'Top of Town' property to go under the hammer

ONE of Ipswich's most iconic buildings will go under the hammer next month and the owners are hoping for a million dollar sale.

VINTAGE FEEL: The Old Flour Mill is going up for auction. Picture: David Nielsen

ONE of Ipswich's most iconic buildings will go under the hammer next month and the owners are hoping for a million dollar sale.

The Old Flour Mill at the 'Top of Town' has formed part of the CBD's streetscape for more than a century.

The new listing has already created a buzz among property developers with vintage tastes and no matter who wins the bidding, city proud residents can be assured the historic look won't be lost.

The old mill, built in 1901 for the Ipswich Milling Company, has been heritage listed since 1992.

That means the brick look and ornamental features have to be maintained, but developers are free to re-fit the inside which houses 15 different tenancies including a two-bedroom residential space upstairs.

The original floorboards and a water mill are central features on the downstairs level, nestled between the tenancies hidden just off the main street.

The Old Flour Mill in the Top of Town is for sale. Picture: David Nielsen

Real estate agent Ben Walker says it's an ideal buy for any investor willing to spend a bit of cash to rejuvenate a site steeped in local history.

"There's so much potential here for some brilliant boutique offices or shops right in the heart of the CBD," Mr Walker, of iThink Properties, said.

"It has the same sort of vintage, romantic feel as the old wool stores at Teneriffe and that's highly sought after.

"A bit of love and those shops will be full in no time."

While an 'F.W. Johnson and Sons' sign still adorns the outside, it wasn't the Johnson family who built the mill. The mill was one of four connected to former Queensland politician Francis Benjamin Kates, state member for the Darling Downs between 1878 and 1881.

Mr Kates bought the land on Brisbane St and demolished a grocer's store to make way for the flour mill.

VINTAGE FEEL: Ben Walker of iThink Property Ipswich is selling the Old Flour Mill in the Top of Town. Picture: David Nielsen

The mill was designed by a well-known local architect George Brockwell Gill - the brains behind a number of iconic Ipswich buildings including the administration centre at Girls' Grammar and the City View Hotel.

In its prime the mill was producing 35 to 40 tonnes of flour each week.

Mr Kates died in 1903, but the building stayed within his family until 1910 when it was bought by Cribb and Foote for less than it cost to build.

It wasn't until 1926 the Johnson family moved in and used the old mill as a car show room.

The property has changed hands multiple times since and been used to house a shopping arcade, a market place, a martial arts school, function rooms and restaurants.

The current owners bought the property in 2007 for $1.5 million.

They're hoping for a top bid higher than $1 million when the building goes up for auction at 6pm on Friday September 2, at 160 Brisbane St.

Originally published as 'Top of Town' property to go under the hammer