Administrators for Storm Financial Put Historic Geelong Property on the Market
Sladen House, a heritage listed bluestone mansion on the banks of the Barwon River in Pakington Street Newtown, is expected to sell for about $2 million, sources say, substantially less than the sum Storm invested into the asset, over the last two years.
Storm is reported to have purchased Sladen House for about $2.5 million in July 2007, making the surprise decision to immediately shut down the wedding reception business that operated there, and convert the building into luxury offices. One source speculates this office redevelopment cost more than $500,000.
The Queensland-based Storm Financial Group was reported to have used Sladen House as its regional headquarters.
The surprise and immediate redevelopment of Sladen House into offices, left some 20 couples without a wedding venue in late 2007.
Knight Frank’s Simon Jarman is selling Sladen House with Maxwell Collins agent Don Hough.
Mr Jarman described Sladen House as one of Geelong’s most famous function centres, and said interest has already been received from investors and owner occupiers, keen to restore the property into a convention centre, or a mansion.
Sladen House was built in about 1850, and was once the home of Victorian Premier Charles Sladen.