Monday, 5 February 2024

East Circular Quay Redevelopment (Series): The first apartment block proposal (1979)

East Circular Quay Apartment Block proposal October 11 1979 SMH 1 enlarged 2
Above: The first proposal for an apartment block at East Circular Quay on the site of 35-37 Macquarie Street. Full citation below.

Welcome to the first entry in a new series focusing on the redevelopment of East Circular Quay. The story spans four decades.

In this series, we will look at the proposals to redevelop sites in the block bounded by the Cahill Expressway, Circular Quay East (now a pedestrian Mall) and Macquarie Street, along with the developments that eventuated to make the area what it is today.

At the end of the 1970s, East Circular Quay comprised of office buildings that averaged fifteen stories in height, built during the 1950s and 1960s.

There were also two buildings on the strip that were six storeys tall. One of them was 35-37 Macquarie Street, which was located next door to Unilever House. The building was built in 1953 and used as a Paper Store by the Commercial Banking Company of Sydney Ltd (CBC). In 1979, The CBC had made the decision to sell off the building as their Paper Store was now based at a warehouse in Alexandria 

East Circular Quay March 15 1979 SMH 33

Source: Jones Lang Wootton & Henderson & Horning Pty. Ltd. 1979. Untitled (Advertisement). The Sydney Morning Herald, March 15: 33. 

East Circular Quay April 11 1979 SMH 25

Source: Maddox, G. 1979. "Site near Circular Quay may be used for units". The Sydney Morning Herald, April 11: 25. 

An unnamed buyer purchased the building for $ 900,000, the equivalent of $5 million today, according to the RBA Inflation Calculator. The name of the buyer was initially unknown.

East Circular Quay April 19 1979 SMH 11

Source: Maddox, G. 1979. "Quay building goes to unnamed buyer." The Sydney Morning Herald, April 19: 11. 

In October 1979, the owners of the building, Jedobo Pty. Ltd unveiled plans for a 19-storey apartment tower to replace the building. 25 Apartments would be on sale for up to $500,000 or up to $2.8 million in today's money, according to the RBA Inflation Calculator.

East Circular Quay Apartment Block proposal October 11 1979 SMH 1 enlarged

Source: Maddox, G. 1979. "Quay units plan for a $1/2m city view". The Sydney Morning Herald, October 11: 1. 

However, the project would not proceed.

Five years would pass before the next phase in the redevelopment of East Circular Quay would commence.



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