Businessman and ex-Block buyer David Brandi is selling the circa-1920s chapel at 111 Wellington Pde South, East Melbourne.
High-profile ex-accountant and serial Block buyer David Brandi has listed a grand East Melbourne chapel with a $3.8m-$4.18m range.
Along with his hairdresser wife Tina, Mr Brandi has bought and sold multiple homes renovated on television show The Block including a $2.3m South Yarra penthouse, a
$2.305m Port Melbourne apartment and a $1.725m Prahran apartment.
In 2021, the Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC) disqualified Mr Brandi from managing corporations for five years following his involvement in the failure of three companies.
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Liquidators were appointed to the companies which owed creditors more than $73m at the time.
Mr Brandi’s disqualification was extended from May 26, 2026, to July 29, 2026, after he was convicted of fraud offences brought by the Australian Taxation Office.
He remains prominent in Melbourne’s commercial community with the Brandi Inc website stating that Mr Brandi has an array of business interests and associations.
As a family-owned group of companies, Brandi Inc’s interest span hospitality, property, sport, steel, consulting and accounting, according to the website.
Holiday accommodation and short-term rental properties connected to Brandi Inc include the Lorne Mantra resort, a Gold Coast penthouse and Portsea residence which sleeps 14 people.
Tina and David Brandi leaving the County Court in Melbourne, in 2021. Picture: Andrew Henshaw.
Stained glass windows, brickwork and a Marseilles-pattern hipped roof, characterised by interlocking tiles, are among the chapel’s features.
There’s also a bell tower at the chapel designed by architectural practice Gawler and Drummond, which also contributed buildings to the University of Melbourne.
Whitefox’s Dylan Francis declined to comment on the circa-1929 Mediterranean-style chapel’s owner but public records show it’s owned by Mr Brandi.
The proprietor’s address, mentioned in title documents, matches that of Brandi Inc’s Abbotsford offices.
Mr Francis said the 111 Wellington Pde South chapel’s owner had been planning to convert it into a home and had gone so far as having an architect draw up plans within the past decade, before later changing their minds.
The heritage-listed chapel, originally built for the Adult Deaf Society, features a hipped roof, bell tower and stained glass windows.
According to the Victorian Heritage Database, the chapel resembles Greek and Italian Byzantine churches, and is listed by the National Trust.
David Brandi’s LinkedIn profile describes him as an experienced entrepreneur and business consultant, with interests in hospitality, sport, manufacturing, financial services and property. Picture: LinkedIn.
Mr Francis said the chapel had a sense of grandness often seen in overseas churches.
He said a buyer willing to invest cash and “blood, sweat and tears” could transform the distinctive property into an amazing home, office, eatery, art gallery, gym, wellness studio or library, while maintaining its historic facade.
A purchaser could take up the existing plans to adapt the building into a home if they were interested, Mr Francis noted.
“We’ve had a numerous amount of inquiries from investors and people wanting to land bank,” he said.
“And you know, there’s not many people that could say that they’ve bought a chapel that’s been standing for close to a 100 years.”
David and Tina Brandi are are also selling Alkira Resort House in Cape Tribulation, Far North Queensland.
A light feature inside the East Melbourne chapel, which has sat vacant for some years.
The chapel stands within the Jolimont Square gated community and is a few hundred metres’ walk to the MCG, Fitzroy Gardens and Jolimont Station.
It’s zoned for both residential and commercial use.
Two years ago, Mr Brandi and his wife listed a UFO-like Queensland rainforest mansion for sale at $5m, then relisted it without an advertised price tag in May 2026.
Unlike Victoria, Queensland homes are not legally required to advertise a price when listed for sale.
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