and Cuthbert Whitley.Forrest Fire Station was built to support the main ACT Fire Station and serviced the inner south until 1983. It is now home to the Canberra Fire Museum.<img alt="Forrest Fire Station" class="richtext-image full-width" height="543" src="https://d2t3vhau9g43uy.cloudfront.net/media/images/Forrest_Fire_Station.width-800.jpg" width="800">The other precinct buildings, originally built as government residences, have been home to an assortment of professional services, creative agencies, and health and wellness businesses over the past 85 years.And now <a href="https://zango.com.au/sale/33-canberra-avenue-forrest-act-2603-108284/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">one of the buildings within the fire station precinct</a> is seeking a new owner.Number 33 Canberra Avenue – formerly known as Block 3, Section 35 Canberra Avenue – hit the market this week with a price tag of $1.7 million. The two-storey property is 132sqm and is zoned for commercial or residential use, or both.<img alt="old 33 canberra avenue" class="richtext-image full-width" height="323" src="https://d2t3vhau9g43uy.cloudfront.net/media/images/old_33_canberra_avenue.width-800.jpg" width="800">From a commercial point of view, it’s a solid investment, says sales agent Richard Luton. The building is tenanted for five years from 2024 at a rate of $6500/month. The property comes with 10 off-road car spaces and has beautiful frontage to Canberra Avene for exposure.From a residential point of view, the floorplan would best suit a kitchen, laundry, and dining and living rooms on the ground floor, with three bedrooms and a bathroom upstairs.<img alt="33-canberra-avenue-forrest-act-2603-108284-image-0-20240918051823467474-thumbnail-1920x1920-70" class="richtext-image full-width" height="533" src="https://d2t3vhau9g43uy.cloudfront.net/media/images/33-canberra-avenue-forrest-act-2603-108284-ima.width-800_zu8a6K3.jpg" width="800">“It really is an exceptional property,” Richard says.“If you wanted to make it your home, you’re located right in the heart of it all – close to Telopea Park School, Parliament House and, of course, the shopping and dining in Manuka or Old Kingston.”Renovations undertaken to 33 Canberra Avenue would need to comply with heritage standards. The property is listed on the ACT Heritage Register and the ACT Chapter of the Australian Institute of Architects Register of Significant Twentieth Century Architecture.<img alt="Forrest Fire Station 2" class="richtext-image full-width" height="323" src="https://d2t3vhau9g43uy.cloudfront.net/media/images/Forrest_Fire_Station_2.width-800.jpg" width="800">According to architectural website <a href="https://www.canberrahouse.com.au/houses/forrest-fire-station.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Canberra House</a>, the buildings in the Forrest Fire Station precinct are substantially original and, with the demise of the Whitley Houses in Griffith and Braddon, “are the last remaining examples of Government sponsored functionalist residential architecture in Canberra”.“The Fire Station and houses are built in panels of red and cream face bricks with a regular arrangement of windows and flat roofs concealed by parapets and, on the houses, small cantilevered balconies,” the website says.<img alt="Screen Shot 2024-09-19 at 10.58.42 am" class="richtext-image full-width" height="490" src="https://d2t3vhau9g43uy.cloudfront.net/media/images/Screen_Shot_2024-09-19_at_10.58.42_am.width-800.png" width="800">“They represent the few remaining intact examples of the work of Cuthbert Whitley, one of the key originators of functionalist architecture in Canberra and Australia. Whitley, with Chief Government Architect Edwin Henderson, was responsible for the design of a number of Government buildings in 1930s Canberra.“The interlocking horizontal and vertical elements of the residences relate to Willem Dudok’s European modernist architecture in Holland.”Number 33 Canberra Avenue is available to view by private appointment.<a href="https://zango.com.au/sale/33-canberra-avenue-forrest-act-2603-108284/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">View the full listing.</a>

One of those gorgeous art deco buildings on Canberra Ave is for sale, and just imagine living there

