NSW State government rejects Harry Seidler-designed Bondi synagogue heritage listing

 Email this story

Print

1 Comment

One of Australia’s most significant 20th century buildings could be demolished after it was denied heritage protections by the NSW Government.

Inside the Seidler building

The Harry Seidler-designed synagogue and former Talmudical College at 34 Flood Street, Bondi, was refused State Heritage listing in May by the Heritage Council of NSW and was refused Local Heritage listing recently by the NSW Department of Planning, Housing and Infrastructure (DHPH). There is no recourse to appeal.

Waverley Council says the refusals set a concerning precedent for local heritage planning and are a blow to the Council and the community who for years have been lobbying for heritage listing of the building.

“With no heritage listing in place, the owner of the site is under no obligation to save any part of the building in any future development of the site,” Mayor Masselos said.

We are devastated given Council’s appointed independent heritage expert found that the synagogue does in fact meet numerous categories of heritage significance under the Heritage NSW Guidelines, rendering it worthy of heritage listing on both local and state registers.”

The architectural, community and historical significance of this treasured building is very clear but this decision could be the final nail in its coffin in any fight to save it from the wrecking ball.”

The synagogue is recognised as an architecturally, technically and structurally ground-breaking building for its time and displays architect Seidler’s distinctive interpretation of the Bauhaus style. The building also has strong historical significance for the development of Jewish religion in NSW and links to Waverley’s migrant community given it was the first Talmudical school with integral synagogue.

The Australian Institute of Architects (AIA) names it on its list of significant 20th-century buildings and is also listed by the Documentation and Conservation of Buildings of the Modern Movement.

The Council received an overwhelmingly positive community and industry response about the proposed heritage listing of the synagogue during the August and September 2023 public exhibition. The Council’s proposal was also supported by the AIA and DOCOMOMO.

Last month, the NSW Government added a total of 11 new items to State Heritage Register including nearby Sydney Croquet Club at Rose Bay and All Saints Anglican Church in Bodalla.

Without the Heritage protection of Council’s Local Environment Plan, any future development application for the site would not be required to consider the effect on the heritage significance of the synagogue.

This leaves Council with few options when it comes to assessment of any future proposal.

Developer Harry Triguboff, who owns the property told J-Wire in February last year: “It must be noted that our planning proposal has been supported by the regional planning panel, which aligned with the original support from Council staff at Waverley Council.

For decades I have been solely responsible for the funding and management of the Yeshiva. Nobody objecting to the rezoning (only 15 original submissions from over 10,000 Jewish people in Bondi) ever came to me and said how important it is and wanted to contribute. When I bought the site, it was neglected and in a state of disrepair after years of neglect and I fixed it. Nobody else.

When Council wouldn’t support us, they never raised heritage but these orders are used by politicians to stop development they don’t like. We are reviewing the claims of heritage value and will respond accordingly but initially, we do not support the claims. We can’t have ad hoc heritage claims everywhere. Mr Seidler was a very good architect but that doesn’t mean every one of his buildings must be listed to the detriment of the private owner. The City of Sydney also rejected similar claims as per the below article and claimed some of the buildings were “detracting” and “intrusive”.