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Once the nerve centre of Fremantle’s wool industry, this landmark heritage warehouse provides a blank commercial canvas and opportunity to create the next chapter of history.

Redeveloped by M/Group as Heirloom by Match in 2016, the former Dalgety Wool Store has been transformed into a New York-style industrial warehouse with 183 completed residential apartments and a dual-use commercial space, which has been listed for sale at $1.6 million.

The commercial site, which has been pitched as a café, restaurant or wine bar, offers 260sqm on the ground, with a soaring six metre ceiling height creating potential for additional floor space with a creative mezzanine or extra floor.

The building was originally part of a group of wool stores.

Largely unused for two decades, the Dalgety Wool Store has stood as a significant icon in the port city’s streetscape for almost 100 years.

It was originally part of a group of wool stores that occupied the entire street block and is now the only remaining one adjacent Fremantle Harbour.

Monumental in scale and form, the property was built in 1923 to cater for WA’s burgeoning wool industry from the end of World War I until the late 20th century, and was commandeered by the US Navy 7th Fleet as part of the combined allied World War II effort.

M/Group director Lloyd Clark said the $130 million Heirloom redevelopment had leveraged the existing structure to create a unique warehouse conversion.

Mr Clark said while the listing at 184/51 Beach Street had been positioned as a commercial enterprise, the dual zoning also fostered the prospect of a residential conversion.

“This particular listing…has created interest around the endless possibilities for a custom fit-out whilst designed around the exposed feature heritage red-brick, the 100-year-old jarrah columns and the exposed timber ceiling,” Mr Clark said.

“The space boasting 100 years of genuine Fremantle history lends itself to use as a café, restaurant, gallery, wine-bar or even a funky office. As the space is a shell, a complete custom fit out is available for the buyer.”

Mr Clark said the redevelopment paid homage to the building’s history.

“It was a goal to retain as many of the heritage elements as possible throughout the building and this was achieved by keeping or re-using over 85% of the original heritage fabric,” he said.

“New York-style conversions have become popular in recent years especially when considering living and/or working in a genuine warehouse environment, a limited prospect in Australia when compared to overseas.

“Developers had previously been hesitant to touch historic fabric due to the risks and unforeseen costs compared to the low cost, high profit ‘cookie-cutter’ buildings that were materialising across the city.”

Design experts say heritage renewals have long been popular for businesses and commercial enterprises, but required an astute architect with foresight and respect for the history of the property.

Nedlands architect Suzanne Hunt said there was a sense of romanticism associated with refurbishing historical buildings, despite the obvious constraints of working within heritage protections.

“There’s a romance about it,” Ms Hunt said. “People just love heritage buildings.”

“If you go into a heritage building that has been refurbished well by an architect, you have this wonderful feeling of history. There is this wonderful layering of history, the old and the new, and I think that gives a lot of opportunities for different types of design that has more of a depth of design in it.”

“Heritage buildings give character and it doesn’t matter what purpose or business you’re putting in there, you’ve got this wonderful sense that the building is old, it has its own history and you’re just making more history.”

Ms Hunt said refurbishing heritage buildings was possible while remaining cognisant of the heritage listing and ensuring respect for the old fabric.

“If you’re putting a refurb or buying a heritage building, there’s a fallacy that you can’t do anything. That’s actually not true,” she said.

“Good heritage design is saying we’re going to respect the old building and we’re going to put something contemporary…If you understand the history of the building, you can reinterpret that history in a contemporary way through your design.”

By Nicole Cox, realcommercial.com.au, 3 June 2021

Boutique apartment company, Match, was honoured to take home its third Heritage Award for its work in transforming Fremantle’s iconic Dalgety Wool Stores into unique residential industrial warehouse apartments.

WA Apartment Advocacy hosted the 2021 WINconnect Apartment Awards for Excellence over the weekend celebrating those who have played an instrumental role in introducing Perth to the idea of design and amenity-led urban living through apartment development.

Heirloom by Match is one of the largest heritage renewals in the State, and award judges acknowledged “…Match demonstrated fearlessness and innovation in transforming this heritage building into an exemplar of what the City of Fremantle can expect from future developments of a similar ilk.”

The site had sat largely unused for 20 years prior to completion in 2016 and now with all apartments occupied the judges said the project is “…a charming apartment community that pays tribute to its heritage roots.”

Managing Director of parent company M/Group, Mr Lloyd Clark said the awards are a great honour to be recognised and acknowledged by the industry and peers.

“Drawing on our experience with heritage renewals, we knew from the outset that this project would present challenges, however we also saw it as an extremely important opportunity.

“Match is in the business of developing signature properties. It is our firm belief that people want more from their homes, and today Heirloom residents are creating their own space amidst 100 year old Jarrah beams and original heritage features,” he said.

Heirloom by Match was designed by Dominic Snellgrove of Cameron Chisholm Nicol and constructed by national top tier construction company, Built. The development team worked in collaboration with the City of Fremantle, State Government and heritage authorities to achieve a positive outcome.

“Heirloom is unquestionably one of Match’s most significant development projects in the company’s 20 year history. Its location close to Fremantle’s café strip and between the river and the beach is ideal, and it has helped to activate the City of Fremantle and its growth” Mr Clark continued.

“The renewal process was sensitive in nature and proved extremely complex.  However, the recognition and accolades we have received are both humbling and extremely rewarding.”

Match had previously been awarded the Heritage Council’s ‘Conservation or Adaptive Reuse of a State Registered Place’, and the prestigious Gerry Gauntlett Award; recognising an outstanding achievement of adaptive reuse in Western Australia for the Heirloom Apartments in 2017. Match was also recognised with the Gerry Gauntlett Award prior to this in 2008 for its highly acclaimed Home warehouse apartments located in Perth CBD and is responsible for other heritage-listed projects such as Maymont in Maylands and Clocktower in Inglewood, which effectively injected new life into the area, as well as a range of cutting-edge design-inspired apartment properties throughout Perth.

For more information visit www.heirloombymatch.com.au or contact 0432 660 066