Behind the humble heritage facade of this 1920s Reid property at <a href="https://zango.com.au/sale/5-dirrawan-gardens-reid-act-2612-78800/?" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">5 Dirrawan Gardens</a> is a home worthy of every real estate superlative.Awarded House of the Year by the Master Builders Association when it was completed in 2010 (eight years after works commenced), the judging panel hit the nail on the head when they said: “You have to see it to believe it.&quot;“It’s hard to even describe it,” admits <a href="https://zango.com.au/agencies/lj-hooker-dickson/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">LJ Hooker</a> licensed agent <a href="/agents/stephen-bunday/">Stephen Bunday</a>.&quot;It&#x27;s kind of a cross between an art gallery, a ballroom, a home and a cinema.”<div>
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Stephen says one of the biggest wow factors of the home is the subterranean movie theatre which he likened to a miniature suburban version of Canberra’s Palace Electric Cinemas.The fully equipped theatre features tiered leather recliners, a wide-screen curved projector screen - with a dedicated projector room - and a surround sound system.Behind the cinema is a break-out lounge area for post-movie socialising, where Stephen suggests you could enjoy a quiet gin and tonic, brandy or glass of red with guests.<img alt="5-dirrawan-gardens-reid-act-2612-78800-image-0-20230421013200525005-thumbnail-1920x1920-70" class="richtext-image full-width" height="533" src="https://d2t3vhau9g43uy.cloudfront.net/media/images/5-dirrawan-gardens-reid-act-2612-78800-image-0.width-800_KlYNT67.jpg" width="800">Walk out of the cinema, and you’ll find yourself in an expansive, open-top ballroom-cum-art-gallery, with a curved staircase adorned in travertine tiles leading up toward the entry of the home.The 600sqm of indoor living space (the most Stephen has come across in his nearly 30 years in real estate) continues upstairs, where art deco meets contemporary comfort.<img alt="5-dirrawan-gardens-reid-act-2612-78800-image-0-20230421013205123461-thumbnail-1920x1920-70" class="richtext-image full-width" height="533" src="https://d2t3vhau9g43uy.cloudfront.net/media/images/5-dirrawan-gardens-reid-act-2612-78800-image-0.width-800.jpg" width="800">Heat-treated curved timberwork, hand-crafted cornices and marble and travertine mosaics are blended with a security system, intelligent CBUS control system and lead-light windows.Intricate parquetry floors extend in all directions from the light-filled reception area, which faces a glass-panelled wall looking toward the outdoor living space.<img alt="5-dirrawan-gardens-reid-act-2612-78800-image-0-20230421013202983680-thumbnail-1920x1920-70" class="richtext-image full-width" height="533" src="https://d2t3vhau9g43uy.cloudfront.net/media/images/5-dirrawan-gardens-reid-act-2612-78800-image-0.width-800_7h1ZuKw.jpg" width="800">To the left, there’s a spacious formal dining room, family room and contemporary chef’s kitchen, complete with a butler’s pantry.On the right-hand side of the home, there’s a lounge room, three bedrooms (all with ensuites) and a study, which could be converted into a fourth bedroom.Other astounding features include an almost 200sqm, five-car garage, a 70,000-litre rainwater tank, a fire-proof &#x27;strong room&#x27; and two guest powder rooms.Even with all those indoor living options, Stephen says there is still substantial outdoor living space on the more than 1300sqm block.“There’s a big terracotta-tiled alfresco area out the back and still enough room to install a swimming pool, subject to approval,” he says.<img alt="5-dirrawan-gardens-reid-act-2612-78800-image-0-20230421013201854202-thumbnail-1920x1920-70" class="richtext-image full-width" height="533" src="https://d2t3vhau9g43uy.cloudfront.net/media/images/5-dirrawan-gardens-reid-act-2612-78800-image-0.width-800_RQdBuSV.jpg" width="800">If you were waiting for the catch, well ... there isn’t one. The home is centrally-located in Reid’s leafy Dirrawan Gardens.“There’s probably three or four absolute bluechip addresses in the inner north, and Dirrawan Gardens is one of them,” Stephen says.“You’re also on the fringe of the city: you’ve got Lake Burley Griffin within walking distance and Mount Ainslie not too far away.“So you’ve got this incredible, enviable lifestyle, and yet it feels like you’re living in a parkland.”A tennis club and preschool are also within easy walking distance of the home. But Stephen says it’s the kind of home you simply must experience for yourself.<img alt="5-dirrawan-gardens-reid-act-2612-78800-image-0-20230421013158455839-thumbnail-1920x1920-70" class="richtext-image full-width" height="533" src="https://d2t3vhau9g43uy.cloudfront.net/media/images/5-dirrawan-gardens-reid-act-2612-78800-image-0.width-800_48rJW2c.jpg" width="800">“I hadn’t been there for a couple of years, and I walked in and went, ‘Wow,&#x27;” he says.“It’s just the sheer effect it has on you when you step through that heritage facade.”Number 5 Dirrawan Gardens, Reid, is for sale by negotiation.<a href="https://zango.com.au/sale/5-dirrawan-gardens-reid-act-2612-78800/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">View the full listing.</a>Article originally written and published by <a href="https://the-riotact.com/you-have-to-see-it-to-believe-it-heritage-home-with-underground-movie-buffs-lair-ready-for-next-discerning-pair-of-hands/654247" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">The RiotACT.</a>

2 news articles with tag art-deco

One of those gorgeous art deco buildings on Canberra Ave is for sale, and just imagine living there

The old Electric Shadows cinemas are resurrected in this luxe Reid property