Iconic North Queensland club building goes on the market
This iconic Townsville CBD building has been a networking hub for almost half a century. Now it’s about to be put on the market for the first time.
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A CBD building will be put up for sale for the first time this week after almost half a century of invaluable service as a networking hub.
Since it was built at 146 Denham St in 1967, the North Queensland Club building has become a Townsville institution, providing an exclusive venue for professional, business, literary and rural communities of North Queensland.
Regarded as the region’s premier private membership club, the not-for-profit North Queensland Club was founded 125 years ago as a haven for literary and professional gentlemen, before expanding its membership to include women in 1996.
Perched on an elevated 1495sq m block, the spacious building boasts 485sq m of floor space, 34 highly prized parking spaces, a private bar, boardroom, lounge area, dining and entertaining facilities, including a restaurant.
After recognising the building was too big for the its members, North Queensland Club president Liz Buckley said they had begun searching for an appropriately sized alternative to lease in the CBD.
“The club’s not about bricks and mortar, it’s about the people in it,” Ms Buckley said.
“We only generally use half of it (so) we’re changing and evolving, moving to somewhere that’s a bit smaller and will give the members more benefits.
“As long as it still holds 40 to 50 people, which our lunches are, if we do anything bigger we can always outsource.”
She hoped the move to somewhere “smaller and cosier could attract more members”.
“Whoever takes over that club, I reckon it’ll be executive offices, and just be ripped out and made into a nice office space with lots of parking,” she said.
“We haven’t even advertised it yet and people are already wanting to come around and have a look.”
Ray White Commercial Townsville director Troy Townsend said a marketing campaign would be launched on Wednesday seeking expressions of interest for the purchase of the property.
“They’ve certainly had this position for a very long time and it’s a very good opportunity for the next owner to do something great with the place,” Mr Townsend said.
“It’s simply a submit-an-offer type of campaign. It is such a unique building that we really need to leave it to the market to decide what it’s worth.
“It’s a concrete structure that could quite easily be built in underneath, with a huge ratio of carparking to the square metreage of the building.
“It doesn’t have to be a function centre, it could be converted to office, medical, or accommodation-type uses.”
For more information, email troy.townsend@raywhite.com
Originally published as Iconic North Queensland club building goes on the market
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