Gurner Wins Approval for $40m Club Maison Project

Luxury developer Gurner has received approval for the redevelopment of a historic bluestone church to become the first of residence and club projects under its Club Maison brand. 

The Warren and Mahoney Architects-designed plans for 145-151 High Street, Prahran, lodged in June, 2021, were approved earlier this month by the City of Stonnington. 

The plans include six levels of private accommodation, a club with 45 luxury apartments, a 324sq m restaurant on the ground floor and a 262sq m rooftop bar with an infinity pool and lounge. 

The site is within the popular Chapel Street area. 

Warren and Mahoney principal architect Barrington Gohns said it had been “interesting to design with the buildings' 1870s heritage in mind”. 

“We are incredibly happy that the council shares our affinity for this site and our plans to breathe it back to life as part of the vibrant Chapel Street precinct,” Gohns said.

“The striking geometry of the gothic design has strongly informed our design for the residences, which take on a more contemporary feel and boast all the luxuries and amenities [of] today.”

This is the second site Gurner had mooted for a Club Maison project. 

It bought the 488sq m site of the now-defunct Cushion Bar at 99-105 Fitzroy Street in St Kilda in 2019 for $2.25 million.

Gurner had planned to develop the site as a Club Maison hotel with 25 luxury suites, two ground floor shops and two rooftop pools, and retain it as an asset. 

A permit was secured for a six-storey apartment complex with ground-floor retail and two rooftop pools.

▲ The site of the former Cushion Bar on Fitzroy Street in St Kilda  previously earmarked for a Club Maison project. Source: JLL

Gurner chief executive Tim Gurner said the St Kilda site was now being listed so the group could focus on other projects.

“Since acquiring the site we have acquired a further 15 sites across Australia, many of which are mixed-use or regeneration precincts encompassing more than 1000 apartments,” Gurner said.

“After much consideration we have decided to re-deploy our team to the larger sites as this smaller end of the scale has become difficult for us to resource in the shorter term.

"Club Maison is a key focus for us, however, with wage costs where they are, we will be focused on locations with 50 rooms and above." 

Warren and Mahoney were also the architects on the St Kilda project, nad have also worked on the new Christchurch Cathedral in New Zealand, Melbourne’s Spanish Club, the North-East Link and the La Trobe University Sports Park. 

JLL’s Capital Markets Victoria’s Nick Pedenm Josh Rutman, Jesse Radisich and MingXuan Li will help run the campaign for the site’s sale with an expectation of more than $4 million. 

The Fitzroy Street site is close to the St Kilda Beach, the Bayside Trail and the Catani Gardens.                     

Gurner’s general manager of boutique development Brooke Formosa confirmed the developer’s plans to develop multiple Club Maisons at the time of the brand launch remained.

“Club Maison is a new asset class we are investing heavily into over the next two to five years, with aspirations to acquire, develop and hold a number of accommodation assets in Victoria, New South Wales and Queensland,” Formosa said. 

A Club Maison may be part of the $1.5-billion Jam Factory redevelopment project and Gurner has moved into other regions including Adelaide and the Gold Coast.