Boarded up Annandale milk bar on the market after 70 years
An old milk bar in Annandale that was at one time the tuck shop for the school across the road is being sold for the first time in about 70 years.
The weatherboard store on Trafalgar Street, once known fondly by the kids at Annandale Public School opposite as “Mrs Craig’s lolly shop”, has remained in the hands of the same family since the 1940s. At one time before that it was the tuck shop for the school, according to an advertisement in The Sydney Morning Herald in 1941.
But it has been shut for years, with the windows boarded up and much of the painted advertising on the facade barely visible.
Now the building, on a 290-square-metre block with rear lane access, will go to auction on 3 November with a price guide of $1.7 million.
The shop and residence has been boarded up for some years. Photo: Supplied
The agent, Ray White’s Karl Howard, said it had already garnered a lot of interest in the local community.
“It’s quite unique,” Mr Howard said. “Lots of people have been walking past for years wondering what was there and what was going on.”
One former student said she remembered going there after school with her twin sisters.
“Two lollies for 1 cent – cobblers, milk bottles, freckles, musk sticks, bullets. Mrs Craig had them all in separate jars,” she said.
“She was the nicest old lady. If you were short by 5 cents or less she would say, ‘don’t worry, love, pay me the rest tomorrow’.”
It’s unclear how old the building is but there are records of it being used as a “confectionery shop” from the early 1900s.
And while it is not heritage listed Mr Howard said the council could be keen for any buyer to keep the front of the shop and build a new building behind.
“The council would probably see it as an important fragment of Annandale’s early development, and they might likely want you to keep it, but with a good heritage architect or consultant you could probably put something on the back and do a nice family home,” he said.
The property is almost 300 square metres and has rear lane access. Photo: Supplied
“It works for people looking for a bigger block of land in Annandale.
“Local buyers are the key ones that have come out of the woodwork. It works for executives or for family buyers looking for a site where they can create the dream home.
Mr Howard said there were also some “development opportunities for a shrewd developer who knows how to get things moving with councils”.
“With access to the city, anyone who works there can drive 150 metres to the end of the road and you’re on Parramatta Road, and you’re in the city in five minutes.”
with Alison Cheung
