Adelaide's historic Edmund Wright House put up for sale by the state government

Offered for sale through JLL and the State Government, 140-year old Edmund Wright House is being offered as a freehold or ground-lease sale.

Plans for the building’s demolition sparked public outcry in 1971 and helped shape heritage protection laws enacted in 1978.

Considered one of the last remaining architectural statements of 1870s architecture in King William Street, the building was purchased by the state government in 1972 after a seven-month public campaign to stop Sydney developer Mainline Corporation’s plans for a 19-storey office block at the site.

As well as housing three major Australian banks, it has been home to the Registrar of Births, Deaths and Marriages, the State History Centre and the Migrant Resource Centre.

The grand interiors of the 1890s building. Photo: Supplied

Architects Edmund Wright (South Australia) and Lloyd Tayler (Victoria) won a competition to design the three-storey sandstone building, constructed in 1875 for the first Bank of South Australia.

The building facade features stonework carved by sculptor William Maxwell, who created the altar and font of Sydney’s St Mary’s Cathedral, using stone cut from South Australian and NSW quarries. Finer carved elements are made from stone imported from the UK and New Zealand.

Along with fluted columns, carved cornices, friezes and balustrades, the building’s exterior has a royal coat of arms carved by English Royal Academy sculptor Joseph Durham.

Set on a corner block between Hindley and Currie streets, it has three street frontages, including a 26-metre King William Street facade.

The building is set over a basement, ground floor and two upper levels spanning 1184 square metres.

JLL’s head of sales and investments SA Roger Klem said the heritage-listed interior and exterior features showcased incredible workmanship and detail.

The building was built in 1875. Photo: Supplied

“It’s obviously a very unique property that’s had a really interesting history,” he said. “Give its central location in the heart of the central business district and its spectacular features, we expect it to generate some interest.”

He said the building would be suitable for boutique accommodation, an owner-occupier looking for office space, hospitality or retail.

It was set within the capital city zone, one of the city’s most flexible zones that allowed for trade and activity during the day, evening and late night.

The building borders the Mayfair Hotel, Hotel Grand Chancellor and a residential student accommodation tower and is a few minutes’ south of the city’s premier retail precinct Rundle Mall.

The building has been vacant since 2015. In 2016, the State Government offered the building for sale as a 99-year leasehold property.