The battle lines over the proposed heritage listing of St George Greek Orthodox Church in Rose Bay, Sydney have been drawn.
But, strangely, it is the the church itself resisting inclusion of the 60-year-old war memorial building and complex in Woollahra Council’s proposal to list a number of local religious sites for heritage protection.
The question recently appeared before Council’s Environmental Planning Committee and was postponed until a full council meeting this evening (July 10) in response to a request from church leaders that any decisions relating to heritage be deferred until an inspection of the site is completed by the councilors and council staff.
The context of this case was explored by The Greek Herald in a detailed opinion article written by George Vardas, cultural heritage consultant and former president of the Kytherian Association of Australia, in response to a heritage assessment carried out by the church seeking to downplay the heritage and historical significance of the building and its surroundings.
On 27 March 2023, Woollahra Council decided that the heritage significance of St George’s Greek Orthodox Church in Rose Bay would be further investigated and community engagement would take place. The Council sought public comment as part of a strategy involving both local print media and social media.
This resulted in a number of written submissions for and against the proposed heritage listing and one group submission (via an online petition) orchestrated by the Church and counting more than 1,000 signatories.
The Church committee’s social media link to this petition was preceded by the question: “Would you like your house to be heritage listed?” Some members of the Environmental Planning Committee appeared to find this surprising given that in its petition the Church acknowledged that the Council was undertaking community engagement to seek feedback on the proposed heritage listing. In his submission to the Committee, parish priest Father Gerasimos explained that it was a social media ploy to draw attention to the online petition and hopefully get a support.
Signatories to the online petition include some well-known local Greek Australian figures such as James Stevens of Roses Only, Dr Jim Aroney and artist Felicia Aroney.
James Athanasou, although a signatory to the petition, wrote that St George’s Church is “a unique architectural feature of Rose Bay” which has created “a special multicultural expression with immense historical significance for the Australian Greek community”.
Former Woollahra mayor John Comino said the church did not fit “the classical design of traditional Byzantine architecture of Greek Orthodox churches” and that it would be “incongruous to list it on the list of heritage as new works to enlarge the church for a growing The Congregation and its community activities are in the planning phase.
On the other hand, the secretary of the Joint Committee for the Commemoration of the Battle of Crete and the Greek Campaign, Nick Andriotakis – who is also a prominent real estate developer and church parishioner – weighed into the debate.
Andriotakis noted that the Church is identified in the places of pride of the Australian War Memorial and is also listed on the New South Wales State War Memorial Register.
According to Andriotakis: “St George Greek Orthodox Church was established by an Australian Greek community, some of whom came before the Second World War and others after the Second World War… From the Flemish blonde masonry topped by the crisp white bell tower to Sleek inside, the building is a fusion of Greek-Australian building elements reflecting a modern society.
Andriotakis also wrote that the parish committee’s opposition to heritage listing was made without consultation with its members and that the petition seeking opposition to heritage listing “was circulated electronically throughout Sydney containing a negative argument against heritage without describing the positive alternative benefits of heritage listing. .”
Parish council divided:
Opinion within the parish council itself also appears divided. On the one hand, directors including Dean Haritos, John Barbouttis and Spero Raissis oppose the heritage registration project. Haritos wrote that a heritage listing restricts the church’s ability to evolve to meet the needs of the community without providing specific reasons.
On the other hand, Rozy Dorizas, a long-time member of the parish and currently secretary of the parish council, argued that in architectural and aesthetic terms, St. George’s Church in Rose Bay is “one of the places of worship most elegant and majestic Greek Orthodox churches. in New South Wales”, but expressed concern about “tasteless ornate additions” and what she described as proposals to alter the internal configuration of the church, both repainting the interior and exterior and removing the woodwork.
And after?
Another supporter of the proposed heritage listing is the Woollahra History and Heritage Society, which has made a detailed submission. The Society disagrees with the heritage consultant engaged by the parish and states that it did not fully understand the commemorative role of the ANZAC plaque placed within the fabric of the church itself in a prominent location. view, which serves as “daily support”. a reminder of the sacrifice of those who died for him, the church was originally built.
The Society also argued that the Greek Parish appears to misunderstand the role of heritage listing, as it does not fossilize the site, but provides a framework for modifications and adaptive reuse that protects the significance of the site. church for future generations.
In its written submission, the parish council argues that the feeling of community belonging and the formation of lasting friendships are intangible and cannot be listed as heritage. He also claims that many of the church’s original features have disappeared, with improvements made over the years including new entrance steps, new doors, floors, windows and lighting as well as a community hall completely modified.
The church parish says it is on a growth trajectory and points out that it already obtained development permission in 2011 for the redevelopment of adjacent properties in the church portfolio.
In response, Woollahra Council staff maintain the recommendation that a planning proposal to list St George’s Greek Orthodox Church in Rose Bay as a local heritage item should be implemented, noting that a comprehensive heritage study was undertaken to assess the heritage significance of the Church in accordance with best conservation practice and Heritage NSW guidelines.
He emphasizes that age is not the only determining quality for a building to be considered of heritage significance. A place of worship, although “modern” in comparison to other buildings, may be important for other reasons, such as its representative architectural style, its association with a leading architectural firm, as a example of a war memorial, and its obvious social importance to the community and congregation.
The objective of heritage classification is to preserve places that reveal and tell the story of our past, so that future generations can appreciate it. This will not hinder any future development.
According to the Council’s report, heritage planning controls aim to manage changes to a building so that they appropriately retain the significance of a place and any potential development applications, whether it whether there are modifications, improvements or new developments, would be examined and evaluated. on its merits in terms of sensitivity to the heritage element.
The Full Council will meet this evening to consider the next steps in this continuing heritage saga.
