Historic Masonic headquarters in Cairns on the market for first time in its 82-year history
One of Cairns’s grandest buildings is being sold for the first time in its 82 year history, with buyers already interested in its colourful facade and potential uses.
The imposing Cairns Masonic Centre building on a 1000-square-metre site in the city’s CBD has been operating as the headquarters of the Freemasons in Far North Queensland since it was opened in 1935. But a scaling back of Masonic activities there in recent years has prompted the organisation to put it on the market.
In a statement the Carpentaria District Board of General Purposes vice president Paul Brennand said the sale came as the site was “significantly under-utilised” and that “Freemasonry must evolve and move its operations out to its members”.
“While the Cairns Masonic Centre continues today to be the venue for over 16 local orders to meet regularly, it is recognised that, with significant growth of technology, there is now a much lesser need for office and storage area, and we see the building is significantly under-utilised.”
The interior of the building. Photo: Supplied
The building has an interior floor area of 1550 square metres and consists of two floors both with mezzanine levels.
Each level features a foyer entrance to one main hall, with a variety of smaller offices, storage rooms, toilets, kitchenettes and food preparation areas located to the side, front and rear of the main room.
On both levels the high ceilings reach five metres and on the second floor is a large leadlight window with a star of David.
Above two pastel pink Corinthian columns, the centre’s exterior has large lettering with the phrase “Ad Gloriam Dei” which roughly translates from the Latin as ”the glory of God”.
One of two halls in the two-storey building. Photo: Supplied.
The building was opened in 1935 by Sir Leslie Wilson, then Governor of Queensland and Masonic Grand Master, and in 1998 was listed as a Queensland heritage site because it was an “illustration of the development of Cairns as an important regional centre during the early twentieth century.”
Selling agent Jay Beattie of Colliers International Cairns, said the property had already attracted quite a bit of interest since hitting the market a week ago.
“We are confident that Cairns’ regional planning would consider a mix of varied applications for an alternative use, including everything from medical suites, right through to an event centre, restaurant or even conversion into accommodation,” he said.
“It’s surrounded by holiday accommodation, so conversion into apartments or a hotel or even a nightclub are several possibilities.
”However, in Cairns there is high demand for offices and medical facilities, and allied services and it’s close to hospitals.”
Mr Beattie did not give a price guide as there were no comparable sales of masonic centres in the region, but he said the heritage status offered a point of difference.
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