NEVER BUILT SYDNEY: 580 George Street (1982)

580 George Street is one of my favourite skyscrapers in the vicinity of Town Hall Station. Completed in 1988, the 37-storey office building rises 162 metres above street level. The tower was designed by architect Kevin James Rice and was influenced by 1930's Art-Deco style.

We may not have had this building built in this style. In 1982, plans were for a simpler box-style design for the tower, which was to be occupied by State Government Departments - Government Insurance Office (GIO) and the Water Board. The tower was slated to be taller - 45 stories.

Source: Rich, J. 1982. "Lost appeal clears way for $80m City office tower". The Sydney Morning Herald, April 21: 14.

Below is a photo of 580 George Street taken in 2012 by yours truly at almost the exact location of the artist's impression, which shows the eventual tower appearing slightly shorter, though the architectural feature (spire) atop the building may suggest what the possible height could have been.

The eventual design of the tower was lodged as a development application to Sydney City Council in 1984 after developer John Denoon bought the site for $13.5 million in July of that year.

Property Advert of the Week: Ewos Towers Cronulla (1969)

Below is a newspaper advertisement from 1969 promoting apartments in the Ewos Towers at Cronulla. The apartment tower located in Ewos Parade was offering eighteen two-bedroom apartments from just $17 000. According to the RBA Inflation Calculator, the apartments cost the equivalent of $229 000 in today's money. Apartments in the complex can sell for over $1.1 million today,

  

Source: Harvey Real Estate Co. Pty. Ltd. 1969. "Untitled" (Advertisement). The St George and Sutherland Shire Leader, December 17: page unknown.

NEVER BUILT SYDNEY: La Galleria Kings Cross (1987)

Above: A Cross section of La Galleria as viewed from the north (Kings Cross Road elevation). Full Citation below.

In 1987, the site of what is presently the Elan and Altair Apartments at Kings Cross was owned by developer Sir Sid Londish, who had purchased the one-hectare site located above the Kings Cross tunnel for $11 million the previous year. 

Source: Robertson, R. 1987. "Londish building cut by six levels". The Eastern Herald (The Sydney Morning Herald Supplement), December 10: 32.

A 32-storey hotel tower was to rise above a massive podium containing retail and commercial space. The estimated cost was estimated to be just under $300 million, according to a 1990 newspaper report in The Australian. 

The plans mentioned in the article are modified plans that were unveiled several months earlier and were criticised for being "too bulky" in its podium levels. The modified plans were welcomed by local residents. 

Plans were changed in 1989 when a 48-storey apartment tower was proposed for the site citing the increased appeal of inner city apartments.  

In 1990 the site was sold to Rushcutter Properties Limited (a subsidiary of General Accident Plc, UK), and the purchaser could pursue either scheme. Ultimately, the focus shifted to residential, leading to the demise of this proposal and, ultimately the Elan Tower (1997) and Altair (2000).  

Sourced from: Pottinger, P. 1990. "Kings Cross tunnel site is on the market - at $55m". The Sydney Morning Herald, April 10: 29.

Property Advert of the Week: Rivermont Place Menai (1997)

Below is a 1997 newspaper advertisement by Australand Properties to promote the Rivermont Place development at Menai.

The apartment block featured occupies land at the corner of Allison Crescent and Schofield Place, Menai, with the townhouses located in the vicinity. It is opposite the HomeCo. Menai Marketplace, providing residents with easy access to shops. 

Source: Australand Properties. 1997. "A sensational new address at Menai" (Advertisement). The Daily Telegraph, January 11: 4. 

NEVER BUILT SYDNEY: 1 Oxford Street Hotel (1970)

1 Oxford Street is a 27-level office tower, completed in 1982 that occupies the corner of Oxford Street and Wentworth Avenue.

Did you know that early plans for the site called for a hotel tower instead of an office tower? Below is a proposal from 1970.

Source: Anon. 1970. "Australia in the 70s: Room for 1100 in a space age hotel". The Daily Mirror, January 7: 3. 

