Inside the Foy and Gibson warehouse conversion apartment in Collingwood, Melbourne

Inside the New York-inspired warehouse conversion in one of Australia’s trendiest suburbs – complete with a sprawling open-plan living room, a luxury kitchen and a sun-drenched balcony

  • A one-off warehouse conversion in one of Melbourne’s trendiest suburbs has a historic tie to the city’s past
  • The apartment block started life as the production factory for the iconic Foy & Gibson department store
  • Renovation works completed in 1999 transformed the building into a luxury residential complex of 14 units
  • A top floor apartment complete with an ‘expansive’ living room and kitchen recently hit the market for $1.45m

Advertisement

A one-off warehouse conversion in one of Melbourne’s trendiest suburbs has a historic tie to the city’s past.

The apartments inside the heritage-listed Foy & Gibson building in Collingwood, three kilometres north of the CBD, started life as the production centre of one of Australia’s first and largest department stores.

But renovation works completed in 1999 transformed the space into a luxury residential complex containing 14 spacious units, all built over the former factory floor. 

The penthouse apartment, which features an ‘expansive open-plan living room’, a private balcony and a large entertainer’s kitchen, recently hit the market with a price tag of $1.45 to $1.55 million (AUD).

A one-off warehouse conversion (pictured) in one of Melbourne’s trendiest suburbs has a historic tie to the city’s past

Listing agent Scott McElroy of Belle Property told Daily Mail Australia that unlike many properties marketed as ‘warehouse conversions’, this one is the genuine article.

‘It’s the real McCoy,’ he said. 

‘You get a lot of places with three-metre ceilings and a bit of red brick called a warehouse, but that’s not always true. 

The apartments inside the heritage-listed Foy & Gibson building in Collingwood, three kilometres north of Melbourne CBD, started life as the production centre of one of Australia's first and largest department stores

The apartments inside the heritage-listed Foy & Gibson building in Collingwood, three kilometres north of Melbourne CBD, started life as the production centre of one of Australia’s first and largest department stores

But renovation works completed in 1999 transformed the space into a luxury residential complex containing 14 spacious units (one pictured), all built over the former factory floor

But renovation works completed in 1999 transformed the space into a luxury residential complex containing 14 spacious units (one pictured), all built over the former factory floor

The penthouse apartment (pictured), which features an 'expansive open-plan living room', a private balcony and a large entertainer's kitchen

It recently hit the market with a price tag of $1.45 to $1.55 million (AUD)

The penthouse apartment (pictured), which features an ‘expansive open-plan living room’, a private balcony and a large entertainer’s kitchen, recently hit the market with a price tag of $1.45 to $1.55 million (AUD)

The Collingwood area has been compared to New York's iconic SoHo and Meatpacking districts, which are famed for sprawling lofts, independent breweries trendy eateries

The Collingwood area has been compared to New York’s iconic SoHo and Meatpacking districts, which are famed for sprawling lofts, independent breweries trendy eateries

‘This property is part of that precinct that was the heart of Melbourne’s manufacturing back in the old days – it has a true industrial flavour that just makes it special.’ 

Mr McElroy said the developers who flipped the building in the late 1990s were careful to retain the original style of the warehouse. 

He compared the design and surrounding neighbourhood to that of New York’s iconic SoHo and Meatpacking districts, which are famed for sprawling lofts, independent breweries trendy eateries.

The Foy & Gibson apartment bears all the hallmarks of an New York City loft, from timber floors and soaring ceilings to large windows that draw in natural light

The Foy & Gibson apartment bears all the hallmarks of an New York City loft, from timber floors and soaring ceilings to large windows that draw in natural light

Listing agent Scott McElroy of Belle Property told Daily Mail Australia that unlike many properties marketed as 'warehouse conversions', this one is the genuine article

He called it 'the real McCoy'

Listing agent Scott McElroy of Belle Property told Daily Mail Australia that unlike many properties marketed as ‘warehouse conversions’, this one is the genuine article

Mr McElroy said it is unusual spacious for an inner-city apartment, which can often feel crowded and claustrophobic

Mr McElroy said it is unusual spacious for an inner-city apartment, which can often feel crowded and claustrophobic

The Foy & Gibson apartment bears all the hallmarks of an New York City loft, from timber floors and soaring ceilings to large windows that draw in natural light.

Mr McElroy said it is unusual spacious for an inner-city apartment, which can often feel crowded and claustrophobic.

The asking price of $1.45million is $300,000 higher than the average price of a three-bedroom in the 3066 postcode, which was $1.1million in 2020, according to realestate.com.au.

Read more at DailyMail.co.uk