St Andrew's Presbyterian Memorial Church
114 Rankin Street, Innisfail
St Andrew’s Presbyterian Memorial Church is significant for its architectural presence in the townscape of Innisfail. It reflects the influence of the modernist organic style of American architect Frank Lloyd Wright. Designed by Cairns-based architect Eddie H Oribin and his business partner S G Barnes, this church was built on the foundations of an earlier church. Tenders closed in January 1960, with A G Pepper the successful contractor. The rear wall was redesigned during construction to reduce costs, and the building officially opened in November 1961. The seating capacity was 200 with additional choir seating for 30. The church was damaged by Cyclone Winifred in February 1986. When the Uniting Church formed in 1977, the congregation chose to donate the church to the Shire Council in exchange for land in Scullen Avenue, where they built a new church with the insurance money. They took many of Oribin’s interior features to the new church, including silky oak pews, the cross and the altar. In 1988, a separate Presbyterian organisation purchased the church and revived it. Today, the church is occupied by a real estate company.
Featured in this trail:
Coordinates: -17.51970676, 146.02927256
Full details of this heritage-registered place are in the Heritage register.