Landmark church up for sale

One of Nelson’s most recognisable heritage landmarks is up for sale.

It will be a new era for Trinity Presbyterian Church on Nile St, and a new opportunity for someone to restore the 1891 building to its former glory.

Bayleys real-estate agent Gill Ireland said the listing was attracting strong interest from across the country.

“Everybody admires her — the spire can be seen from all over Nelson,” she said.

She hoped the next owner would recognise its significance. “If those walls could tell their stories,” she said. “It’s an amazing place. We just need someone to bring her back to life.

“We’re really hoping to find those special people who love this building as so many Nelsonians do.”

The 305m² Gothic-style church, set on a 660m² site adjacent to Nelson Central School, is being sold by tender closing November 17.

The sale of the Category II heritage-listed building follows the completion of a wider redevelopment of the surrounding land by Soho Group.

The Auckland-based developer is building 38 social housing units on the land after purchasing it for just under $1.8 million in 2021.

This came after the Presbyterian Church applied to the High Court to remove a deed dating back to 1849 that had thwarted a previous attempt to sell the property.

Ireland is pitching it as ideally suiting a congregation, community organisation or visionary buyer “with an eye for repurposing” – from a performance venue or gallery to a meeting space or creative hub.

Ireland said inquiries had already come from philanthropists, community groups, and potential private buyers all the way from the North Island down to Christchurch.

“It could be that one special person, or a group who get together and take care of it.”

The building needed restoration after years without refurbishment. “It definitely needs some TLC,” Ireland said.

The church’s history stretches back to 1849, when the first Presbyterian congregation in Nelson built a wooden chapel on the site.

According to the church’s 2007 conservation plan report, the current structure was completed in 1891 by the Robertson Brothers, a Nelson timber company that went on to operate for over 70 years, and designed by architect William Heginbotham.

The foundation stone was laid using marble from Riwaka and a largely unaltered timber interior that remained “almost completely authentic from the date of its construction”, the report said.

Along with the Cathedral and St Mary’s Catholic Church, it is one of three fixtures that dominate the city’s skyline.

The last service was held in 2015 as congregation numbers declined and maintenance costs rose, before it sold it to the developer.