The tower was similar in height with 29 stories rising to around 350 feet (106 metres). The rooms would accommodate a total of 800 guests and also included a convention centre with a capacity of 1100 people along with a rooftop restaurant. The developer Hooker Projects would oversee planning and construction and hoped to sell the tower to a hotelier. In March 1971, Hooker Corporation announced that the hotel would not proceed likely due to financial returns and the price paid for land in Sydney. Its axing was despite increased demand for luxury international hotels in Sydney associated with increased demand for jet air travel.

Source: McGlynn, K. 1971. "There's no room at the inn...". The Sunday Telegraph, March 7: 40.

Property Advert of the Week: 5 Acre Farms at Horsely Park (1968) - Another version

In 2017, I posted an advertisement published by Allan H. Tickey from 1968 promoting the sale of five-acre sites at Horsely Park. 

This week, I will share another newspaper advertisement promoting the same acreage. This dates from March 1968, which was three months prior to the advertisement previously posted.

Source: Allan H. Tuckey Pty. Ltd. 1968. "A 5-acre homesite you can farm!" (Advertisement). The Daily Telegraph, March 22: 38.

Related Entry

Property Advert of the Week: 5 Acre Farms at Horsley Park (1968) - Posted 2 September 2017.

NEVER BUILT SYDNEY: Hoyts Centre Tower (1971)

Plans were unveiled in 1969 (Click here for last week's entry) to redevelop the site of the Trocadero into a cinema complex with a hotel tower rising 44 stories.

 

Source: Anon. "$30 million hotel with 5 theatres". The Daily Telegraph, November 4: page unknown.

In 1971, detailed plans were released for the Hoyts Cinema Centre including what became the Hoyts Cinema Centre and hotel tower that would rise above the complex. 

The tower was designed by architect Sir Roy Grounds, famous for his design of Wrest Point Casino in Hobart. Hoyts Theatres were to build the 450-foot (137 metre) tower in partnership with AMP and hotel chain Sheraton International.

Unfortunately, the hotel didn't eventuate but the Cinema Complex was completed in 1976. 

In 1999, Hoyts and Greater Union merged into one cinema complex which eventually became controlled by Greater Union (now Event Cinemas).

More recently, plans were approved by Sydney City Council in 2020 for an eighty-storey apartment tower to rise above the original Hoyts Cinema Complex to be developed by Mirvac and Coombes Property. However, it is "on hold".  

 

Sourced from: Cummins, C. 2018. "George Street grows upwards with $1 billion skyscraper". The Sydney Morning Herald, July 19: 8. 

Event Cinemas are also seeking to redevelop the section of the current cinemas that lies on the original site of Greater Union with a 43-storey hotel and residential tower to rise 160 metres above street level. An amended development application has been recommended for approval by the Sydney Central Planning Committee when they meet on Thursday (11 May). 

Related Entry

NEVER BUILT SYDNEY: Hoyts Cinema Centre Tower (1969)

Property Advert of the Week: Land Release - Lentara Circuit, Georges Hall (1966)

In 1966, John L. Nichols was undertaking a "Sensational First Release" of housing sites at Georges Hall. Based on the map, the street featured was Lentara Circuit.

 

Source: John. L. Nichols & Co. Pty. Ltd. 1966. Untitled (Advertisement). The Daily Telegraph, September 10: 45.

Prices were permitted to be advertised in pounds, pence, and shillings for a two-year period following the introduction of decimal currency on 14 February 1966.

NEVER BUILT SYDNEY: Hoyts Cinema Centre Tower (1969)

Sourced from: Anon. 1969. " Up, Up and away is a theme song". The Sydney Morning Herald Australia Unlimited Supplement 1969, July 21: 33. 

Did you know that early plans for the Hoyts Cinema Centre (now incorporated into Event Cinemas) in George Street had plans for a highrise tower rising above it?

Sydney City Council approved plans in 1969 for a 44-level hotel tower to rise on the site of the Trocadero. In the podium, a five-screen cinema complex would be built as part of the development. 

Source: Anon. 1969. "Five-Cinema Skyscraper for Trocadero Site". The Daily Telegraph, June 8: 9.

The Trocadero was closed in 1971. Next week, I will look at a second proposal for the site.