This Former Sydney Church Was Turned Into a Contemporary Family Home Without Losing Its Soul

The Church, Woolwich is a careful study in restraint rather than reinvention. Once a community church and later a theatre, the heritage-listed structure has been adapted into a three-level contemporary home without disturbing its public presence. The original brick and sandstone façade remains intact, allowing the building to continue its relationship with the street while a new domestic life unfolds inside.

Inside, the architecture does the storytelling. Exposed timber trusses, arched windows, and brick walls define the volume, while crisp insertions carve out livable zones within the open shell. The kitchen sits confidently beneath the soaring ceiling, finished in dark joinery that grounds the space without competing with the historic fabric. Bedrooms and bathrooms are tucked into quieter corners, using skylights and existing openings to pull in light without erasing the building’s past.

Designed by Michiru Higginbotham in association with Arc Architects, the project avoids novelty. Instead of forcing contrast, the intervention relies on proportion, material discipline, and clarity of layout. The result is a home that feels contemporary but anchored, where heritage elements are not preserved as artifacts, but used as the framework for everyday living.

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