A once-derelict red-brick warehouse on the edge of Peace Park in Chippendale has been transformed into a three-level, 735-square-metre residence now listed with a $19 million price guide.
The building, long known locally as The Pigeon Shed and originally home to a century-old soap factory, had fallen into disrepair by the early 2000s. It was bought in 2012 for just over $3 million by creative director Beau Neilson, daughter of arts philanthropist Judith Neilson, and renovated with MCK Architects into a home that doubles as an architectural statement and space capable of displaying art.
Visitors pass through an oversized steel entry door into a triple-height foyer that funnels light down through the building and is anchored by an elliptical copper tower containing a lift to all three floors. The ground floor contains formal entertaining areas and an office, the second level hosts casual living spaces and a glass-fronted swimming pool that runs the width of the house, and the top floor holds a cluster of bedrooms, each with its own terrace.
The renovation retains the building’s industrial bones — exposed brick, concrete panels and steel beams — while introducing warm timber ceilings, sandstone elements and large windows that frame the adjacent parkland. The glass-fronted pool, visible from the dining area and flanked by an alfresco barbecue terrace, is among the more striking modern interventions. Vertical gardens and strategically placed light shafts were used to draw nature into the urban setting, and tucked-away guest rooms and study nooks are integrated throughout the plan.
The Pigeon Shed was designed to straddle private domestic life and public presentation, with proportions and circulation that accommodate both family living and gallery-style display. Its long northern boundary borders Peace Park, offering a leafy outlook in a densely developed part of the city.
Chippendale has undergone significant change over the past decade, shifting from a gritty industrial precinct to a creative neighbourhood that hosts institutions such as the White Rabbit Gallery, which houses part of Judith Neilson’s collection. Nearby Kensington Street has become a dining destination, and cafes and galleries have proliferated in the surrounding laneways. The property is minutes from Central Station, the University of Sydney and the commercial bustle of Broadway.
Conversions of this scale have become less common in Sydney, developers and agents say, as inner-city warehouses are increasingly redeveloped into apartments or remain tightly held. That context frames the Pigeon Shed as part of a diminishing group of privately owned, large-scale warehouse homes that preserve industrial character while introducing contemporary domestic amenities.
Neilson is preparing to sell the Chippendale residence as she plans a move to a waterfront property in Double Bay. The warehouse, now almost unrecognisable from its early-2000s condition, is being marketed with a $19 million price guide and is positioned as one of the city’s distinctive addresses where art, architecture and history converge.