Historic church move to Iona College

Wynnum local, BMD relocates the former Baptist Church located at 168 Bay Terrace in Wynnum Central safely to its new home at Iona College in Lindum.

The move marks a key milestone in BMD Group’s return to Wynnum to build its national headquarters in the heart of the bayside suburb.

A professional house remover undertook the significant task of moving the more than 100-year-old structure, which required a pilot driver, police escort, and wide load approval. During the relocation process, the team staged the delivery by removing and loading the entries to the building onto the first trailer. Then, they lifted the roof off the main building and used a crane to place it onto a second truck.

In the early hours of the morning, the two trucks moved under escort from Bay Terrace to Iona College over a 4.5 km commute which took four hours, while ensuring minimal disruption to the community.

Restoration of the church will take place once unloaded and reassembled in its new position at Iona College over the coming months.

BMD’s CEO Scott Power said the relocation was a crucial milestone that made it possible for BMD to progress with the construction of its new head office. “BMD has deep history in the Wynnum Manly community, with my father Mick Power AM living in the area since he was two, then founding and growing our business in the suburb since 1979,” Mr Power said.

“Engrained in the way we conduct ourselves as a business is our commitment to supporting locally in all that we do, and that’s exactly why we chose Wynnum for our headquarters and look forward to the future growth and opportunities this will provide the community.

“We are honoured to serve our community by saving and preserving this piece of Wynnum heritage at Iona College and seeing our local community get behind and support this monumental milestone in Wynnum’s history has been extremely rewarding,” Mr Power said.

Father Michael Twigg, from Iona College, stated, “Iona is now the home of the Church, and we will restore it to its former glory and revive it to serve the community. Father Michael said, “This marks an important part of our community history that we keep alive here at Iona, and we will ensure that we lovingly bring it back to life for the whole community to enjoy for generations to come.”

“The partnership between BMD and Iona is a long and personal one, and we give thanks to them for their commitment, vision and love of our local area.” Father Michael said.

The move isn’t the first time the Church has been moved. In 1930, it relocated from its original home on Edith Street to Bay Terrace, and in the early 2000s, the Baptist congregation moved into new, modern facilities on Kianawah Road in Wynnum West, selling the Bay Terrace property to the BMD Group.

BMD will pay homage to the history of the site and the Church in its new head office build with architectural design elements and a volumetric experience of the church space as a reminder of the former use of the Bay Terrace location.

Client: BMD Group

Location: Yuggera / Turrbal / Quandamooka Country | Wynnum QLD

Project Lead: Rod Rose

Design Lead: Katie Rankine

Project Architect: Peter Choi

Interior Design Lead: Magdalena Uscinowicz