41 Cookson Street, Camberwell VIC 3124

Second Church of Christ Scientist Camberwell.


This rare significant historic church is in a highly desirable location of architectural importance to the state of Victoria.


The current owners are downsizing, which has created a unique opportunity for the property to potentially be repurposed and revitalised, subject to Council and Heritage Victoria Approval.

The level of heritage significance is on the Victorian Heritage Register (VHR) Number H1196
Heritage Overlay Numbers: HO34 VHR Registration July 25, 1996, Heritage Listing Victorian Heritage Register

Second Church of Christ, Scientist Camberwell was designed in the Modern-Classical manner in 1937 by the architectural firm Bates Smart & McCutcheon. The building, designed with overlapping cuboids of banded, cream brickwork with patterned brick cornices, uses geometric massing to achieve a monumental form. The building comprises a ground-level Sunday school, administration at the rear, and the church on the first-floor level.

The church is of architectural significance as an excellent example of a building in the Moderne-Classical manner. A recipient of the Royal Victorian Institute of Architecture (RVIA) award in 1938, the building was influential in the architectural profession and is an important early example of the union between religious worship and Modernistic styling. The building was at the vanguard of church architectural styling with limited ornamentation. Churches within the state generally employed eclectic styling until the post-Second World War period, and Second Church of Christ, Scientist, therefore, represents an early and significant break with traditional stylistic concerns in church architecture.

The Christian Science movement, which began as an offshoot of Protestant religions, has established a dedication to modern architectural imagery worldwide. The church believes that a pure architectural design reflects the philosophical basis of the faith. The building, with its resolved design and skilful execution, demonstrates the influence of northern European and American architecture on Australian designs. Second Church of Christ, Scientist is an excellent example of the work of the distinguished architectural firm Bates Smart & McCutcheon. It is important as being the first building outside of the city of Melbourne to receive an RVIA award. [Source: Report to the Minister.]

National Trust Database B4985

Further information: https://www.41cooksonstreetcamberwell.com/