Real-life ‘Up’ house on Sydney’s north shore set to be sold at auction
Pixar fans are in with a chance to own a real-life ‘Up’ house with a humble abode dwarfed by high-rise buildings on Sydney’s north shore listed for sale.
North Shore
Don't miss out on the headlines from North Shore. Followed categories will be added to My News.
An old workers’ cottage resembling the home in the Pixar animated movie Up is facing a high rise future with the humble building set to be sold to developers.
Wedged between two multistorey unit blocks in St Leonards, the narrow abode has been listed for auction as part of a combined ‘super lot’ incorporating 19-33 Chandos St.
The property’s history dates back more than 75 years with records showing it was sold in the 1960s for £3000 to jeweller and businessman John Clarke.
The building remained a family-owned jewellery shop, John Clarke & Son, until 2017 when it was reportedly sold for $3.5 million.
The single storey building has remained boarded up ever since.
But what it may lack in size – measuring just 223 sqm – the site makes up for in development potential, according to co-agent Tao Shi from CBRE North Sydney.
Mr Shi said the listing had generated interest from Australian and overseas buyers, keen to convert the site into new commercial or retail space.
“At the moment (number 19) is not a very big parcel of land and that’s why it needed to be amalgamated with the adjoining properties to form part of a development site,” he said.
“We’ve had expressions of interests from both developers and investors who are each applying different strategies in terms of development and the future of the site.
“Under the zoning there’s an opportunity for 18 storeys on the site so the potential for buyers is strong.”
Along with developers, the site has also sparked its fair share of interest on social media with some residents noting its resemblance to Carl Fredricksen’s home in the 2009 Pixar film Up.
“If we tied 60,000 helium balloon to it perhaps it will rise up and float away,” one resident said.
Other residents on social media have expressed mixed feelings about potential redevelopment on the site, saying “Sydney is being divorced from its heritage.”
The property is included in the draft St Leonards and Crows Nest planning strategy which has earmarked 7525 new homes and 4570 jobs in the area by 2036.
Mr Shi said benefits for buyers including the site’s proximity to St Leonards Station, the Royal North Shore Hospital health precinct, and new Sydney Metro station under construction in Crows Nest.
“St Leonards is one of the areas that generates a lot interest (from buyers) as it continues to shift from a traditional suburban area to a more centralised and developed retail precinct,” he said.
“You’ve got new business moving in and more people are working in St Leonards now compared to 10-20 years ago. With that you need new retail and commercial development that includes services such as gyms, dining, food and beverage and retail.”
The site is currently owned by overseas-based company HNZN, which previously had plans to convert 19 Chandos St into an office development.
The site is listed by CBRE and Frank Knight with expressions of interest closing on Thursday.